June 26: What a Ride, Camel Ride That Is!
Last night’s exhilarating ride on a Camel in the Sahara Desert followed by a luxurious stay in an air-conditioned tent was just what I needed to help recover from yesterday’s grueling journey in extreme heat. I ended up needing every ounce of strength today to manage more triple digit heat and strong crosswinds as I traveled over sand and past dust devils on my way west towards Marrakesh.
Yesterday after waiting several hours in a hotel lobby so hot my phones couldn’t charge, we finally loaded up on the dromedaries for a two-hour treck through the Saharan sand dunes. What an adventure!
Our guides directed each of us to our appointed camels, each of which was kneeling in the sand and outfitted with a saddle with large metal handlebars. I’m very glad that I held onto those bars for dear life because the camels lurched back and forth as they rose, making me feel like I was riding a mechanical bull in a cheap dive bar.
From our starting point, we traveled up and over a variety of beautifully colored dunes in all shades of orange and red, making delightful shadows on the mounds as we rode past. The camels plodded valiantly through the deep sand and searing heat. When mine stumbled a few times, I was extremely grateful that I had not let go of my grip on the handles.
We stopped after about an hour and a half to watch the sun set, the yellow and orange orb melding with the orange and red dunes and creating beautiful silhouettes of the individuals in our party, their profiles contrasting with the fading blue sky.
I have to say, there are few times I have been so grateful to arrive at my lodging for the night. When the camp host showed me to my tent and pointed out the air conditioner mounted high up on the canvas walls, I hugged him with heartfelt appreciation. It felt glorious to stand in front of the cool air and feel my body temperature begin to lower.
Dinner was served quite late in a large tent with one air conditioner in the corner. I placed myself at the table directly in front of the cool air stream, continuing to feel my body temperature improve.
Laying down shortly after our traditional Moroccan meal, I slept quite soundly, not waking up once before arising to begin the day as early as I could, given the breakfast time in camp and transportation options to return to the hotel.
With temperatures approaching 90 degrees at 8:30am when I left, I knew that today would be another difficult day. As I headed west through the sand, Adventure Baby and I were buffeted by strong crosswinds which at one point moved us into the lane for oncoming traffic. The winds also created several dust devils, their whirling brown and red soil rising up into the sky.
Approaching a section of road completely covered with 2-4 inches of sand in both directions, I parked the bike as far as I could off to the side of my lane and used my hands and feet to dig a small trench through the middle of the pile. After yesterday’s close call with a similar blanket of sand, I was determined to do what I could to give myself more traction.
Fortunately, most of the roads I traveled on were fairly wide, making it possible for me to minimize the number of times oncoming traffic narrowly missed hitting me and giving me an opportunity to admire the views.
In addition to the rich red and orange colored sand lining the road, I enjoyed beautiful vistas of the foothills in the distance, the red of the hills somehow melding with the blue of the sky, to create a visage of purple on the horizon. Short, flat – topped brittle trees dotted the arid ground.
As I made my way closer to Ouarzazate on N-9, the pink, brown, and red dirt created beautiful circular swirls on the hills surrounding me.
Getting settled in my room was not as easy as I hoped given how tired I was after 9 hours in temperatures close to or over 100 degrees. The road to the hotel was loose gravel and the first room they showed me had no toilet or shower. However, I was more than happy to pay more for a room where I could submerge myself in cold water, allowing my body to begin to recuperate. To combat the nausea, headache, and dizziness I am experiencing I have asked for foods that will help restore the electrolytes and other nutrients I need.
I’m so glad to be on this grand adventure and have put some plans in place to ride to a cooler part of Morocco over the next two days, allowing me even more of a reprieve from the intense summer heat..
