DR DOES MAROC

[PHILinFRANCE]

Head for the hills as they say on the R312 to Kasba Tadia


It had been market day in Kasba Tadia and saw to many of these


Came across this huge lake and had to stop and have a closer look at the map !!!! NO LAKE, must be on the wrong road !! got talking to some locals and they told me that it was a new reservoir finished in 2004 !!! I bought my Michelin 742 map new for the trip, just show how out of date they are!!


Two little donkeys


Now on the N8 i wanted to get to Khenifra and take a green route east but missed it !!! Found this up the road so followed it


This proved to be a good choice with loads of switch back down to the valley bottom


This is one hell of a country



Real old world in part , ploughing with horses


The road and scenery just better



I'd been on this road for over an hour when i came to this and Azrou was where i wanted to be, so followed the sign


Only got 5mins up the road when i saw this on the other side of the valley!!! It needed a coat of looking at so i started to back track and nearly got flattened by a logging truck !!!!! My own fault , gauping out , it was the only vehicle i saw in 5 hrs


Didn't really know where this road would take me !!! but i was carrying camping gear, and getting lost for me is where i normally find the best bits.



Looking back, yes i made the right choice


The place was empty and full of views like this


Finally got to the top of the pass and came across these sheep farms !!! life up here looks very hard



From here the black stuff finished and turned in to this !!!! No turning back!!!


This went on for a good 10km



Got to this river a realised i was no longer on the route !!! i took a closer look at my map and the only river i could find was miles for any routes !!! but it far to good to turn back


Climbed up from the river on this



Looking back


Got on the tops and had to stop for a smoke and take in the total emptyness !!! i was over 2200m here , alone and loving it


I travelled another good 20kms of that, and then was greeted with a tree lined avenue and tarmac


Thought i must be near civilization !!! i was 4 or 5 houses then back to wilderness



Followed this with the sun at my back !! it was around 4pm so i must be going east


I came to a main T junction and found id come from Bakrit the 4 or 5 houses 23km back! Bakrit is not even on the map !!!


The other side of the junction , and Azrou was another 48 km

While having a smoke here this passed , not the best pic , but those are CATTLE on top of a small wagon !!! how the hell did they get them up there???


Fueled up in Timahdite and did the last 40 km to Azrou in the "Foret de Cedras" didn't get any pics of the road but unbelivable how up drop off baren plains into lush cedar forest. Found the Panarama Hotel and got this for my window


And my tidy room



More later!!!!!

[shan]

Hay dad !!! the vids work for me one more

[PHILinFRANCE]

Nice one son !!! i know there's some videos in my camera but i can't get em out , not even with a screwdriver !!!!!
Phil

[shan]

this is from your vids you were lost !!!

[PHILinFRANCE]

Got up in the morning and there was a 600tt yam sat next to mine and while loading up the guy came out , Italian so all talk was in French chatted for 5 mins and he was on his way followed by me 15min later.
Got half an hour up the road and he passed me coming the other way !!!! Anyway pulled over at a view point at Paysage d'lto



Passed loads of these over the passed couple of day so stopped to see what they were, onions !!! thousands of em stacked up on rocks


Then i seen why the Italian guy turned round


And it got worse


Just got to Boufakrane just as it started , found a cafe , pulled on to the pavement and got the donkey under the awning , kicked the stand down , got of took one step and donkey layed down !!! rolled of the stand right in front of everyone !!!twat!!! got it up fast felling a proper nob just as the waiter came to help, "you ok hows the bike" yeh ok thanks , i asked about the weather and was told it was in for the day and all tomorrow !!

I sat there for over an hour debating what to do, my plans were to go up over the Rif on the N13 to Chefchaouen a lot of folk say it's not good on your own but what the hell !! anyway i pushed on to Meknes, what a place to get through without GPS but there were plenty of cops to ask and i made it through.
Got out of town and donkey was running like a bag of shite !!! probably crap fuel from a grotty garage i stopped at, i got for a smoke and a look and noticed this on the motor


Turned out the inline filter had a crack in it, probably from a stone kicking up, swopped the line back to the original i'd taken along and seem to cure things.
Headed for Moulay-Idriss and the Col-du-Zeggota

The weather was holding and i was looking forward to the Rif but got turned back at Moulay Idriss be told the road was impassable !!! backtracked to the R413 and Sidi-Kacem where i would turn east back on route.
Passed what looked like roman ruins on the way

It was bloody freezing on the tops and this isn't what expected to find in Maroc, looks more like the Russian Stepps

The weather was looking great, NOT !!! after the last pic i pushed on to Sidi , but the mother of all storms started.
Unfortunatly i had to make the choice to make a dash for Tangers !! this turned out to be the worst decision of my trip, the rain was that bad i took shelter with others


It was over 100kms to Larache and the M/way and the rain and wind were getting worse, but i grit my teeth and went for it.
Just before the M/way at Larache i pulled in at a big building and hid behind it for a smoke


This is what 2 and a half hours of torrential rain and wind can do to a grown man


Hit the M/way and tought i miss the first two services and do the third , the third was CLOSED !!! talk about gutted !!! the next one was 34kms on !!! piss wet through cold and tiered and me fags were wet..............i just wanted me mum!!!!
As it was the last 20kms or so it stopped raining and i dried out a bit, got to the services got a coffee to go and sat on the floor next to donkey, exhausted

A French couple pulled up in a 4x4 saw my FR plates and asked if i was ok, they looked really worried, i laughed and told them i was fine and asked if they had any dry smokes, they gladly gave me one and went on there way.

This photos for Shan (Mark) the desert grass made it all the way to that service 30kms out of Tanger


Got into Tanger about 6pm and found a hotel, but thats another story !!!! Later guys

[shan]

one more of yours

[gebrauchtwagen83]

great report and thanks for the encouragement

[Tramp]

Cool vid`s shan

Phil the sheep skin aint so "white now" :whistle:

you guys looked like you had a right good old time...thanks for sharing the stuff makes the Grey afternoon hear go quicker..

[shan]

and this one !!

[shan]

And this one !! There will not be a day in the rest of my life when you will not remind me of this one ! I so nearly deleted this one But I do not mind you having your moment of glory lol