Ouzoud - lakes, mountains, slopes (including detour of 66 km due to empty gas station) - Khénifra

Today's route was hard. In total it was a distance of 426 km.

In the morning, I say goodbye to Ouzoud.

I ride on nice roads and pass the reservoir Bin El-Ouidane.

Since the only gas station within 33 kilometers in Ouaouizeght has no more fuel and I do not want to risk running out of fuel despite a half full tank, I take a 66 km long detour to a gas station as a precaution. Who knows where else the next petrol station with fuel will come after the dirt road I've planned to ride.

However, by this detour I lose almost 1.5 hours.

I ride on minor roads towards Tilouguite, where's just a souk (market) and everybody from the Atlas Mountains seems coming there with donkeys. Unfortunately, you can not take pictures of such events without getting too close to someone. I'm glad that my route is not right through the souk (that's into direction of Imilchil), because even after my experience from Marrakech I would not know how I should get through this bulk of people. Everywhere is excitement and the souk is a chaos. A policeman only looks at me with a shrug and some passers-by only notice me irritated at second glance.

From here I ride on a dirt road to the Cathedrale des Roches, a huge rock. I ride to a junction to Imilchil or Anergui. There I have a little break and think about how to proceed. Due to the fuel stop detour, I'm so late that I doubt if I can make the round trip to Agouti back to Azilal. So I decide to return and take a dirt road to the northeast, from where I have already enjoyed a great view of the reservoir. That's more into the direction of my final destination.

Said and done. So I ride on 30 km on dirt roads, which sometimes are not easy. At the beginning, it is a easy gravel road, but then there are also sections of red earth into which quite a few traces have been driven in the wetter season. In between, I also lose orientation. Somehow, the map and my navigation system do not really fit together anymore. I'm getting uncomfortable for a moment, there's nobody around here, no one to ask. I didn't see a car for about 15 km and if you would meet someone, I doubt you would find a common language. But then I pass by a big new construction site, which is currently being worked on and a truck hops along the road in front of me and lets me overtake. So I can't be completely wrong. The thought of going all the way back was frustrating. After a while, there is finally a small paved road again, where I first do a turn to the wrong direction. Not my best day today.

After finally being on the right direction, I make up my mind to ride to Khénifra. There should be some hotels there.

The hotel in Khénifra is not that great, but the parking is on the doorstep and the room is ok. But lacks charm. In Khénifra, I'm still go out for dinner in the evening, but I'm too late and so I buy some nuts and other stuff. That's ok for tonight.