??? to Cafe Echaraf - Day 166

Date: January 31st, 2010
Distance: 93km
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: I Will Be - Avril Lavigne (For the two Moroccan waiters who had this on repeat for breakfast.)

What a miserable day. Really, I don't have nothing nice to say about it except that it is over.

Jose and I left and were on the road by 8:30. Soon we left the cliff tops behind and started heading further into the desert. This isn't Arrakis, with its endless dunes. Instead just flat dusty ground with a few stiff and hardy plants. Yes, there were a few dunes here and there. But mostly it was rocky scrubland.

Jose and I stopped in a little town to get some breakfast. A good idea since I would need that energy. When I woke up this morning, the wind had changed direction. The night before it had been blowing in the direction that I was going to be heading. Today it started blowing across the road and out toward the sea. I was hoping that it would change again, but when it did it wasn't what I wanted. After we left the little town, the wind was now blowing straight at us. Each time the wind seemed to shift the road seemed to follow. Just awful. Later when we started getting into more dunes the sand picked up as well. The big trucks going by would blow it in my face. I am so glad I bought that scarf. It has been very handy. I am looking like a mock Bedouin.

Speaking of trucks, the wake from one of them blew me off the road and into the ditch. Thanks for that one. It was better than the van that rammed me later on. Actually, nudged is a better word for it. I couldn't her the van because of the roaring oncoming truck. The van had slowed down, and was trying to squeeze between me and the truck. No damage done, and it didn't even knock me off the bike. Still, it was a bit of a scare.

I am really impressed with how far I made today. Hour after miserble hour in the saddle. I really can't repeat enough how awful it was.

We arrived at a cafe just before sunset. They said we could stay on their porch for the night. Good enough for me. Plus they had food and stuff to drink. So I was set. I am still trying to figure out how to get the sand off before I try to crawl into my sleeping bag. Once that sand gets in, it never seems to go away. I hope tomorrow is better.

-Dravis