Dunes and more dunes....

On Sunday the Chief of Security (Peter) took me for a drive in his Land Cruiser out through the dunes. We just took off through the sand and just drove. The terrain here is the same as it is at home in the winter when you get above treeline. The sand is also very similar to snow. The wind can form large sand cornices on the ridges and depending on the wind patterns the sand can go from hard to soft instantly. After we got out a ways Peter let me drive, I got stuck going up the first hill! These Toyotas are all diesel and when driving through the sand you really have to keep your rpm's high. I made the mistake of shifting from second into third and just kind of sank into the sand. Even though the tires were barely sunk in the sand we weren't moving. Peter got us out and got us to a high spot and let me try it again. This time I never shifted higher than second gear and kept the rpm's between 3 and 4k and drove through valleys and side hills finding a way through the dunes. It is just like where we ride snowmachines but it is a little more difficult when you are in a 4wd vehicle instead of on a 3' wide snowmachine. It was a kick.

Here are a few more pictures.

A nice whispy Sahara cloud.

If only I had a sandboard. These dunes would be a kick to carve some turns in.

Proof I was actually here!

This is Peter and he is THE man, and knows everything that happens at this site.

A Sunday afternoon drive.