Thanks, Ms. Factotum. The fellow atop that huge dune in the first picture is an Australian friend of mine who use to drag a snow board up to the top of dunes so that he could ride down them on the board. It took him way longer to walk to the top than it did for him to get to the bottom. Walking in that depth of sand is not as easy as it looks.
The bottom two shots were taken as a huge sandstorm approached our base camp. Those things were vicious - and lots of fun.
We used to get sandstorms in Lubbock when I was a kid. I'd be riding my bike home from school and end up with sand in every nook and cranny. This was when there were still cotton fields along Chicago Avenue.
But those storms were probably not as bad as the ones you got!
Sahara sandstorms can be magnificent. They gave me the same feeling I get when awaiting a hurricane to arrive (in the daytime). A really good desert sandstorm makes you feel very small - but, as long as you stay indoors, you remain relatively safe.
Good ones uncover things that have been buried for thousands of years - ancient campfires, arrow heads, spear tips, etc. from when the Sahara was still green and inhabitable. Depending on where you were in the desert it was like an Easter egg hunt after a good storm.
Cool photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ms. Factotum. The fellow atop that huge dune in the first picture is an Australian friend of mine who use to drag a snow board up to the top of dunes so that he could ride down them on the board. It took him way longer to walk to the top than it did for him to get to the bottom. Walking in that depth of sand is not as easy as it looks.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom two shots were taken as a huge sandstorm approached our base camp. Those things were vicious - and lots of fun.
We used to get sandstorms in Lubbock when I was a kid. I'd be riding my bike home from school and end up with sand in every nook and cranny. This was when there were still cotton fields along Chicago Avenue.
ReplyDeleteBut those storms were probably not as bad as the ones you got!
Sahara sandstorms can be magnificent. They gave me the same feeling I get when awaiting a hurricane to arrive (in the daytime). A really good desert sandstorm makes you feel very small - but, as long as you stay indoors, you remain relatively safe.
ReplyDeleteGood ones uncover things that have been buried for thousands of years - ancient campfires, arrow heads, spear tips, etc. from when the Sahara was still green and inhabitable. Depending on where you were in the desert it was like an Easter egg hunt after a good storm.