The itinerary for State Sen. Johnie Hammond’s trip to Turkey included touring ancient ruins, cruising the Black Sea and lodging in a beach-side hotel near the Mediterranean Sea.

The one thing she didn’t plan for was an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale.

Hammond was vacationing in Turkey with her husband, Earl, professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State, and their 14-year-old grandson Joe Hanson of Belmond, when the devastating quake struck Istanbul on Aug. 17.

The disaster left more than 12,000 dead and more than 30,000 injured or unaccounted for.

“We were sleeping when it struck, and we were far enough away from Istanbul that we couldn’t feel anything,” Hammond said.

The Hammonds were in Turkey to honor a family tradition. Whenever a grandchild turns 14, they take him or her on a vacation to celebrate. Hanson wanted to travel out of the country for the first time.

The arrangements for a trip to Turkey fell into place when Aziz Tekin, a post-doctoral student who had worked with Earl Hammond at ISU, invited the Hammonds to see his homeland.

“Aziz showed us around different parts of Turkey, including Ankara, where he teaches at the University of Ankara,” Johnie Hammond said. “We saw all sorts of beautiful and interesting things.”

Hammond didn’t learn about the earthquake, which struck at about 3 a.m. Tuesday, until she went to eat breakfast. She said Aziz notified them of the earthquake while they were eating.

“We could tell it was serious by his expression,” she said. “He walked in and just said, ‘There’s been an earthquake.'”

The Hammonds traveled back through the areas affected by the quake, but they didn’t see much actual damage to the land.

“A lot of the areas we saw looked pretty normal,” she said. “Obviously, there was extensive damage. We just didn’t observe much of it. But the number of people dead or injured is staggering.”

When the Hammonds’ children in Iowa heard about what had happened in Turkey, they immediately tried to contact their parents, Johnie Hammond said. The Hammonds also were trying to reach their children.

“We tried several outlets to let them know we were okay, but the phone systems were overloaded,” Hammond said. “We finally got through and left a message for them on Wednesday night.”

Hanson said the earthquake made his first overseas trip unforgettable.

“I didn’t really know anything about the earthquake until I read about it the newspapers, and I’m just glad that we weren’t in Istanbul the day it happened,” he said. “The trip will definitely be memorable.”

The Hammonds and Hanson returned to Iowa late Friday night. And though the earthquake was devastating, Hammond said she hopes it won’t discourage people from visiting Turkey.

“It was just one of those things that you wish hadn’t happened,” she said. “But it’s really lovely country. I’d recommend it as a travel stop for anyone.”