Sunday November 3, 1976 Had my final choice of sleeping location close to the truck confirmed at about 3:30am when one of the huge tractor trailer trucks blasted through the night and drove right across the lovely flat spot that I had originally considered as my sleeping spot. We have reached a point on our crossing that the truck drivers consider any flat area a road. Got up early and went on one of my wandering /exploring treks back to the sand dunes and the oasis. The people are more apprehensive of the camera as we get away from the commercial northern regions. The oasis has been developed and they have created an irrigation system to expand the growth and stabilize the sand. While I was out wandering, the girls found a Turkish bath and made full use of it. Shortly after noon we left In-Salah and headed south. We covered 135k before we stopped for the night. The progress was slower and interesting as we have passed the end of the pavement and we now follow the road/trail across the desert that is constantly being modified by the big tractor trailers carrying supplies to the southern outposts in Algeria. The trucks have huge low pressure balloon tires with articulated suspensions that create a washboard road. Each driver moving over to the side to find a smooth spot makes the washboard road wider to the point that it is 1/2 to 3/4 of a kilometer wide in the open areas. Took a walk off into the desert after diner and got far enough away that the sounds of the campsite disappeared. The silence was the most incredible experience. No birds, no insects and no trees for the breeze to rustle. The only noise came from me. I enjoyed it but was quickly drawn back to the group and more familiar sounds.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:32:43 +0000
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