Saturday August 9, 2014, 125 miles (201 km) – Total so far: 4,441 miles (7,147 km)

Thursday August 6 2014 15 miles It was time for a run to the border. About a mile away we were chased by three dogs that surprised out. The larger one grabbed my right ankle and chomped down. In all our miles and after being chased by over 100 dogs it finally happened. I was able to scream and momentarily scare the dog so he let go. We stopped about a ½ mile down the road to check for damage. There were four punctures but not a lot of bleeding. The scary thing was looking back to see all three dogs sitting on the road staring at us as in daring us to come back. We continued to the border with my pain increasing.

We checked out of Azerbaijan with a lot of people checking out our bikes. There were stories that if you were not properly registered there would be a hefty fine on check out. We did register three times, I think, and that must have worked because we were passed through. On the Iranian side we were warmly greeted by the border police and the police chief escorted us to passport control where we were very warmly greeted and welcomed by several members of Faridad Pars Arya (FPA)Tours which translates to “God’s gift to the land of Persia”. Our original contact Ali and our email contact Hamid from Tehran were there along with or tour leader Ehsan and driver Afshin who designed and printed a beautiful banner of us showing our Iranian visas. Along with them there were various other people including the gentleman who approved our visas. We have never been so warmly welcomed anywhere in the world.

Our 28 days tour was set up to visit as many historical and archeological areas as we could. Since we were originally going to enter from Turkey instead of Azerbaijan we loaded up our bikes and gear for a 500 km ride directly west across the top of Iran to the town of Chaldoran where the over 2,000 year old Gharah Klisa (Black Church) is located. This was a very long drive and we didn’t make it there the first night. Instead we stopped for a late dinner then set up camp. It was a very long and exhausting day but very rewarding from the friendship and generosity of so many people.

Friday August 7, 2014 60 miles It was another two hour drive to the Black Church. After a tour we were greeted by a friend of Ali’s, Mr. Pam, who brought flowers for Jocelyn and chocolate for us both. Along with that he brought breakfast which we enjoyed on the church courtyard lawn. He also unrolled a beautiful banner with our picture. It is very customary for Iranians to share meals while sitting on a blanket enjoying chai (tea) and sweets. We had a great time but soon it was time to ride. We had attracted quite a crowd and took the time to pose with everyone who wanted pictures with us. The ride was great as we rode hills up and down through the mountains. That evening we stopped at a park where once again we camped neat the town of Ivughli. It is interesting how late the people stay up at night. We were at a park and there were families arriving up until about midnight to cook with the kids running around playing.

Saturday August 8, 2014 50 miles We continued riding through the high desert with Afshin and Ehsan following us in Afshin car. We had discussed loading the bikes onto the car and driving to Tabriz in order to sight see so after 50 miles we did just that. With the earlier arrival we checked into a hotel and were greeted by Hamid, a friend of Ali who took us around the city. Tabriz is a huge city and we toured the oldest indoor bazaar in the world. This bazaar is over 800 years old and is mentioned by Marco Polo in his travels. This location is key because Tabriz is at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road a popular trading through Asia for hundreds of years. Tabriz is full of fascinating history. We ended the day in a huge park where once again it was full of families at 11 pm.

The map is not working correctly so there is no added map.