The rocky road to Tbilisi

Day 18 306 km (6490 km total)

 

There are two options when driving from Batumi to Tblisi - the main highway and the moutain road over the Goderdzi Pass at a height of 2025m. There is a warning that this route is for 4WD vehicles only and has about 50km of unsurfaced road.

Well are we adventure motorcyclists or not?.....so of course we chose that way!

This is once seriously great road - a must ride if you happen to be over there, its a long day though, took us about 8 hours in total (vs about 4.5 if we had taken the highway)

 

As you leave Batumi and head east down the river valley, the city quickly falls behind you and the road opens up nicely - a good surface, lovely scenery & sweeping bends.

You do have to keep an eye open for cows though, which seem to roam freely along the roads.

 

And the occasional bit of missing tarmac ...

 

There are quite a few scenic bridges crossing the river

 

 

 

It is a lovely road to ride as it climbs steadily into the hills.

Getting more rugged higher up

 

 

Still with cows playimg chicken though!

 

Lunch stop before the serious stuff starts ...

 

Within minutes of leaving the lunch stop cafe, the good tarmec disappeared.

This was going to be fun :-)

 

 

 

The road is generally hard packed and sometimes loose stone, but with large rocks embedded that can easily catch you out. There are also some fairly serious sections, usually near corners, where the stones have gone & its just rocks. Not many pictures of those unfortauneley as I was too busy wrestling a 250kg bike over them.

The scenery was stunning all the way

 

With the odd surprise thorwn in

 

And some pretty steep unguarded drops to keep you on your toes ...

Russ taking it in his stride ...

... and me standing to provide some relief to the rear end

 

 

Even the odd water crossing ... Such fun ...

You cant do these roads at any speed, it does'nt look it but its really rough

 

Getting close to the top - selfie time!

 

And here it is 2025m high ...

 

 

More fun to be had going down ...

And sights...

 

And long range selfies

Then its a steady down hill and level highway for a couple more hours into Tibilisi. Bed for the night was at a newly renovated place still being built, but with some rooms avaialble for use. Alan, who I met in Croatia was also here waiting, as it had been a pre arranged rendevous point.

 

 

Rest day tomorrow to do various bike checks & minor repairs, after the punishment it had today, plus of course a look around Tbilisi.