Day 8 - Hi, Sahara!
Just like the day before, I started quite early and just like the previous day, I had quite a climb for the first section of the trip. Soon I was at a pass called Tizi N'Talghaumt, at 1907 meters of elevation (Midelt is already at 1500 m, so it was not such a huge climb - and I was happy to start rolling downhill).
Rolling down from the pass, there was a mother and her daughter walking on the side of the road in the same direction, I had no option but to ride by them - they both almost got a heart attack as I whizzed by them.
I believe this was the gate to the Sahara beg, as the picture shows.
It was an amazing day for biking through this uncanny landscape. Right now, writing this blog, I am having a hard time. It is not easy to describe this out-of-this-world terrain in words - plus even though many places (except the oasis) were barren, it still showed a lot of different faces. Photos do not really do justice - my recommendation to everyone is to pack their bags and go to this region - it is an experience you'll never forget. Sheer beauty of nature - how winds, water and ice can create such glorious formations...
Not a lot of green...
That mountain on the left looks like someone had bitten a piece out of it...
I saw the first Kasbah...
...and the second one (then a lot more...)
...and the first oasis,
I felt as if I were going through the Grand Canyon - with palm trees...
Water carves through a canyon
Gorgeous gorges
Contours on the mountain
A mosque with a stork nest
Bird hunters
Most of the day was either flat or descending, but then of course someone put quite an incline towards the end of it - so I had to suffer quite bit before getting to Errachidia.
The view from the pass before Errachidia in the setting sun
Errachidia is a military town, so there were even more roadside controls than in other cities. As the weather was rather mild, I decided to camp here - forgetting the old wise saying that in the Sahara, it is warm during the day, but gets freezing at night; this is probably the reason I was the only guest there, at this great camping, called Ighiz Inn. It is a European-style campground, with plenty of grass for pitching a tent, parking lot for RV's and campers, a restaurant, a café - all very clean and nicely organized. Moha, the manager of the campground, was really very kind to me, he spent well over an hour with me explaining the options I would have for my further travels. Yes, even I started planning, somehow I had to figure out how to get out of the Sahara. The camping served quite a delicious dinner (kafta, as you may have guessed).
The nicely served dinner at the restaurant at Ighiz Inn in Errachidia
We had a beautiful moonrise over the camping that evening. Then it was jumping into my sleeping bag to escape the bitter cold.
Moonrise over the campground
This day was about 140 kilometers of riding, here is the map.