Fes to Erfoud

This was the longest distance we traveled in any day, about 400 km. The road winds south through Ifrane, Midelt, Er Rachidia to Erfoud, our gateway to the Sahara. As we cross the Middle Atlas Mountains at a 6,000 foot pass, we leave behind the Moorish influence and begin to see the influence of the Berbers, the nomadic tribes one associates with Morocco.

We leave the fertile areas of Morocco and enter a dry wasteland, punctuated by oases and small river valleys, without which, nearly all life would be impossible. As we approach the Sahara, the land looks less and less like earth, and more and more resembles the surface of Mars. Here drought, dust, wind and heat are the enemy. A formidable place.

Do Not Adjust Your Set: These pictures were taken in Mid-April 2000 with a first generation digital camera. They are as big as they'll ever get.

Our first stop, Ifrane resembles nothing so much as a Swiss mountain village. It is a new town dating from 1929 and a resort for rich and influential Moroccans. There is skiing nearby in the winter but the town mostly comes alive in the summer providing relief from the heat. There is a newly established international university here as well with students coming from all over the world to study.
The Middle Atlas Mountains. Before the day is over we will sleep on the other side.
We lunched in Midelt, at the Kasbah Asma Hotel Restaurant and Swimming Pool. Not exactly 4 stars but surprisingly busy. All the guide books say, "If you spend more than a week in Morocco, you will get sick." Today is day 6. So far, no problems but restaurants like this one begin to preoccupy our thoughts. Will today be the day? We brought Pepto Bismol. Imodium, and Ciprofloxacin (oral antibiotic) with us. As a precaution, we had Tetanus, Typhoid and Hepatitis-A vaccinations before we left. Those precautions seem more and more wise.
Nearly to Erfoud, we first pass through the Ziz Gorge and then this lush Ziz Valley. Moroccans relentlessly irrigate the area around the rivers. The ground is fertile, but it is the water that makes crops grow. Here, most of green is date palms.