The trip out of Erg Chebbi did not start well. The sand had rolled in during the night and there were some deep sandy sections crossing the road out of Hotel Yasmina. I hit one sand bar a little too hard and down she went. Fortunately the GSA is designed to ‘crash’ and I simply picked it back up and continued.
Once we found tarmac we started our journey northwest towards Fes. Not long into the trip we had to stop for a ‘camel jam’, as they were crossing the road (shepherded by a chap on a scooter). Later on we had to stop for a herd of grazing sheep that crossed the road.
Other stops and starts were due to mechanical/ electrical issues with my bike and not the local domestic animals. It first occurred in a small town where I stalled and couldn’t get the bike started. After several tries it eventually took and I continued. At one gas station it wouldn’t start so we tried bump starting the bike. That didn’t work because as soon as the clutch was released the rear wheel locked up. No good. After blowing some air on the starter switch if fired up and we continued.
The route was very pleasant for the most part. Traffic was light, the roads were in good condition and the scenery was beautiful. The route reminded me at times of driving through Idaho – beautiful tarmac across rolling hills of pine forests. It was a long drive but a pleasant one
We eventually arrived in Fes and survived the urban traffic flows enroute to our hotel, where we checked in and met up with Abdellah (our guide who booked most of the hotels we used on the route)