Morocco in May

Back to Morocco we go! Over the past few weeks, my awesome student, Hannah, and I left Austin and struck out for field work in the High Atlas. This trip was a fun one for me as I have been out to these sites before and now I get to help Hannah find here feet on these stunning rocks! We met up with my colleague Stéphane Bodin (Aarhus University) and his student Jan Danisch and proceeded to do a (very quick) overview of some of the Early Jurassic rocks in the High Atlas.

Note: I have split this trip into several blog posts because
     a) I don't have time to do them all at once
     b) I am late already, so I might as well try to organize things
         and
     c) There are a lot of photos so it would be a huge post if it was just one!

So here we go! We left May 6th and arrived on the 7th. We crashed in Marrakesh for a night and then drove off to the mountains on the 8th. I was very glad Hannah enjoyed the food... it can be tough for a vegetarian.

The drive is a gorgeous one! The vegetation and red beds are just stunning!

I was pretty jet lagged....

We drove over the Tishka Pass... which is a lot of switchbacks and ear popping (plus a few terrifying spots where the road is collapsing). But the view is pretty amazing!

The drive through the Dades Valley, however, is a lot of fun!

Yes it is dry... but there is still life!

Everything just keeps looking better and better!

 

Know what this thistle needs? More spikes!

This is a hotel!

Our trusty steed!

Check out this awesome fold!

We finally made it to Ahmed's house, just in time for some mint tea (well, it's always time for the "Berber vodka"!)

Sipping tea looking into the Dades Gorge...

This place is pretty special!

More soon y'all!