The truck parked at Le Petit Princess. We setup camp here and I worked on the lights finding that they were fine, but the ground point was bad.

The patio just outside the office at Le Petit Princess

More importantly the spotlights on the truck were not operating (front and right side) so I made that my priority. Armed with a multimeter I began the troubleshooting process. When I flipped the switch each light would strobe one time and then go out. All the floodlights worked, but no the spots. I initially suspected that the spots required more amperage and that maybe there was a lack of power reaching them. The winch, inverter, refrigerator, and exterior lights are all connected to the third battery that rests behind the driver’s side rear passenger seat. I had recently used the inverter to charge a few camera batteries and my toothbrush. The inverter, at 300 watts, drains the battery considerably. In fact, I had drained the battery until it was flat. While alternators do charge batteries they are not designed to recharge batteries that get discharged over and over. They were really designed to top-off starter batteries and to keep steady power running to your vehicle electronics while driving. The output of the alternator, while it has a rating, is actually tied to the vehicle rpms. To fully recharge a discharged deep cycle battery could take 8-10 hours of driving at 2500 rpms. Our alternator had done a surprisingly good job of dealing with the battery, but it wasn’t quite topped off. I tried unplugging everything and running the engine for a while, then pressing the manual override on the battery system, which connected the two batteries under the hood to the third one. That should have provided plenty of power to run any sort of lighting. I tried the lights again and received the same results. Now I needed to try and isolate the source of the problem. Is the issue, battery, battery wiring, wiring to the fuses, the fuses, wiring from the fuses to the connector on the roof, the connector, the wiring from the connector to the light, the light itself, or the ground for the light? You can approach the process from different ends, either from the source of power, or from the problem component. I hadn’t installed the lights myself so I set to analyzing how they were installed, where the wires were routed, and how and where each component was grounded. All of the add-ons were installed together so I also needed to consider the IBS Dual Battery system, which was composed of a voltage display panel, and a 200-amp relay. The truck has a 24v starter so there are two 12v batteries under the hood that are run in series (as apposed to parallel) to create the 24v needed. They are isolated as 12v until the ignition is turned to the start position at which time the starter relay connects the two batteries and directs the 24v and the amperage to the starter. I am grossly simplifying this, but in essence that is how it works. The alternator provides charging voltage and amperage to the batteries when the engine is running. The IBS system ties the power from the alternator into the third battery in the back. Once the batteries under the hood are topped off, the 200-amp relay switched allowing voltage to reach the battery in the back. From the rear battery comes power that is tied to a fuse panel; where the wiring for each component exits. Each light has a wire running from the fuse panel to the assembly, as well as the inverter and the winch. I went ahead and checked all of the fuses and found them all to be good. I then checked voltage on each side of the fuse panel, before the fuse and after. Then I followed the wire to the switch and checked there. Then I followed the wire from the switch to the connector on the roof. So far all was good. At the connectors I was getting the necessary 12v the lights needed. So I opened the side of one of the lights and measured voltage at the point where the wires were soldered (attached) to the light itself. I got 3.4v. Ha? It all makes sense now, but boy did that baffle me in the moment. Ok, perhaps there is some sort of bad ground, raised resistance in the wire, or some other issue. I set to checking each one. With the light disconnected I checked continuity from the connector to the light – 0 ohms, which mean there was no resistance. Perhaps a short and power was somehow leaking out. I checked from the end of the power side to ground and got the infinity sign, or open which meant there was no short. I checked the ground again and there was no resistance to ground so the ground appeared to be just fine as well. Well, that stinks; maybe the light is busted? I disconnected the flood lamp and connected it to the power source for the spot. The light came on with no issues. I connected the spot to the power source for the flood and it didn’t come on. I tried all of the different power sources and the light wouldn’t come on. So, either the spotlights were busted or there wasn’t enough power getting to them. I just couldn’t believe that both spotlights could be broken right from the box. That seemed unlikely. I traced the ground for each of the spotlights and found that they shared a common ground. Ok, now this makes sense. The battery is an Optima Yellow Top with a low internal resistance. It is a deep cycle battery that also supplies 70 cold cranking amps. That means it could put out far more power in an instant than any LED lamp could ever hope to draw. So maybe it wasn’t a matter of whether the battery was flat or charged, but whether the ground – on the other end – provided enough contact and size to allow the needed amount of power to flow through. I unscrewed the bolt that the grounds were attached to and then wrapped a wire to the end of the ground leads for one of the lights. I wrapped the other end around the metal point the door latches to that is mounted through the vehicle frame. I threw the switch and the lights came on. So the roof rack was a suitable grounding point for the lower powered flood lamps, but didn’t provide enough continuity for the higher-powered spots. Now I just had to find a suitable ground point within reach of the two lights. I’ll end this here, but the roof rack could supply the ground, but only from the outside of the bolts. If I attached the wires over the bolt and place the nut on top then suddenly it wouldn’t work, but if I touched the outside of the nut then the ground worked fine. I just ran a wire from the bolt to another nut further across the rack and the light work fine now. They’re very bright and very cool! The rest of the day went by very quickly.

We were busy cleaning up our clothes, and cleaning up the truck. Holidays in Spain started and a big group of very loud Spanish people arrived in the evening; they were loud when they arrived, loud during the night (for whatever reason they were walking around with their flashlights) and loud the next morning, but were happy people. After we awoke we spent some time feeding the camels at the campsite used for overnight desert excursions.

Feeding one of the camels Le Petit Princess uses for its overnight desert journeys.

One of the guides and a few of the camels used by Le Petit Princess for overnight desert trips.

Our market guide, Mohammed.

It was crowded, and smelled of curry, cumin, rose oil, cinnamon, mint, turmeric and a variety of other spices, oils, and teas. Mixed deeply with these smells, as a foundation, was the smell of cattle, sheep, and raw meats.

A very remarkable spice stand. In this market you get to try before you buy.

Armed with her experiences in India, Celine expertly negotiates the purchase of a few spices.

As we passed the goat heads used for celebration stews we came to the market parking area. As a local, you ride your donkey in from the mountains or desert and park it in a dirt square.

The local market parking lot. Donkeys are the transportation option of choice.

From there we walked through the cattle, sheep, and goat markets. We came to a large nut stand where we purchased a half kilo of almonds and a half kilo of peanuts, all fresh and unmolested by any kind of enhancer, pesticides, or preservatives. We then entered another dimension. Mohammed took us to a carpet store where we were offered tea, and a brief history lesson, a lesson that turned into an hour long education on carpets from all of the regions of Morocco describing all of the techniques: woven, embroidered and knotted. Other topics covered were dead and live wool, the designs in each carpet and what they represent, as well as how different types of wool feel; camel vs sheep. It was very interesting, only because I know nothing at all about carpets, and because the gentleman giving the presentation was quite animated and punctuated each of his teaching points by expanding his eyelids opening them to their fullest as if he had just been startled by a ghost.

We declined the set aside for purchase, or place back in storage portion of the carpet class, and headed back into the crowded streets where I thought about buying a new pair of shoes, but they were just too big.

By now we were quite hungry so we opted for the Berber pizza. We had some fresh squeezed orange juice while we waited patiently for the pizza. Did I mentioned I went and inspected the kitchen?

While we waited for our pizza I decided to check out the kitchen. Nice!

We ate our pizza, packed up and headed towards Merzouga late in the afternoon. As we drove the giant sand hills of Erg Chebbi, looming in the distance, came closer and closer until they dominated the skyline. It was far too tempting to pass up.

The dunes of Erg Chebbi loom and beckon from the distance.

At this point, prior to the following story, a clear statement is required: Our truck is not currently setup for deep sand driving. For running dunes the truck needs to be empty, as light as possible, and have its tires deflated to increase the surface area of the patch (the area of the tire in contact with the driving surface). Once emptied and tires deflated the truck is gradually accelerated until it reaches a high speed with high revs (rpm) at which point it “floats” across the sand. With a heavy truck and fully inflated tires the trip will be very short. We opted for the short trip. With a full auxiliary tank, a full refrigerator, roof rack, roof tent, supplies, tools, compressor, sand tracks, spare tire, high-lift jack, and high psi tires we took the first dune descending into a fairly packed area enabling us to achieve the necessary speed to launch over the second dune and land in a deep, deep pit of sand, surrounded on all sides by high, loose hills of Saharan powder. The momentum actually carried us across the pit and partially up the next incline before we slid backwards back down. I attempted a u-turn, which I succeeded in achieving. Facing in the correct direction for an attempted escape I gunned it and headed in the direction we would spend the next four hours going… down. The back end sunk deep into the sand. It was going to be an uphill battle. I will save you from experiencing the excitement, but will leave you with clarity on the experience: dig, lay sand tracks, drive forward a few feet, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. In the end the truck was empty, the tires deflated to 1.3 bars, sand tracks laid, and sporadic rock and grass found in the surrounding area were strategically placed to add traction to the sand. To be clear, this sand is very deep. The spot we were in had easily another 4 feet of loose sand under every shovel scoop. And with each scoop out came an equally large pile back in. It was a very time consuming venture. As the sun faded and the land became dark the lighting system provided by ELS saved our bacon. It was dark, and as dead as the desert may seem, it comes to life int he form of spiders, strange beetles, flies and a plethora of other insects. Back on the hard surface of the desert floor just outside of Erg Chebbie, we re-enflated the tires and continued the “short” trip back to Merzouga.

What is special about this sand is that there is about 40 more feet of loose sand under the visible sand. Zero traction.

A slow process. Dig, place tracks, drive forward. Repeat.

It was after nightfall before we got out of this mess.

The rear lights from ELS provided reliable artificial daylight which assisted us in getting back on the road instead of spending the evening out in the desert sands (not that it would have been bad).

Re-enflating the tires after escaping the sand trap.

We spent the entire day unpacking and repacking the truck. We then gave it a quick wash and put some stickers on. It looks good!

Sat, 09.03.

We had a late breakfast and took it easy. We packed up and left at 3:30pm. We found a site for the evening called Camping El Garrofer. It was large, had a lot of pine trees and kids. During the night a huge cat attacked the trash bag hanging on the back of the truck. When I say huge cat I mean much larger than the average house cat. I could feel it tug the bag and the truck shook a bit. When I unzipped the tent to look out at what was going on, he looked up at me, moved away, stopped and looked back again as if to say, “My leaving has nothing to do with you, and if you think it does I’ll punch you in the face.” Spain has some big tough cats.

Sun, 10.03.

We drove to Torreblanca and stayed at Torre la Sal 2 on a recommendation from an older German gentleman. I understand why he liked it, as I felt like we were back in Germany. Every license plate was from Deutschland and all of the camp staff spoke German. The camp is right on a beach at the Mediterranean Sea. The weather was so nice that we went for a run. On the run we found sand showers in front of a hotel that were designed as elephants; the water came out of their trunks. Not that Sugar Beach Condominiums has elephants, but the feel of being on the beach, the sand showers, the condos in the hinterland, and the sound of the waves took me back to when I was a kid and the family would head to Gulf Shores, AL for Spring Break or Summer vacation. Those were good times, even when I was allergic to milk and had the ice cream incident with my brothers and Christine and Carey Palmer.

The Mediterranean Sea near our camp in Spain.

Mon, 11.03.

We didn’t make it very far today. We drove to Valencia to find a DHL (think UPS or FedEx) store so we could ship some extra parts we don’t need. Parking in Valencia is nearly impossible. After 2 hours searching the city, we ended up “parking” with our hazard lights on in the middle of a small intersection.  It worked, but was all for naught as DHL Express proved to be quite expensive (IF a U.S. postage stamp were .35 then at DHL it would be $53.35). We decided to wait and check the post office in Gibraltar. We spent the night near Cullera just south of Valencia. There was nothing fancy about this campsite except for the first signs of spring – a mosquito. Because of his lack of discipline (he just had to bite us) he had to be destroyed with a flip-flop. The camp was called San Martina. The guy running the camp showed up on a scooter to guide us to our plot. There was another guy in a 78 Land Cruiser staying there as well. He was alone, sitting in the front seat with a small light glowing on his spectacled face. He held an empty gaze and had a likeness to, I don’t know, a serial killer? I broke out the binoculars and observed him through the mosquito net of my roof top hide site. He eventually went to sleep in the drivers seat. The morning sun washed me clean of suspicion. It turns out he is a very normal guy who was traveling the outside edge of Spain alone because his wife doesn’t like camping. He was heading for Portugal to meet and spend time with his family. Darkness and imagination, a combination able to turn any activity into a sinister plot.

Tue, 12.03.

We awoke just before 8am. We got ready and got on the road again (Willie Nelson as a friend). We drove all the way to Mazarron (past Alicante and Murcia). We stopped for fuel, lunch and to peruse a hardware store (one of my favorite pastimes). We then drove through the mountains for a little while and found a nice steep road with a lot of slippery, loose, grey rocks on the surface. It split off from the main road. Celine scouted the route and I waited patiently. That’s not true. Celine scouted the route and I just started driving up it. It was quite steep and required four-wheel low to get enough power to the wheels for the climb. On the right was loose rock piled to the peak, and on the left was a deep ravine. The path was expertly made…. for an ATV. It leaned toward the ravine side, insuring that you felt as if you were about to roll to your death the entire time. The back end of the truck slid back and forth as the tires took turns gripping the unstable surface. I maintained control by pinning my left leg to the pad on the left side of the floorboard and pressing my right knee into the doorframe while working the gas pedal. I kept my thumbs from wrapping around the steering wheel as it swung violently back and forth mainly because I like my thumbs, not broken, but in good, healthy shape. As I crested the hill I found that there was just enough room to get the truck level before it plunged down the other side. The plunge was one that no amount of technical driving could have gotten you through. God was with us as He allowed for just enough space for me to turn the truck around without tipping over, though it was close. We drove back down the slope in four-wheel drive low and let engine compression act as the break for the descent. Is there a lesson here? Yes, patience while your scout checks the route. The crest definitely could have been worse. It was actually the minimum required to get the truck turned around. It is best to scout the entire trail and look over the crest before heading up. I am not 100% sure that I could have backed down the slope safely. Live and learn. Having said all this, the truck handled the slope with grace and agility. We considered camping there, but it was rainy and slick and the spot potentially dangerous in a heavy downpour. We got back on the asphalt and found a campsite 5 minutes down the road. We settled in at Camping Las Torres. After another swim in a heated pool, we enjoyed dinner amongst several “white hairs” receiving free Spanish lessons.

Wed, 13.03.

I made breakfast and we were on-the-move (OM – pronounced Oscar Mike) by 11am. The sun was shining and brought out magnificent shades of green and blue in the sea. We paused to enjoy the view and smell the salty air. Our home for the evening was in Marbella at Camping La Buganvilla. We made good progress, covering several hundred kilometers.

Thu, 14.03.

We awoke and drove to Gibraltar in search of an English post office. Gibraltar is quite interesting. It is on the Southern coast of Spain, but is entirely British (yes, there is a Customs stop). It consists of an airport, a small town with a port, and a huge rock. The road crosses the airport runway, which has traffic lights on either end to stop you when a plane is taking off or landing.

The Rock of Gibraltar – Anyone remember the insurance commercial?

We were unable to find a post office so we decided to head to a Spanish one. Miraculously we found parking near the Spanish post office and were able to communicate our need for boxes and international shipping documents. After many hand and arm signals, a trip to and from the car (to pack the items) and a run to the ATM (cash only) we were able to mail the extra parts to the U.S. I also sent out a bottle of Jameson to Massi’s dad and a bottle of “Wolf Tears” to Massi in South Africa. The “Wolf Tears” are a drink, similar to Jägermeister, that is made in Ergste, Germany. Ergste was plagued with werewolves in the early 18^th and 19^th centuries and the drink is made of werewolf tears. Massi, a safari guide in South Africa (whom I have seen walk up to dangerous wild animals on foot), is afraid of werewolves, so I thought the gift was fitting.

We headed to the port in Algeciras and made it with enough time to catch the 6pm ferry to Tanger-Med. Driving on and off of the ferry was akin to driving the clown car in a circus. A mix of Spanish and Moroccan vehicles laden with every item imaginable wobbled on overloaded tires up the steep ramp and into the cargo bay where a U-turn was required before settling in about 1cm from the surrounding vehicles. The cargo bay of this ferry is where you must come if you would like to observe the actual cargo load limit of a car or truck. Every van, car, and truck was packed floor to ceiling and then had another 5 feet of junk stacked on top; rubber was rubbing wheel-well, but all of them drove, and they were driven with aggression and (over) confidence. The ferry ride itself was short lasting one and one-half hours. The boat had coffee and sandwiches along with the first hints of African/Muslim culture.

Who needs upgraded shocks and coils?

The jammed ferry.

The Rock of Gibraltar as seen from our ferry.

View of Africa from the ferry in the Straight of Gibraltar

Google Maps position in the Straight of Gibraltar.

We arrived on the shores of Morocco in the late evening and began the process of entering the country. Our passports had been stamped and a CIN number assigned on the boat. The CIN is your identification number for the Moroccan government, and is also (for the driver) the number attached to the truck. Evidently illegal car sales in Africa is quite a problem. The customs fees on imports are outrageous so some Africans as well as Europeans buy and drive cars into Africa on Customs plates and then sell them. The locals leave them on the customs plates. They get the new series BMW or Mercedes at an expensive price,but at a steel when not paying customs fees. It is not uncommon to see customs plates that expired in 1998. The customs process was fairly easy, but requires an extra step on your first visit. We had to walk to the police terminal at the bus station to have my (the drivers) CIN number verified. Verifying the CIN number just means that you go to a computer terminal and the Customs Official types your CIN in along with the registration number for the plates. After that I just had to fill out a paper for the truck that is basically a temporary vehicle import document. A customs official typed the information into an old, green-screen computer that buzzed and whirred, then we were on our way. We ran the highway (A1) for a bit before stopping at a gas station near Asilah where we spent the first night. We were serenaded buy the roar of big diesel truck engines and the growls, whimpers, and moans of a pack of wild dogs.

Our campsite friends from the gas station on our first night in Morocco.

Fri, 15.03.

We awoke and drove all the way down to Casablanca. The highway is pretty good in Morocco and the toll for the whole way was about 80 Dirhams (DHS). I am reviewing this post after a few weeks here and must say that this one highway is nice. The rest of them have nice sections and then sections where the dirt has eroded from underneath the road. Sometimes there is no road, and occasionally it is a goat path through the mountains. If you come to Morocco and aren’t in a capable 4×4 then choose your route carefully.

The sign for Casablanca on the highway.

Every person must have their own satellite dish.

We found something sort-of like a shopping mall which had an electronics store and a kiosk selling SIM cards. I tried to get cellular Internet for the iPad, which wasn’t so easy as I don’t speak French or Arabic. Eventually it worked out. In the meantime Celine surfed the Internet on one of the display iPads and Googled campsites near Casablanca. After purchasing a SIM we were sent to another store (Marjane), to get the new SIM card cut to fit in the iPad. This mission took us a couple of hours and we arrived at the campsite by late afternoon. It was a different site than the one Celine Googled. In our search for it we ran across a shepherd who shared his knowledge of its demise before pointing us towards the only remaining one in the area. Unfortunately the campsite was the worst we had stayed in (in terms of cleanliness) but good enough for one night. Update: It is still the worst campsite we stayed in.

Sat, 16.03.

The guy at reception had some good tips for us as far as a route and tourist sites go. We headed east towards the mountains on his recommendation. The first attraction we saw was Cascades d’Ouzad (a waterfall). It really didn’t look far on the map, and wasn’t as the crow flies. The mountains, however, slow you to a crawl. We followed a zig-zag path up and down the hills and crossed some very unreliable looking bridges. We arrived in the area of the falls, but after encountering the tourist vortex we began looking for camping (I was convinced I could find the waterfall without a guide). We followed a dirt road towards the source of the river (not knowing where the path would lead us). It was a proper 4×4 trail, with some good bumps, mud and river crossings which eventually lead us to an impassable end.

The treacherous road to the source, where one dew drop can be found on a special plant to cure all ailments and establish world peace.

A local on mule-back explained that the source is only accessible on foot (or by the original 4×4 – a donkey).

Yes, a donkey is the original 4X4 (and goes many places our truck cannot).

It was a fun excursion, and a very beautiful area. We turned back and got on the main road where we found a sign for camping. We kept circling around the area though, as I could feel that the waterfall was close by. We drove down a small road to a little village where it narrowed creating a channelized route where a guy stopped us. He asked us to follow him on foot to a point above the falls. It was just around the corner behind his house. The people here are fairly clever when it comes to extracting money from tourists. This village in particular and covered every ingress/egress route to and from the waterfalls. The village surrounded it, and every path led to houses or businesses ready to lead you the rest of the way to the falls. I have no issue with giving money and food to people, but sometimes you just want the adventure of doing things yourself. Sometimes, in this world, that is difficult to achieve.

Chris and Hassam, whom guided us 20 meters to a view of the falls behind his house.

Having seen the falls and pleased with ourselves for getting eyes on without paying for parking or a guide, we drove to Zebra camping, which was the best campsite (including Europe) that we have stayed in. A Dutch couple, Paul and Renate, built the site, and have been running it for about 6 years. They put a lot of work into it, down to the smallest detail. It is situated on a hilltop near the falls, and overlooks the beginnings of the dirt path we took towards the source. It is surrounded by green hills and magnificent blue skies (at least on non-cloudy, non-rainy days), and is filled with nice people. The facilities are very clean and have been decorated with tile and small pieces of craftsmanship. The showers have excellent pressure and a good supply of hot water. The camp also houses a Berber-style tent lounge area attached to a kitchen. The Tagine meals are full of flavor, and our favorite is the Zebra (just the name of the dish, not what’s in it). A Tagine is the traditional Moroccon dish that food is cooked in. Because all meals come in this dish they call the dishes Tagine. We met a cool German couple, Thorsten and Annette, who are working at the Zebra Camp. They have recently travelled throughout Morocco and, along with Renate, have many bits of good advice on routes, sites, and Moroccon customs and culture.

The truck setup in Zebra Camp.

The ladies of Zebra Camp preparing bread.

We decided to stay a second night using the extra time to walk down to the waterfall. It was very touristy with a lot of little shops and Berber cafes. We bought an ice cream and then spent the rest of our money on a little armadillo carving. We didn’t really need it, but the guy was very nice and spent a good bit of time explaining how he carved, chiseled, and stained each figure. He explained the rock, its source, how to etch in the stone, and how to use oil and fire to achieve varying results in color and finish. Our hunger prompted us to hurry back to the campsite for some lunch. It was good timing, too, as the rain began to pour just as we arrived. The late afternoon was spent experiencing a proper Moroccan thunderstorm, with hail, lightning and thunder.

Our teacher showing us a hand made drill and how it works.

Cascades d’Ouzad

Mon, 18.03.

After packing up we headed for Ouarzazate, which is the “Gateway to the Desert”. Just after the mountain town of Demnate we met a French couple on the road who informed us that Ouarzazate was “another 140 km and the road is really bad”. After experiencing some of the really bad road we cancelled our plan to make Ouarzazate and instead pulled off and setup camp. By bad road, I don’t mean potholes. This road had sections of erosion under the asphalt, missing sections, boulders, and large holes. It was definitely passable in a good 4×4, but best done during daylight hours. We could see the faint lights of a mountain village and, as usual, could hear the dogs barking through the night. Mountains and stars, and cold, howling winds surrounded us. The gusts did not relent, and we packed up and left at 4:30 am. Our tent has a fly sheet that attaches over the top of the tent. It is difficult to get the fly sheet tight enough so that it doesn’t snap in the wind. We finally found that if we just take it off then the wind is no longer a bother.

Tue, 19.03.

Our reward for the early start was a magnificent sunrise. In 2 hours we were out of the mountains and on a high, desert plain.

The breakfast view from the road when we stopped after sleeping in the Atlas Mountains.

The view from our highway breakfast after driving through the Atlas Mountains.

The truck stopped for our highway breakfast.

We stopped at the side of the road near an oasis (palm grove) and had breakfast while taking in the scenery. After the meal we drove on to Ouarzazate and did some shopping to stock up the fridge. We also had a coffee and a tea at a local café, while using its Wifi to catch up with everyone back home. It was a really sunny  and warm day. Our next mission was to get better Internet for the iPad. The telecom company Inwi is fairly new and uses Edge technology. The owner of the café recommended Maroc Telecom. It is 3G and inexpensive. The owner arranged a SIM card for us, which we spent the rest of the afternoon getting running. The first obstacle was getting money. Bank Populare does not like my cards, so we had to search for a no-chip, friendly ATM. After getting cash the next challenge was finding an activity to pass the time until the Maroc Telecom shop opened. Once it opened the real fun began. Numbered tickets are just something to hold onto, they serve no purpose, as each Moroccan’s business and timeline are more important than everyone else’s. It is every man for himself in there, and without a working knowledge of French or Arabic, you are hardly in the fight. With paper and pen, and a fading talent for art, I went to explaining how I wanted to buy minutes for this SIM card, apply them in the phone, then cut the card and put it into the iPad. I succeeded in being shifted from one person to the next until being sent across the street to a smaller shop. There the man explained to us that for 200 DHS we could buy a months worth of unlimited Internet access. We just needed to take this 200DHS card, dial 555, then enter the code plus * and our phone number. We did as instructed then put the card into the iPad. It didn’t work. I suspected that maybe the APN settings needed to be entered, but it proved to be more than that. I returned to the shop and the guy took us back across the street to the main store. Rush hour was finally over so the guy had time to really help us. It turns out that the minutes had been applied as airtime not data. He switched it to data, gave me the APN settings and then explained that next time I must dial 555, then enter the 14 digit code followed by *2. It was a success and we were on our way. I was beginning to feel under the weather so we decided to find an actual room to stay in rather than the tent. We found a great Auberge and decided to stay there for a night. Our host was impressive. He gave us tea, taught us how to mix and drink it Berber-style, created conversation between a British/Dutch couple and us. He served us dinner and provided stimulation for continued conversation. The room was beautiful, the shower hot and with good pressure, and the sleep refreshing. It was a needed night of rest, and set me on the path towards recovering from whatever sickness I may have been coming down with. Well, the sleep and a good antihistamine purchased form a mountain pharmacy. Whether it was the kids version or not I can’t tell, but the translations came out to drink half the battle. I decided to just take a large gulp, which seemed enough to knock me out and kick the runny nose, then stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing.

View from outside our room at the Auberge.

Wed, 20.03.

We ordered breakfast for 9am which was delicious pancakes with honey, fresh orange juice, coffee, bread and jam.

Our excellent breakfast in the Auberge.

After breakfast we reorganized the car again and took a short cut through a palm grove to Skoura. The area here is absolutely beautiful. It is desert as far as you can see, but with an oasis in the middle with a lot of palm trees and fresh green bushes. The houses of the village are nicely distributed and every now and then we drove past one of the old Kasbahs; both the ruins and the new hotels are quite impressive.

Ruins of an old Kasbah.

In the background are the Atlas Mountains, covered with snow contrasted by the intensely blue sky. The colors are incredible.

Our plan was to follow a piste, which passes through steep (sheer) gorges, and then come back down another piste through a few more deep gorges. We didn’t know the condition of the pistes so we had no idea how long this would take. We entered the road leading to the first piste and followed a camping sign as it was late in the day. We found the campsite, which was the parking lot of a very nice Kasbah. The guy in reception spoke only French and Arabic. We asked about camping and he pointed to the parking area in front of the hotel. Toilet? Shower? Oui, oui. He pointed inside. He then offered to show us the rooms and made an offer we couldn’t refuse. I guess it was low season, but we got a triple room with shower and a balcony overlooking the surrounding area for $39 a night. Priceline can’t touch that. We enjoyed fresh strawberries on our little balcony in the sun and I continued my water, antihistamine and sleep regimen. I spent the afternoon repairing the lumbar support in the drivers seat. I love fixing electronics, especially when they are attached to a mechanical system. The previous owner of the truck had decided he wanted an extra power source so he had cut all the wiring under the seat and attached the power to a new power outlet. I dislike loose, purposeless wiring, and had designed and implemented my own power sources rendering his obsolete. I wanted my lumbar support and clean wiring. I ripped the seat out and the center console and began testing the wires with my multimeter. Before long I had the power and controls reattached to the lumbar system and I watched with joy as the mechanical arm pressed the pad into the seat back. It is very satisfying to see the fruits of your labor.

Our view from the mountain Kasbah.

Our view from the mountain Kasbah.

Thu, 21.03.

We pressed on after a good breakfast and made it through the first gorge.

The truck stopped on the road. The road is half of the river filled with concrete.

The curvy road through Dades Gorge.

Landscape scenery from the piste north of Dades Gorge.

We paused on the roadside for some pictures and discovered a trail that had some off-road tours going through it. We thought we’d follow it to see where it led. It started at Msemrir and led us to Ait-Hani which is on the other route for the other gorge (Gorge du Todra). Shortly after Msemrir we stopped at a rather quiet spot (it was very windy) and had lunch there. I had a nap that turned into 16 hours of sleep (which marked the final defeat of my illness).

A view of the truck from a cave we came across while taking a shortcut through the mountains.

Fri, 22.03.

Celine was making breakfast when a girl from a group of ladies in the distance came up to her. She approached very, very slowly and carefully, pausing and looking as she came. Eventually she decided that we were no threat and she came up to talk. Of course, Celine couldn’t understand a word and she went off again, but only to get girlfriend support. The two together were braver and signaled us they wanted food and drinks (actually anything we’d offer) by putting their thumb to their mouth. Celine filled up a bottle of water and gave them each a package of crackers. Happily they went off again and then the next two appeared; same story. We packed and left not knowing if they would have brought their whole family. We kept going on the very rocky, steep and curvy short cut and arrived at Ait-Hani. At Ait-Hani we took a left turn and stopped for tea and lunch (Berber omelet. Very good). First we couldn’t pay the guy, because we only had a 200 DHS note and he couldn’t make change for it. He said, that’s okay, maybe next time. Luckily there was a Spanish couple whom had change for our large note and we paid him. The guy also showed us on the map where to go and we drove east passing Assoul, Amellago and then south into Goulmima. This is where the mountains abruptly end and flat, rocky desert (except for an oasis every now and then) begins. From Goulmima we took the route southeast to Erfoud. Just after Goulmima is a village and we were waiting for camping signs to show up. There were none. We followed a sign to a “maison”. The directions were good but the roads were not. They were more donkey trail than road, and took us into the the heart of the village. There were people everywhere and a bunch of kids followed us and managed to open one of the back doors while we were driving. When we got to the house the gate was closed and no one answered the doorbell. The boys, on their bikes, caught up with us easily and tried to explain something, or they were just talking; it was hard to tell. They guided Celine around the corner and wanted her to climb over the wall. They were cheeky. Then a man from the hotel showed up and ran them off after opening the gate for us. The hotel looked very nice but we actually didn’t want to spend the money for a room. It was also very overpriced in comparison to other places, and was in a poor location. Since I was feeling better we weren’t interested in staying in a room any ways. We were just looking for a safe place to camp, and maybe have a shower. He wasn’t too happy about it and tried hard to convince us to stay. We left again and in our attempt to find the main road we got a little stuck as the path we were following ended at a tiny bridge that we are sure no one had ever crossed in a 4- wheeled, motor driven vehicle. An old man on his bike signaled us it was better to turn around while the boys, still in hot pursuit, urged us to drive forward. We followed the elderly mans advice, but had to back out as the road was just as wide as the truck and had a creek running on the one side and a ditch from a field on the other. Easier said than done. Plus the three to five boys were with us all the time, knocking on the windows, trying to squeeze past on their bikes and trying to talk to us. They were almost yelling at us, because we didn’t understand them. I think that it had turned into a fun game for them. It was quite funny. I found a spot to make a bumpy  U-turn in a field. When we left the village it was dark already. The next town, Erfoud, doesn’t have much camping either, just a lot of very fancy Kasbahs. After driving up and down we stopped at one of them and asked if there was any camping nearby. The guy spoke English and was a great help. He gave us directions to the only campsite in town but not without first trying to convince us to stay at his hotel. He offered us a nice deal: 600 DHS instead of 900 DHS, but we passed on the offer. The camping site called Tifina was a fraction of the cost at 90 DHS.

We thought that as soon as it gets dark everybody goes home for a cozy supper and early bed, but not so. We passed through town on the way to the campsite to find that it was very busy. There were people everywhere; young and old, and on bikes and scooters, in cars, on horses and donkey carts, etc. All mixed up and on the same road. The night was good and there was no wind at all.

A side note, we saw the first proper Saharan sand, just before Erfoud. It felt nice and cool. That morning we were up high in the mountains (about 2000m) and Celine dipped her toes into the snow. It is amazing how quickly and drastically the environment changes here.

In the morning Celine put her foot in the snows of the Atlas….

Later in the afternoon Celine placed her foot in the sands of the Sahara.

Sat, 23.03.

The shower, even though it was more of a cold dribble, was still good. The weather is beautiful, no clouds, and no wind. We are sitting inside, writing and waiting for lunch….

We have been making our way through Europe, heading towards the port in Gibraltar where we will catch the ferry to Morocco. I will give the brief notes from the road, as well as the dates.

Wed, 27.02.

We drove to Kulmbach. In our rental car. 

Sat, 02.03.

To Filderstadt, Stuttgart (about 350 km) for shopping at woick and Strauss (duvet).

Spent the night in Stuttgart, Canstatter Wasen. First night in the tent! We had -1 degree C but eventually we got warm in the tent and it wasn’t too bad.

Sun, 04.03.

Further south toward Switzerland. But we didn’t make it across the border and decided to spend another night in Germany. Riedsee camping is located east of the Black Forest in Donaueschingen. That night was even colder (-4) but we were prepared. We put extra layers on top of us and our yoga mats underneath. We went to bed at around 7 and got up at 4 am. We packed up everything and were on the road at 5:30 am. The tent was a bit of a struggle because everything was frozen hard, but the icy layer inside the tent looked very pretty. 

Mon, 05.03.

We drove all the way through Switzerland. The day started quite foggy but by the time we hit the Alp Mountains the sun came through. It was tunnel after tunnel including the 17 km long Gotthard tunnel. Stopped in Milano, Italy. Went to Toyota to try to get the fuel injectors changed. Apparently no one has them in stock. Went on further south to Genova. Italy was so much warmer! We found a camping site just west of Genova – Villa Doria, for only 25 EUR/night. Ridiculous. But it was beautifully situated in the mountains, with tall trees and a lot of green bushes around. The town center and ocean was a 10-minute walk through the park. 

Tue, 06.03. 

Left Genova sometime midday. Didn’t get very far that day. We stopped in Savona, because   Chris spotted Trony, the electronics store, where we bought a new camera (I had to throw mine away). Then, at Camping Edy, near Imperia, somewhere along the Italian Riviera we put up our tent. It had rained all day and didn’t stop the entire night. Together with some good wind and train tracks next to the campsite we didn’t get much sleep. And, our little gas stove resisted Chris’ attempts to get it working. Luckily the day before we did some shopping so we had crackers with cream cheese and salmon.

Wed, 07.03.

I think we left around 9:30 am. We made it through Monaco, and got of the highway, because we saw something that looked like a hardware store. We found McDonald’s instead, but next door was a Carrefour store (much like Walmart) which also happened to have a gas station with amazingly reasonable prices (diesel 1,37 EUR/L). We filled up the car using 2 gas pumps and spending 239,89 EUR for 175,10 L. We also shopped for storage containers, straps, adapters, etc. We then spent about 2 hours rearranging the truck, getting a refund for the drawers we just bought and still trying our luck with the camping cooker. Starting around 7 pm we began looking for any sort of accommodation. We also considered a hotel, because it was late, and we were tired and gatvol (Africaans – sick) of all the rain. We found a place on Google maps, but neither this nor the Garmin was able to get us there. We tried to follow their road signs, but those also stopped eventually. Not sure how we managed to find that place, but we did (about 10 pm). Lou Sou Lei is a huge 4 star caravanning place with a very large gate in front. I tried to phone them earlier that evening but of course nobody answered. Anyhow I pushed a button and the gate opened. There were more gates, which wouldn’t open, but to the left was a visitors parking area and so we decided to put up our tent right there. The tall walls around it covered us nicely from the wind and rain, but we could hear the ocean – so not a bad place at all. We woke up at 6 am, quickly packed everything away and were ready to leave. But we couldn’t get the gate open from the inside. With perfect timing a car pulled up behind us and the driver opened the gate for us. The Lord really took good care of us. 

Thu, 08.03.

We learned from our past mistakes and started our campsite search much earlier. Our present location…

Please see updated pictures of the truck at:

http://safari-expeditions.com/2013/02/03/the-truck-2/

We went with many items from ARB, which included their front bull bar and rear bumper along with the rear jerry can holder and spare wheel carrier. On the front is a Warn 9500 lb. winch, and under the hood are two new Optima yellow top batteries. There is an IBS dual battery system, controller, and monitor and a third yellow top in the rear of the truck. We had N4 bash plates put in to protect the steering rods, and both differentials. There is a 160l Long Ranger auxiliary fuel tank where the spare was originally (under the tail). Inside we have a 70l ARB fridge/freezer, and African Outback drawer system and a cargo cage. We will be carrying several tools and various recovery equipment in the form of a Hi-Lift jack, shackles, snatch blocks, cable blanket, tow and snatch straps, cable lengthening strap, Bushranger Sand Tracks, a shovel, tire repair kit, valve core remover, and an ARB compressor.

I will provide pictures and reviews of each item as it is used. We will be heading from Kulmbach southwest to Morocco where we will test the build and arrange things for the overland trip across Africa.

To give you an understanding of the task facing Shane I will do my nest to describe the process. LabRak did not have a stock of racks for the 80-Series Land Cruiser (our model). So Shane, in just a few weeks (2 to be precise), needed to design a full sized roof rack, custom mounts (gutter variation), with trays for water and fuel, as well as the ability to mount a roof top tent. The design needed to be field/bush repairable (if necessary), and versatile enough to configure it and then reconfigure it for different purposes (overland travel – recovery vehicle – safaris). After designing the rack, he then had to outsource the manufacture of some of the parts that weren’t in stock due to their specific fit to the 80-Series.

Not only did Shane complete the design, he was also able to arrange the manufacture of new custom parts, and drive the timeline of the manufacturer to meet our schedule. Upon receipt of the parts, he didn’t just throw them in a box and ship them as quickly as possible; he remained cool, and kept me informed. Shane spent a number of late nights assembling and reassembling the rack, removing rivets and replacing them with bolts and thread lock nuts, and putting reinforced joints where he thought necessary. He also configured the rack in a variety of ways, took pictures of the different options and sent them to me via email to review and select the best for our needs. At the end of these time consuming builds he had created a very strong, very rigid, and spacious rack that met all of our requirements.

The rack can be mounted with the can carriers on the front or the back, and can have a roof top tent mounted to either end. Sounds like no big deal considering most other rack companies can do the same thing. The difference I am seeing thus far is that the design is completely different from any other rack on the market. Rather than being a fabricated rack that is mass produced and then later adapted by the end user, LabRak creates custom racks up front to ensure all that is necessary is mounting. The rack is of a modular design, which means that it can be modified in size, attachment points and types, and has the ability to integrate (not just attach) different, very robust mounts for other tools.

An example is the jerry can holders integrated into the rack design. Rather than having holders that attach to the surface of the rack planks, this design places the mounts a as part of the rack, and they are attached lower in the rack frame to reduce drag and lower the weight that is placed on the roof. An individual mount is solid, low profile, and secured by a large latch that swings over the can and locks into place with a cotter pin tethered to the mount. A second pin is tethered to the can and holds the cap in place. Our rack has seven jerry can mounts across its entire width. Between the fourth and fifth mount is a bar that increases support and the rigidity of the rack. It also has tie down eyes that allow us to stack other items, such as firewood, in place of the cans, and then tie them down with straps. It is quite a versatile system.

In addition to the can holders there is also a mount for a shovel, and a very nicely designed Hi-Lift jack mount. Shane also designed and included a fishing rod holder, and added a rod sleeve designed and sewn together by his mother. I thought that was a very nice personal touch.

LabRak didn’t stop there, in addition to the mounting hardware and rack, they included a variety of extra parts, differing sizes of light mounts, and spacers and adapters. Over all, their attention to detail, and quality of service and support has been outstanding. Shane had this to say, “I want you to know that I am committed to you, the cause and everything you represent.  So over the year I’ll keep you in the loop on new products and do what I can to make sure you have the newest gear.”

We appreciate the tireless effort Shane put into designing, manufacturing, and shipping of our rack. He did this with a charitable heart and we hope to see his business succeed over the coming years. When the rack arrives and Taubenreuther mounts it, we will provide more pictures as well as photos of the completed truck build. In addition, we will gives future updates on rack quality, mount quality, service quality, and detailed reports on the use of each item.

If you get really bored.