4 wheels can be fun too

I am usually riding on two wheels and not four, pavement or gravel, and not golden sand dunes like the ones found in the Sahara Desert. But I found myself really enjoying the nuances of riding an ATV. But before we took this trip we arranged an atv safety course through an off road training facility in Orangeville. Negotiating the trails in a forest is tricky and good preparation for our trip to the dunes. Riding an ATV is not at all like a two wheeled motorcycle, it’s more like riding a snowmobile. I found myself throwing my weight from side to side and thoroughly enjoying the four wheel slides and occasionally turning the handle bars a little too much and catching the outside front wheel and falling off in the sand. Fortunately I was wearing all of my gear so finding myself flat on my back was no big deal, that is until the next rider came over the crest of the dune and I was staring at the underbelly of their ATV.

The thing that impressed me the most was the colour of the sand dunes. I’ve never seen sand so golden yellow and soft. You can see the dunes in the background of the photo below. Truly spectacular. Like hills of golden brown sugar. Sweet!

There is something surreal about the desert. It is said that parts of David Lean’s epic film Lawrence of Arabia were filmed in the Sahara even though the film was set in the middle East. I can see why it drove Lawrence mad. The desert is mesmerizing. It is also silent, hot, dry, and incredibly beautiful. I miss it.

What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

4 wheels can be fun too