Living in two places – the lithic scatter of Wall Spring Nevada and vicariously on the Lycian Coast of three [!] weeks ago was so disorienting that Monday, having to go for mail anyway, spun off into a five hour driveabout, north from Gerlach past pavement’s end to historic miners’ middens [less than a century old] and, as they say, “land, lots of land”, seeing no one.

Which will appear here in due chronological course…

Meanwhile, back in chronological Turkey, we completed our brief sojourn under sail to enter the harbor of Ucagiz for a stroll from the tombs [some multi-level] of that settlement, past a fairly moribund boatyard, and up to the striking pile [Lycian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman] of a fortress overlooking the next town, Kale,

In Kale, after a welcome sunset pause for pomegranate juice overlooking the little harbor, we rejoined Kayan 11 in a secluded cove within reach, via motorboat on the full moon, of a celebratory seaside dinner ashore…

The next morning we were underway early to, firstly, an offshore swim in sight of Greek islands, then put in yet again at the pretty little harbor of Kalkan where, after lunch, a quick bus trip into the coastal hills took us to Patara’s Roman aqueduct, which we investigated and followed a bit;

[plumbing]

…then wandered into woods on roads [good for conversations, being on roads] and, crossing the coastal hills, descended at times precipitously [at one point one of our number lost the trail, blundering unfortunately into a patch of those unfamiliar spiny plants] to the extensive ruins, a few perhaps over-enthusiastically restored, of Patara;

…a major trading as well as governmental seat of the loosely-organized Lycian League.  I found the walls with their many layers of recycled materials particularly attractive, as well as the local dogs [though some didn’t]…

We were back on the boat at dusk, leaving the pretty harbor behind for a mooring I remember not at all and underway before moonset Thursday…with breakfast while cruising;

And so back to Ovacik, wherein the heartier half of the group went off to hike the mountains while a number nearly equal spent the day aboard, taking swims as hang gliders dreamily descended from some unseen aerie above the resort beach and inept French, casting off, nearly became ensnared in our stern lines, soon to be replaced by another boatload of their countrymen who passed the day riotously shrieking and drinking, almost entangling themselves in our anchor chain in the course of their equally inept and lengthy lengthy departure [not shown, but hilarious];

[the above being not French; most likely oligarchs channeling Captain Nemo]

Our shore party returned in late afternoon and we moved to the channel opposite Gemiler Island for a dip before exploring that haunting site of fourth to sixth century churches subsequently dedicated to Saint Nicolas, a local boy [son of Patara merchants if legends are credible]…

Why or when Gemiler was settled is unknown, but it became St. Nicolas’ burial site for awhile [on his way to, ultimately, Italy] and a destination for Christians on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; no records for the founding nor the abandonment exist, although it seems likely that Arab ‘pirates’ extending their reach around 650 AD were responsible for the latter, coinciding with the evacuation of coastal settlements to the interior.  The only archaeological study to date, strangely enough, is  Japanese, and the findings have not been widely translated.

Much more could be said, or not; the only certainty…is un.

So ends the day of Thurs…

 

 

 

M