The Zone

We have had a blast traveling the Turk/Iraqi border this last week. In the last two days we have been thru 48 checkpoints, been detained 9 times and have made some great new friends in the communities along the way.
Hanging with the Troops

Setting Out Along the Border...Iraq on the Left, Turkey on the Right
The Turk Military has gone out of their way to accommodate our travel plans and have extended us the greatest hospitality and kindness. While we have been made to wait many times at checkpoints while our approval to travel further south and west was validated...it has been cool to hang with this great group of guys and visit the many villages scattered in this high security territory.
Our first day on the border we were stopped a mile away from where the Turk Troops had discovered a roadside bomb a half an hour before we would have passed by it. The country and mountains are spectacular and the people sincere and amazingly kind.
This has been the best foray we have had to date! We are still shaking the dust from ourselves and are on the way to wrapping up this season's SRE. Next Stop...Istanbul

Entering the Zone

Tailgaters

Iraq