June 25: Gorge-ous but Grueling

Grueling but gorge-ous – today’s ride from my little mountain hut in Agoudal south along the Gorges du Todhra to the town of Merzouga on the far western edge of the Sahara Desert was downright challenging but also breathtaking.

Although today was chock full of stunning vistas, I think my favorite part was the few miles immediately south of Agoudal where I encountered a variety of gorgeous creatures walking alongside and across the road.

Heading out early in the morning the air was relatively cool and almost no traffic was on the road. Imagine my surprise when just around the bend, I chanced upon a large caravan of camels being led by a shepherd wearing a bright yellow head wrap and carrying a short stick.

In my travels through 24 different countries, I have come across all kinds of mammals on the road – moose, buffalo, cows, sheep, goats, elk, and deer. But seeing these tall, striking creatures so gallantly walking past me was a uniquely wonderful event. With mottled fur in several different shades of brown and their distinctive hump, they regally made their way past me and across the road.

As I continued south, I dodged mountain sheep and goats scurrying across my path but kept most of my focus on the road itself as there was two-way traffic but usually only enough road for one vehicle, even around corners.

To be honest, it’s one thing to navigate tight curves in the mountain on your motorcycle, making sure to maintain enough speed to keep the bike upright but not so much speed that you run off the road. But trying to manage the blind turns on such a narrow strip of road with no idea of who or what is coming the other direction is exhausting, leaving you wondering each time if that turn will be your last.

I must say, despite the rigor of the ride, the views were truly amazing. Large red sandy mountains loomed high on all sides, creating beautiful valleys of pink, red, and purple.

After over an hour of riding south, I came upon the Gorge du Todhra, a stunning series of limestone river canyons in the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains created by the Todhra River.

Stopping to admire the view, I dunked my cooler vest in the cold river water and hydrated before continuing south and east towards Merzouga, my destination for the evening.

The remainder of my ride was one of the most grueling I have ever experienced, with temperatures over a hundred degrees and a strong, hot cross wind blowing most of the time and few services in sight. After passing Alnif, I was caught off guard by a thick layer of red sand covering the road, and almost dumped the bike as my handlebars shook violently.

It was fortunate that I had stopped to hydrate in Alnif as it turned out there were no services for almost an hour and a half after that, leaving me feeling like I was standing in a hot furnace with dozens of blow dryers hitting me from the side.

When I arrived in Merzouga to meet up with my guide for tonight’s trip by camel to a tent in the desert, I encountered even more difficulties at the Residence Touristique Merzouga. I had contacted the hotel ahead of time to arrange the tour and had been told that they had air conditioning and a place for me to leave my motorcycle bags. But I was unable to get my Arabic translator to work and the clerk there was unable to help in any way, even to provide me with water in the over 100-degree hotel lobby.

Fortunately, I have a Moroccan friend who was able to arrange for the hotel to give me some water and also to communicate with me about where to leave my bags. The camel ride this evening is delayed several hours because of the extreme heat and I am sipping cold water in the sweltering hotel while I wait for the tour, unable to charge my iphones because the heat inside the hotel is so intense.

I’m so grateful that I made it here safely and that the tent where I will be sleeping tonight is apparently air conditioned. I’m hopeful that after a few hours of cool temperatures and an early start tomorrow the ride west in the morning will be less grueling, allowing me to continue my adventure with renewed strength.