Stage 20 “Foum Zguid to Zagora via The Road from Hell”
“Salam Alaikam”
Off along the N12 main road again this morning to get to Zagora while we have been advised that the road is still OK it didn’t turn out to be correct!…..
Coming out of Foum Zguid it was not long before we had to turn right with a ‘Police Check Point’ right on the turn…..
While the BIG Water Pipes were a sign of things to come on the journey….
Goat Herds on the hillside…..
The stones on top of each other identify where those BIG Water Pipes have been laid across the road, while the road has yet to be completed….
While just up ahead part of the road had collapsed and so far had not been repaired so it was single track around it with no warning signs….
Interesting Sand Dunes over near the mountains of a completely different colour….
With the odd dwelling just off the roadside….
Our TomTom position in relation to where the road was supposed to be and this went on like this for a very long time…..
The following ‘Dust Cloud’ had coated everything both inside and out on the ‘Tin Tent’ while the seals on ‘Flamenco Red’ worked a lot better…..
Then we come to the ‘SECTION OF ROAD FROM HELL’ which started as a ‘Rough Piste’……
Got worse….
While the stones were intended to stop you going any further as the road had collapsed….
Looking back from the ‘collapsed’ section…..
While my good lady does a ‘Recce’ of the alternative to see if it is passable.…
As it seems OK then off we go, very carefully as the first couple of bends in the track are quite tight to get around as the ‘Tin Tent’ axle is wider than ‘Flamenco Red’s’ axles with the Camper/RV following….
We then pass the ‘collapsed’ section of the road….
Coming to the end of the detour, there is a very short but quite steep climb back to the Piste which Flamenco Red & Tin Tent managed but not without leaving a nice ‘Clutch Burn’ smell behind, however for the Camper/RV being front wheel drive only it was a different matter for which we tried a tow rope between, but at 4+ Tonnes in weight it was a bit much for ‘Flamenco Red’….
Even though with some carefully placed rocks to drive over we nearly made it….
However luck was with us as a 4x4 Breakdown Modified vehicle came past on the way to a job on another vehicle in a campsite just outside Foum Zguid and 15 minutes later the Camper/RV was up and out of the detour….
While we then came to another section of ‘collapsed road’ but with an easier ‘detour’ to manage….
Having then cleared both sections it was time to open the bonnet/hood and let the engines cool down a bit with a cup of coffee or tea for us although the outside temperature was 27C, the dust could be felt on the back of your tongue…..
Then once more it was off along the Piste, with at this point the surface started to comprise ‘Corrugations’ which you tend to see in sand in the dessert, but we think that these ‘Corrugations’ had been made by a tracked construction vehicle as the road is also being re-built……
After a few miles we see this second track on our left which looked a lot smoother than what we were travelling on…
I think we travelled the best part of 50 miles on ‘Rough/Piste road on this stage today….
So we hung a left and got on it…..
As it went from light brown dust to something like shingle that at times made you feel like you were driving on ICE as you could feel yourself slide in places…..
While the ‘Dust Screen’ from behind was tremendous…..
You can hopefully see the ‘Corrugations’ more clearly in the next picture….
Water Pipes laid into the new road as it is on a large river bed…..
Then in what appears to be the middle of nowhere we see a School Classroom…
While a short distance later we come across ‘Cloches’ (Plastic Tunnels) in a growing region……
Interestingly the completed ‘New Road’ was blocked off from being used by rocks placed across the road or mounds of earth also across the road, and also sacks…..
While the dust from overtaking vehicles sometimes made it difficult to see ahead….
Then just as we get very close to Zagora, Surprise Surprise! The Tarmac reappeared….
As we passed this sign it felt like we had been to Tombouctou and back during the course of this stage today….
The 78 Miles had taken over 6 Hours to complete!....
Main street in Zagora….
Campsite is just around the bend to the left of the hotel directly in front….
When I looked at ‘Flamenco Red’ & the ‘Tin Tent’ after we got to the campsite I did not believe we had set off with a clean outfit this morning as the layer of dust was that thick in places I think we could have grown vegetables in it with a few drops of water thrown in, while inside the dust was everywhere, along with a broken cupboard door, 2 screws one of which we found where it came from the other we are still looking for the hole, and 3 yoghurts the bottoms of which had split in the fridge and the contents had run down the inside of the fridge!!
Not a good day really.
tisbah `ala khair (Arabic ‘Good night’)
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