English Summary: Dog attacks continued today on the outskirts of Ardahan where I am staying the night tonight. Bought a brush today to brush off any snow that gets on my boots. The snow melts, the water wets my boots, my boots freeze overnight, and I come close to getting frostbite on my toes in temperatures such as -16, as it was this morning as I rode.
ちょっ と問題発生です。このごろ、道路から離れた寝るところまで行くために、時に膝までの深さの雪の中に100m以上に歩かないと行けません。雪が靴に付いてし まって、解けて、その水でブーツの皮が濡れてしまいます。濡れた靴を一晩置いたら、完全に凍ってしまいます。そしてその凍った靴を履くと足指が冷えてしま います。
普通は、冷たい足指はそこまで大きな問題ではありませんが、今朝の気温、マイナス16度の中で自転車を走らないと行けないことに なったら、大変なことになる可能性が生じてきます。極端にいうとfrost biteになると指の切断が必要になってくるわけです。現実の問題です。防水加工で靴のなかに水が染み込まないことがとてもいいですが、表面の皮が凍って しまうことが問題です。
その対策として、ブラッシを買いました。雪が少しでも靴に付いてしまったら、すぐにはらえます。とにかく靴が濡れないようにしないと。
今日も犬のattackが続けました。戦争のようです。ひとつの群をやっと後にできたら、次の群がやってくる。銃を買うか・・・
今日は10kmを走って、アルダハン町のホテルに泊まっています。この3日間で現れた問題（雪、寒さ、犬）の対策を考えるためです。
quick message as I'm supposed to be on motorway right now, glad to hear your ticking along must say however! All that white stuff what ain't drugs looks just a bit too much! To be out and about in….. re dogs Pepper spray! Brilliant stuff just be careful which way the wind in blowing is all I can say….! as for villages with villagers who are into chains and that sort of stuff just be careful cos it would take a while for me to get a rescue mission going if you know what I'm saying! look forward to more posts and remember the feet as frostbite hurts like something else when they get warm…. I'm outta here C.
PS those big dogs from hell! if you have to hit them the place is right on the end of the nose apparently it hurts'em like a red hot poker, don't bother with aiming for centre of mass too much fur and muscle. Just on the nose and the tip where the bone starts and use the bike as a shield if there's more than one. Pepper spray, 4×2 with long nails, a ladies (small) spade with the edge sharpened up or a shotgun are still the best ways to kill someone's beloved pet!
But I'm guessing your a peace loving hippy when it comes to that sort of thing.
I'm really going this time.
C.
You don't want to be bitten by one of those dogs. Apart from the pain, you don't know what kind of diseases you might get from them. The pepper spray sounds like a great idea. I have a small animal annoying me right now. Lil has got herself another kitten and it is smothering me with affection!! unfortunately that means lots of very wet kisses all over my face!!! This latest addition to her minagerie is called Ajax, and he is a fluffy black and white. Very cute. Lil is out looking for a flat, so we won't have Ajax here for much longer.
As for the shoes. Turn you sleeping stuff sack inside out, put your shoes in them and then stuff them inside your sleeping back under your knees while you sleep. In the morning they will be dry and warm.
Love the site. When you finish could you turn around and go back so the adventure will never end?
Bear spray's what ya need boy. Comes in a pocket-sized can packed full of pepper powder. If it can scare off a bear then I'm pretty sure it will get rid of the dogs. Alternatively you could tow a bit of electric fence wire behind you with a piece of meat hanging off it, I guarantee they'll only bite it once. The car battery may slow you down but it’ll be worth it and you could do with the extra exercise.
I was just reading the old blog again while on the ferry, so to help you keep up go back to where the girly dog comes and says hello.
Got there now suppose that girly dog was on heat, all these self propelled junkyard alarm systems are able to smell doggy muff a mile off bit like sharks do I think! You have to ask did you touch the dog? well did ya? Or did it brush up against you while being your new best mate?
Now back to present day
So these shark dogs come chasing over to find a hairy kiwi who's not keen to get it on with'em also no sweet miss turkish golden retriever 2007 wearing nothing but a collar with her name on.
Makes sense to me why they want to bite you now, if you have a vivid and very twisted mind…. it could make sense to you too.
If you find a petrol station and they don't have pepper spray buy a car fire extingusher. Probalby won't kill'em but will without a doubt pi** them off even more…. and can you take pictures of all this cos it sounds proper mental fight to death stuff….
PS don't get killed or hurt have just bought some really swish biscuits from duty free…
kind regards from darkest french france onroute to Poland, if you can get these dogs to follow you at discreet distance till Calais in the next ten or so days I'll run'em over with the car no problem. I'd like to see some junk yard shark arguing with 2 tons of metal.
Carl, I am sure that there would have been at l least two or three dead dogs had I not thrown my 44 magnum out a while back (jolly heavy – slowed me down on the hills). Tried attaching a lawn mower motor to the bike to get to Calais in time for you run the dogs over, but I'm not running studded tyres. The wheel just spins…thanks for the offer though.
Asel, good idea for the boots. However, since I'm wearing all my clothes in the sleeping bag, there's not much more room…I need a polar sleeping bag.
Bro, bear spray is definitely what I need. Only problem is that Turkey isn't exactly a top developed country. Kinda hard to find that stuff here. I could try throwing a handful of pepper at them?
I've just seen your picture mate you look like scott of the antartic! slow down you'll break something! Actually don't slow down you'll freeze to the spot! Weather here is not bad but the worst is yet to come! don't want to sound miserable but the cold could come with you if your unlucky…. check out one of those weather sites http://www.bbc.co.uk is good and in english it could help in planning further travel. No point getting frostbite or turned into human icicle on a bicycle.
regards from Darkest Berlin.
Carl, so long as it's not -2 degrees and raining a slushy freezing rain. Give me -20 over those conditions any day.