Left the Nile, crossing the Sahara to Khartoum

Beyond the Saddle ....Cairo to Cape Town
Howard Fairbank
Thu 1 Feb 2007 17:07
Position 16:44.929N 31:48.433E

From another desert camp in the Sahara.....
Leaving camp this morning would take us on a path away from the Nile and starting a long almost 300 km crossing of the desert to Khartoum. This time not an open crossing but a pretty new tar road the whole way. But a very straight and flat one that saw only three vehicles pass me for the first 70km to the lunch stop...its pretty isolated out here now, one small villages, not even camel carcases....little life here but even more amazing stark reddish brown dunes, and the contrasting black rock outcrops.

This morning I left before sunrise and road on the wind corrugated desert sand into the desert away from the road. I had some impressive dunes in mind.....waiting for the sun to rise and capture the magiical exquistely curved shadow lines. The sand was pretty hard so cycling was good...probably went in 4 km's and was rewarded with not only wonderful solitude, but great photo's,

Ooops got so carried away I missed the group leaving and started about 30 mins after the main bunch....

Well that was enough of a challenge for me...I decided to make the day a 'time trial' day, and sped off as fast as I could slowly reeling in all the riders up to the racers....now my legs feel it!. 130 km in total and one full degree of latitude done..great progress and an exhilirating ride, mostly downwind too!

Another day just like today tomorrow.....130km in the Sahara, on similar road.....I feel we are now speeding to Khartoum!

See ya tomorrow!