Erg Chebbi
Ta track, the
ancient sites of Taouz
On Monday morning 17/11 around 9:00 I
took again the road after a weekend of
rest. At the program of this week the
Erg Chebbi with the track from Taouz
to Zagora. From Erfoud to Taouz the
road is asphalted, then the track
becomes dusty. In hors-d'oeuvre
Gandini proposes the visit of the
ancient sites of Taouz. On two hills
the fortress of Ouafilal offers to the
visitors a wall still delimiting what
it was. More far from rupestral
engravings are hammered on rocks of
volcanic origin, but in my humble
opinion, not very old. Bad luck the
adjustment of my camera had remained
on night landscape!!!
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| Ancient fortress antique
of Ouafilal |
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| Rupestral
engravings |
Tb track, from Taouz
to
Zagora
The Tb trip by Gandini vaticinates in
off-tracks for the approval of the DPM, which I am not. My friends, Michele &
Henri, indicated to me that Pascal Poublan
gives on his website,
here
tracks for
over-sixties travellers, which I am. I
thus occupied part of my Sunday to
download the waypoints by Poublan. His
trip is similar to that by Gandini minus
the off-tracks. From my bivouac of the
17/11 in the neighborhoods of the km 31 by
Gandini leaving in off-track and of the
Waypoint 551 by Poublan I adopted the trip
by the latter.
Poublan's track,
from Merzouga to Zagora
Tuesday the 18th was one day at the
risk. At the exit of Ramlia after the
crossing of the gardens a zone of
fechfech expects the recipients of the
track cunningly. Informed by the
roadbook
so much by Gandini than by Poublan as
of the exit of the village I engaged
the low gear box as well as the
differential interlock of the back
knowing than the central differential
is always blocked on track. But
contrary to the recommendations I did
not deflate the tires, by lazes!
Finally I drew some honorably
certainly without plume. But isn't the
plume to only travel without other (s)
team (s) in arid zone? Then in the
plain without tree I stopped to have
lunch, to make controls under my truck
then bivouac on the spot; I take my
time.
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| Remlia |
on track |
On Wednesday, November 19 I undertook
a long morning of track in varied
ground without any difficulty. Halfway
close to the Algerian border I arrived
at a military station whose employee
controlled my passport, took the plate
number of my truck and wished me a
good journey in Morocco. On the way I
have a pleasant surprise to meet a
signpost giving me the direction to be
followed; the beautiful bird hearing
the sublime voice of Montserrat
Figueras launched its song of love. I
bivouacked at the summit of the pass.
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| Sunrise at my bivouac |
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| Signpost |
Go there to the track |
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| Pass, bivouac |
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| Progression in varied ground |
On Thursday, November 20 I went down
in early morning from the arid pass.
While arriving in the plain, a new
ilitary control to make sure that I
had left the border zone well; the
soldier asked me besides if I had
passed a good night in the mountain.
He expected me, the guy. At the end of
30 km I found the tarred road from
M'Hamid to Zagora where I arrived
around 10:00. With the 3G keys of
Maroc Telecom and of Inwi I tried to
publish the photos and the videos to
my website; but the overcast sky did
not support the wave propagation. I
cannot send the videos. Then I
looker for a track to traverse the
palm plantation into the valley of
Draa. It was a slalom between walls of
rammed and the pieces of the
cultivated fields. Again on asphalt I
reached the Defile of Azlag. Finally I
found a spot to have lunch then to
camp a little away from the road
between an elevated concrete
irrigation canal and an electric line,
nice. The sky was very black and a
storm threatened.
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| Plastic-bag tree |
Well |
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| Panorama under a overcast sky |
Tc track to Foum Zguid
It rained all during the night, in the
morning I waded in mud. On Friday,
November 21 back to Zagora in
cloudburst I made my shopping. Then I
was installed on a car park to again
try to publish the four videos of my
website with the 3G key byf Maroc
Telecom. It took nearly two hours
without being able to control the good
end of the transmission. It always
rained, I inspected the two camp-sites
considered to be very correct by the
Gandini guide book. Bof, it was there
too necessary to be in mud. After
information near two travel agencies,
the track from Zagora to Foum Zguid
would be asphalted. Indeed the
beginning was it up to the km 53.7 by
Gandini. Then during several tens of
km it was a slalom between work.
Finally the last km were correct. I
crossed the town of Foum whose gravers
were completely closed, here the
Moroccans are of strict obedience. I
stopped in full desert for the bivouac
in the wind but without rain. My
choice to take the road towards the
south was judicious, to follow.
Trip to go to Icht
but blocked in Foum Zguid
I wished to leave early to go to Icht
via Tata in a day. At 7:00 I took
again the road but 500 meters further
on I was stopped in front of the Zguid
wadi in rising. I drove slowly,
cautiously also far I could then I
noted in the headlights of my truck
that the strom was very powerful and
carted plants. I stopped my
progression by examining the
situation. I decided that it was not
reasonable to continue. While
returning to Foum Zguid I met people
of the village who came to examine the
situation because Foum was also
blocked in north. The royal
gendarmerie explained me that on the
road to Tata there were at least four
or more other wadis in rising. It was
necessary to expect the fall in the
days to come knowing that it was
impossible to envisage it. The
inhabitants of Foum had not seen such
a rising of the wadis since of very
many years. Foum Zguid was insulated!
After having lunch in front of the
royal gendarmerie I returned towards
the south for a camping out of
village. The weather forecast had
announced breaks on Saturday afternoon
then a dry weather on Sunday.
Patience…
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| Wadi souern of Foum Zguid |
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| Wadi northern of Foum Zguid |
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| Foum Zquid |
Situation dimanche matin
Downpours fell all the night with a
strong wind. Around 9:00 I went at the
edge of Zguid on the road to Tata. The
situation had developed favorably but
the wadi was still not passable.
Perhaps several days will have still
to be waited knowing that the ford
will have to be practicable. Indeed I
went in Foum Zguid to note the state
of the northern road towards Zagora.
The situation was worse because the
bridge was carried. According to the
royal gendarmerie, it will be
necessary to wait a long time so that
traffic is restored. The Zguid wadi
crosses the mountains by a Foum, the
mouth, at the northern entry of the
village close to the Afriquia station
then it makes a loop in the plain to
cross the road to Tata in the south of
the village. The level and the power
of water in north give an idea of the
level and power at the south after the
trip in the plain. Yesterday I had
tested the operationnality of the 3G
key by Maroc Telecom, it was not it.
This morning it was it; I hope that it
will be to it still this afternoon for
the publication of the page of my
website. At middayweather seems to be
put at beautiful!
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| Morning visitors |
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| Route to Tata, Zguid
wadi southern Foum Zguid |
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| Northern Entrance of Foum Zquid,
bridge out |
Foum, the mouth |
