Day 4 - Weather Apocalypse

 After rain again all night, Fes woke up to some sun but was still wet.  Another great Moroccan breakfast, a short walk to the garage to get our bikes and after getting my rear-tire back to full pressure, we were off to find a money exchange place ... a lot of cash is used in Morocco.

Today, the universe decided to test our riding abilities and sent a whole array of weather events our way throughout the day ... rain, sleet, hail, snow, snow/ice covered roads, slush, downpours, drizzle, fog and temperatures from 50 degrees down to 32 and back.  All of this on one of our longest riding days of this trip ?!??

And, yes, we survived unscathed : )

Our first interesting area was around Ifrane, often called the Switzerland of Morocco ... 5,250 ft of elevation ... nice red-roofed chalets, resorts, parks, and a sky area!  Lots of Moroccan families came to enjoy the new snow ... it is interesting to see how, at the end of the day, we all love being with family, having fun, laughing, and experience new things with friends ... and even though we were having a hard time keeping the bikes upright on snowy/icy roads ... it looked like a good day for the world. 

All these people up there actually created a massive traffic jam on the main road ... to the point they were literally jammed in ... no car could move in any direction to unlock the mess ... thankfully, a motorcycle can always weasel its way through anything. 

After the high snowy peak, we stopped for coffee, and a trash bag to wrap around my body for the rain, near Khenifra ... and then for lunch in Beni-Mellal, and another thicker trash bag to fight the weather onslaught better : )

We made it to Marrakesh and set out to locate our Riad which is located inside the old souk ... and only accessible through a number of very narrow and, at times, very low passages ... and we managed to park our motorcycles just outside in a dead-end passage.  Very cool.

Dinner was at the Riad, too exhausted to go out ... then we watched the African Cup final between Morocco and Senegal ... a great game ... still amazes how the whole world is so passionate about football ... a game that truly unites peoples ... needless to say our hosts were devastated ... Senegal won 1-0

All in all, a great day ... it is interesting how unique experiences (good or bad), by the fact that we are more present, are better recorded in our memories and become more embedded in who we are ... the feelings, the emotions, the sights, the smells, the temperature, the colors, the senses, the elation, the fear, the joy ... all reminding you that you are alive ... and that the little time we are here .... is awesome! ...  I think I am tired now : )

Tomorrow is a rest day in Marrakesh. Yes! 

Our breakfast in Fes ... Nice!

Leaving the hotel in Fes to pick up the bikes at the garage

Snow and a traffic jam near Ifrane ... Moroccans came to play in the snow

Cool sights ... happy people

Is this going to get worse?

Coffee stop near Khenifra after the snow, sleet, and hail up in the mountains

Need to prepare for whatever comes next ... a trash bag around my body

All set

Looking for a place to have lunch in Beni-Mellal

Having a bite in Beni-Mellal ... it is so wet and cold out there!

Fixing a better, bigger, thicker trash bag to my body

The highest fashion ... a trash bag around my hips

A quick stop for gas ... djellabas everywhere

Inside the narrow passages in Marrakesh's old souk

Deep in the innards of the old souk in Marrakesh in front of our Riad

Finally ... at our Riad checking in and having tea

An alley cat decided the seat of my bike was his bed for the night

The African Cup final underway... Morocco vs Senegal ... Senegal won : (