Monday my schedule was inexplicably scrapped. An all-day conference failed to materialize. We went for a drive, a day trip first to Nohur, where Alexander the Great left behind a garrison some thousands of years ago, and where some inhabitants to this day have green eyes bequeathed by their Greek ancestors, then onward, to the Sumbar River valley. I identified two mysterious villages that appear on imagery but till then in OSM had no names: Kürüždeý and Duzlydepe. We drove over dirt and gravel mountain roads, down steep valleys, and confirmed the tracks of some roads, including one that follows a riverbed for a little way (the water was not deep this time of year).

I also found that a road someone drew “speculatively” (his word) on the map about four years ago doesn’t really exist, at least not where it was drawn. Upon return I adjusted it to the GPS trace as far as we went, but deleted what I could not confirm. Locals said the road goes no farther any more due to mud- and rock slides, so that part of the OSM map is more accurate now.

Mapillary imagery is being uploaded as I type this. The scenery was nice, but in springtime it must be spectacular. I will have to go back when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming.