Bakuriani ski resort

It's definitely fall now, colder, rainier, shorter days. Boy, do I love spring, I guess I'll plan for the southern hemisphere next fall.

So I set out in the partial sunshine thinking I would have a perfect 3 to 4 hour window to make it to the next place. About halfway the heavens opened up and the downpour started. I waited under a tree twice but in the end pushed on and got to a convenience store. You know it's cold outside when the drink in the fridge is warmer than your hands.

The poor construction guys were working in this rain trying to dig holes that promptly flooded. The whole road is cut up through the entire town.

Feet and hands turned half white due Reynaud's syndrome, but I got hot pretty quickly by the fire with a cup of tea. Since I had dinner in town already I might just be in bed pretty quick. Alas that was not to happen.

I take a picture of the sunset and see a yellow panel saying the pass is closed. There is a full-time police check on top, it is the national security area for the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, an enormous, 1,768 km underground crude oil pipeline that pumps roughly one million barrels of oil per day from the Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan), cutting across Georgia, and ending at the Mediterranean coast in Turkey. Next to it lays the massive South Caucasus Gas Pipeline (SCP). Tomorrow is a detour, no wind swept volcanic plateau ride, a valley road with traffic instead.

When I show a picture of the panel to the owner of the hotel and other people they say oh no no that panel needs to be removed everybody goes... 😜
So I'll go .....Read more