Land of Big Sky

It felt fantastic to be back on the road today, so much so that I ended up riding for about 9 hours. The first 10 seconds felt so right and the ride over the High Atlas was everything I was hoping for. There was just gnarly enough riding, there were jaw dropping panoramas, the tourists were begining to swarm at the start but were totally absent after 20 miles.

As I descended onto the North side of the Atlas the people seemed wealthier and better dressed, even the farmers. The road seemed to get busier and the land was tamed to a greater extent. Finally, dropping onto a main road to my chosen sleeping town there was traffic and modern cars. Towns gripped the Atlas foothills like barnacles and I felt hemmed in. To add to the sense of unreality I was riding towards the low sun which combined with my shades to reduce vision to shades of burnished bronze, the road was a blazing arrow.

The town of Beni Mellal is larger than anywhere else in Morocco that I've stayed but not really notable for anything. It is however utterly invigorating to wander around the souk after sunset. I'm planning one more foray into the Atlas before heading towards Rabat and then the ferries, but Beni Mellal has made me think that maybe the towns aren't so bad.