Get out of Town and Play in the Snow
This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series. You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.
This Friday’s Things to do in Adana article is another out-of-town adventure. I want to preface this by saying that most of the articles in this section will be things that can be done in town without a vehicle, but the time is a wastin’ and there might not be any snow left in a few weeks, so I want to encourage those of you with a car to get out and take part in one of the great pleasures in life; seeing and playing in snow.
I’ve been up to the foothills of the Toros Mountians twice in the past week and I believe that this is distantly related to one of my goals in re-launching this blog; namely that I’d get myself out and experience this city and the surrounding area like I did during my first few years here.
Our time yesterday couldn’t have been better. We went with another family who we’re just getting to know and it was a perfect ice breaker. They also have a three year old boy and a one year old girl. The kids had so much fun, and we really had a relaxing afternoon. The highlight of the day was when my son Aksel started stuffing bread with snow and eating snow sandwiches. It was priceless. It was also great to cook food over an open fire and to enjoy our new friends. The pictures speak for themselves.
A well kept secret in Adana is that there are some great places that are very accessible by car where a person can get out of town, have a picnic in the countryside and see snow when the season is right. Thursday was a perfect day for taking off of work and heading out to the country with another family. We packed a bunch of clothes, bought some sucuk (Turkish sausage), bread, tomatoes and fruit and drove about an hour to a perfect place on a perfect day. Here’s how you can do it.
Where: Karboğazı Tekir picnic area. Roughly 1 hour from Adana.
What to bring: bring warm clothes that can be layered on and off depending on the weather. Also bring a dry change of clothes that can be changed into before heading home. It’s good to have waterproof boots, but not necessary. Bring some paper and wood or charcoal for starting a fire. We scavenged wood, but would have been better off if we’d brought our own wood. Bring some blankets to put on the ground and you’re good to go.
Who: Adults and kids of all ages.
To get there: Get on the autobon heading toward Mersin. Take the Ankara exit just outside of town heading toward the mountains. Get off of the freeway at the Tekir exit. When you get off of the highway, you want to turnaround at the roundabout there and head back toward Tarsus on the old highway. Go roughly 5km until you see a faded sign that says “Karboğazı Picnik Alanı” and drive down the old country road. You’ll drive about 15 minutes until you realize you’re on a flat road heading into a big long valley. Drive until you find a suitable place for your picnic where you can park your car, make your fire and enjoy the great outdoors. It’s that simple.
Check out the video I recorded as well for the Things to do in Adana section of this blog.
