The reason for the change of destination for the night was that Aoulouz was the start of our next long piste. It runs up past the dam and north east close by Djebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest mountain, through several small villages and joins the main road at Agouim which is south of the Tiz-n-Tichka.
There's only one place to stay in Aoulouz, the not so grand Hotel Sahara. We ate with the locals on the pavement and watched European football with them on TV.
The first part is tarmac to the reservoir.
Then a graded piste which deteriorates after every village.
This is quite long route so take a rest in the shade when we can, actually I think Rick had to go for a walk in the bushes but I doubt you're interested.
Checking the piste on topographic software beforehand I could see that for the most part it ran through a long valley.
And long it was, with never ending stoney hairpins, sometimes the piste turned rocky with steep climbs and other times it was nice sweeping track.
that's Djebel Toubkal in the background, we are riding towards it and are to bare right shortly before it.
Sometimes that nice sweeping piste is not quite ready.
The piste seems to go on and on and it's all quite hard work but very rewarding.
Perfect GS country
Eventually we come to the village of Sour which a cafe, so coffee, coke and a scrawny omelette were ordered while a mule checked out this new fangled 1200 thingy.
A few miles later the piste spits us out onto the main road at Agouim, we ride the tarmac south untill a piste which acts as a short cut takes us straight into Ait-Benhaddou.
We check into the very posh hotel and I climb up to see the place properly, on my several previous visits it always been too hot so took advantage of the cool before dinner and beer.
There's only one place to stay in Aoulouz, the not so grand Hotel Sahara. We ate with the locals on the pavement and watched European football with them on TV.
The first part is tarmac to the reservoir.
Then a graded piste which deteriorates after every village.
This is quite long route so take a rest in the shade when we can, actually I think Rick had to go for a walk in the bushes but I doubt you're interested.
Checking the piste on topographic software beforehand I could see that for the most part it ran through a long valley.
And long it was, with never ending stoney hairpins, sometimes the piste turned rocky with steep climbs and other times it was nice sweeping track.
that's Djebel Toubkal in the background, we are riding towards it and are to bare right shortly before it.
Sometimes that nice sweeping piste is not quite ready.
The piste seems to go on and on and it's all quite hard work but very rewarding.
Perfect GS country
Eventually we come to the village of Sour which a cafe, so coffee, coke and a scrawny omelette were ordered while a mule checked out this new fangled 1200 thingy.
A few miles later the piste spits us out onto the main road at Agouim, we ride the tarmac south untill a piste which acts as a short cut takes us straight into Ait-Benhaddou.
We check into the very posh hotel and I climb up to see the place properly, on my several previous visits it always been too hot so took advantage of the cool before dinner and beer.
. I go ahead to the first hairpin to take some photos. The track is in poor condition lower down and I'm very surprised to find I haven't buckled a wheel, had a puncture or fallen off. Once again, a loaded GS was on it's limits..well it was on mine anyway.
almost rides the berm around it
<, ive ridden this road before and said I wouldn't again because of the feeling of lawlesness but the lads hadn't seen that part of the Riff except around Zoumi on the way down.
