Adventure in Morocco

Today we're going to take the road for Boudnib.

It looks like more and more to a desert. We drive quite straight in a dry place.



Even if we have to go straight there are a lot of intersection and it's easy to get on a wrong track. Sometimes its hard to see the track if there is not much traffic.

After about 100km of track we reach some moutains. The view is getting better and better





We cross some typical villages. That's sure, we're no more in France!



The most surprising is the area around those villages where the people do a lot of agriculture. It's dry everywhere and suddently it looks like a golf playground :eek1



One more straight road...



After that there is more and more sand on the track That's time for Christian to told us how to drive in sand. Once you did it once it's easy. You have to accelerate always to put the weight on the rear. If you drive too slowly you cannot control the bike... once you engage the second gear the bike start to "fly" on the sand and you can control it. And that's the easy part of our trip so we have to learn it soon before the real sand tracks...



A bit later we find come camels. It's time to take THE pic that I was dreaming to take in Morocco









Now we're driving along a hill before passing it. And the view is a dream, tracks, tracks, tracks! As far as we can see there is tracks The day is not over



Going down the hill start to be technical









The day is going to end while we arrive in Boudnib. It's not a very pleasant place, it doesn't looks a good place to stay...
Hum, let's go for some more km to reach Erfoud. What a good idea, we found a good hotel for the night with swimming pool etc.



Tomorrow we're going to have much more sand, that's going to be the desert!

A good night of rest, a shower, a meal, some drinks... we're ready for a big day! Let's go for the sand!



Let's stop for fuel and run! Those guys with old french cars (Citroen) were on the same boat than us.



During the morning we follow a river. Sometimes it become muddy, really muddy!



But soon the ground become dry again with more and more sand

Never stop before being at the top of the hill, if you stop before you won't restart...



In some places the sand is covered by thousands of very small rocks, it give a better control of your bike!



The view is still wonderful. This pic as a bad quality but believe me the water and the sand in the background make a beautiful mix.



Did I told you there are some muddy place ? Looks like I'm stuck!



kktos is stuck in the sand...



He's having some trouble to drive his 12GS in the sand and he start to be exhausted. It's time for a break! There is an hostel close to us, let's get there.



For the story, those 50cc work very well in the sand and the drivers are used to sand. Give them a 450 EXC and they will race the Dakar

Here we are, a fresh drink is waiting for us



A coke, some bread and we have to continue our ride, the day is not over yet.



There is always this wonderful mix of sand and rock. A pleasure for our eyes, a disaster for our soft tires



Here it's a perfect to drive fast, about 160km/h



Christian took the GSA in a sandy part of the track to help kktos.



We still have a lot of track to do and everybody tell us there is a difficult river crossing to come. The track cross the river at the worst place, we have to cross it some km away from the track, but where ?

It looks like we're lucky, the Raid de l'Amitié just crossed the river at the easier place, we just have to follow their path! After that there are hostels for the night.



After some km in a very deep sand we're at the river crossing. The Raid really find an easy place to cross it.



There is still 20km of track to do before hostels! The night is coming and make things harder in the sand but we start to see the light of a hostel

That looks good, we're going to sleep under Berbers tents made of carpets.

A group of guys with 4x4 and enduros bikes are already there.
"Hi, where do you come from ?"
"Toulouse, France, and you ?"
"Toulouse too! Come with us for a drink!"

Those guys offered us some drinks and offered us to join them for the meal. And what a meal! They ask the hostel's manager to kill a sheep. That makes a lot of meal for us, perfect!



Now it's going to be late for everybody, it's time to get back to our tent...

Aurel, great report! Keep it coming.

How did your KTM crash bars manage the crash? Are you satisfied with them?
Btw, what brand is the motorcycle gear you are using in that trip?

Excellent!!!!!

Fantastic pictures!! Keep it coming!

Very nice report! Looks like a real adventure all the way. Thanks for sharing it with us.

TC

You guys have me itching to go back to Maroc. I spent a year there in 1967. Rode a /2 everywhere.

My favorite rides were along the Sabu River and Casablanca. The Atlas Mountains were always fun. Most people are surprised to know there are ski slopes in Maroc.

Thank you so much for the report. I am sure more adventure awaits you.

I think it could have been more dramatic without crash bar. The right one seems to have taken a big chock. Maybe it saves my tank and in Morocco having two tanks working is not so bad

About my gear, everything come from Hein Gericke. It's the "Touareg" summer gear. I hope that helps

I will post the next day this morning

Today the plan is to reach Zagora in the south. That's going to be less than 200km of track. It supposes to be a good track with a lot of sand parts.

At the beginning of the track there is a lot of dust. To avoid dust there are 3 ways :
- drive in first position
- drive very close to the first (less than a meter)
- drive very far from the others (very very far)

Let's go for the first and the second solution





Here we stop at a "Raid de l'Amitié" checkpoint. There is two portuguese guys on Africa Twin. They ask me for fuel but my additionals tanks are nearly empty, I'm short on fuel myself...







My zegas fall of the bike more and more often, that's boring :dog



I don't have many picture for this stage because the view was the same all the way long and we didn't had any troubles

At the end of the day we arrive in a hotel. Looks like a nice place to have rest!







"The one who drinks get drunk,
The one who's drunk sleep,
The one who's sleeping don't do bad things,
The one who don't do bad things go to heaven.
Let's go to heaven!"





A shower, some beers, a good meal... if only we knew... if only we knew what was going to happen tomorrow :eek1

Thanks for excelent breakfast reading Ive staryed in at least one of those places, same hotels, but I rgeret before i started riding.

Today things are going to be more extrem...

Our goal is to reack Tinerhir via N'kob. The only problem is that nobody has been able to give us some info about the track. It can be the easiest track of our life or the hardest...

Let's go to N'kob by road and stop there on the morning to take a decision around a mint tea





Ok, here is the plan. Christian and I will ride the track. Thierry prefers meet us tonight by the road. The futur will tell us he had a good idea!

The track drive us along some moutains pass, it's not very hot and the track is getting more and more rocky but the view is still wonderful.





After some km we meet some guys of the "Raid de l'Amitie" one more time. They must race faster than us with their enduro bikes. I let the first one pass me. Hum... I could show him I want to make a small race, just for fun. Ok, let's put more throttle and stay in his rear wheel. 3 others guys in enduro are in my back, that sounds great! We're all riding more and more faster, my tires are going to die with all that rocks and the weight of my bike. After a 20km race we're on the top of the moutain and none of them passed me But I have to stop dreaming, they were not at their maximum speed on this track, I was...





After a 5min break we're back on the track.
"Hum, is that snow over there ?? :huh"







Damn it! It's really cold now and there is snow!
It's not cold enough so the snow makes water and this water is going to makes rivers deeper. That's amazing how fast these "oueds" (rivers) can change! On the morning you will pass it without trouble, 3 hours later you will find 1meter of water!





It's getting harder and harder to cross it... 2 or 3 guys with enduros will fall and will stop there, their engine won't restart Most of them are congratulating us for doing that track with our big bikes. Here we feel proud



With this mix of mud/snow I'm going to fall one or two times and I'm still loosing my zegas every 10km...



Here we have to go down on this nearly vertical hill then cross this deep river and use all the power of our bike to climb on the other side. Hum, I don't want to fall here, I have only one chance to pass it!

But eh, we're not going to make a U-turn so let's go!



We are happy to ride with the "Raid de l'Amitié", one more time, because they know where to pass. We feel more safe with all these guys around us.



Even for the 4WD things are harder.





Even by walk it's hard to cross theses rivers, the water is going fast!



There is 15km to the end of the track, everybody thinks the day is over... we're wrong!
There is too much water, no one can cross it... we have to wait for the river to get less deeper. Remember that here things change fast.

A 640 Adventure rider ask me for some fuel. I give him 4 or 5L, tonight at the hotel he's going to buy me a bottle of wine in exchange. Thanks dude that sounds a good deal to me!



Everybody wait, 1h, more...



A 4x4 try to cross without success.







Some portuguese guys cross the river bike by bike with each time 5 of them catching the bike.



After nearly two hours the river is 10cm lower, it's time to try to cross it!
4x4 first...





I cross it with the help of Christian. Alone it's quite impossible, the water is going to fast...

Christian cross it with my help but he give too much throttle while using his clutch. After the cossing the clutch looks damaged...

After that we drove some km to reach the "Hotel des Roches" where the Raid de l'Amitié is staying.









That was a good day!

unfortunatly, I hadn't any camera with me (wife drop it in sea) so I have no picture of my little road trip to reach the guys at Tinerhir.
Storm, rain, lightnings, strong lateral wind and sand !
Quite moon like.
We split at N'kob at around 10:30AM.
Estimated arrival time to Tinerhir, 14:30.
I reached it at 16:00 because of the weather.
And Christian and Aurel arrived around 17:00 !
I like it when a plan went without any troubles

I'll post some pictures taken by Christian after Aurel's report.

keep going mate, sounds great.

/thierry

Great ride, guys !
Thanks to share...

Keep it coming.

Hey! The world is indeed smaller every time. The river crossing was performed by a Moroccan-Portuguese joint venture I'm one of the Portuguese (the clever one with a sub 200 kg bike ). We chatted for awhile about my LC4. And that's me crossing the hotel bridge at the hotel. Thanks for the pics and report.

I remember the 2 Africa Twin guys..... they were fast and efficient !
But I think I remember too a 3rd bike, yes.....
may be the LC4. you were the leader, weren't you ?
But you were too fast for me !
remember the small 12GS trying to follow the 990Adv and the DL650.....
I'm afraid it was me.....

/thierry

I do remember you and your bike!
Nice to see you there, I hope you and your friends had a good time after we met

Really cool!

Great report Aurel .The pics and the scenery are incredible, and the ride, with all that river crossings, floods .

Real adventure you've got through there, and the crash, that left you with the broken handlebar :huh ...

fantastic report - very interesting images and story.

Damn, nice guys! :slurp