Louisa: Late this afternoon as the heat was dying down, we made our way up the Todra Gorge. The hotel we are staying at is part way into the gorge so we didn’t have to start at the very beginning. The gorge is stunning and was warmed by the late afternoon sun. It is hard to describe how majestic and “wow” inducing it is, so you’ll have to enjoy the pictures!
Eric: We didn’t HAVE to start at the beginning but we did have to go back into Tinghir/Tinerhir for gas first; What a pain and totally my fault for not thinking about it on Sunday! However on the way we did see 4 bicyclists making their way along which was very inspiring and then a group of 4 motorcyclists who we saw up near Midelt on Saturday. They had come down from what I suspect was Imilchil on what is known at the MH2 to readers of Chris Scott’s Morocco Overland guidebook.
Eric: While it’s not shown in the photos we’ve posted here there are some spots in the gorge where the layer of rock clearly shows how it was “bent” during it’s formation. Seeing rocks that bend like this always reminds me of my uncle Stefan (a geologist) showing me up near Bala in Ontario some amazing examples of rock that folds over on itself… to be here seeing it on such a grand scale is really quite humbling.
Louisa: We made our way through the gorge to emerge on the rocky plain beyond. We managed to even start following one of the gravel roads recommended in our guidebook as great for exploring the region. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately in my mind as I didn’t think we had rugged enough tires for it) the light started to fail so we had to turn back. As it was it was fairly dark by the time we made it back to our hotel for about 7.30. With the high walls the gorge got dark before usual.
Eric: The gravel road Louisa is talking about is the eastern end of the MH3 which connects the Dades and Todra gorges. The book refers to this as the second hardest route they outline because of the first 5 to 12km at each end of the route… This was a pretty good time for me to get some experience with a big bike, 2-up on these overland routes. My verdict? It would be pretty tough given our low experience riding together on such a heavy bike. I took some photos of the route extending out beyond the bike as inspiration to come back again one day.
Louisa: Despite my previous posts, you may now notice a new ring has made its way onto my significant finger. For a short time this had the traditional meaning. However, following a panic attack on Eric’s side and some heartfelt discussions, we decided that we prefer to pursue a dedicated partnership rather than more traditional arrangements. More on possible future celebrations to come!
Eric: Hehe, yes, our “non-engagement life commitment” ring… it has quite a ring to it doesn’t it! I’m really happy to have found myself with someone as special as Louisa wants to create something unique to ourselves and I couldn’t be more excited or happy!
We’re in looooooooooove!
