[ Ouarzazate, Morocco ]

The days since Tanant have been a pretty serious reality check, and a reminder that when you start a hard ride with zero training, you had better plan to get your derrière kicked seriously.

There has been a lot of pushing, up a shocking number of steep kilometers. This led to two marginally demoralizing failures of will resulting in rides hitched over two passes, and three whole days off the bike (today is the unplanned third) allowing my over-stressed appendages some recovery time before I set out again tomorrow morning.

I suspect I will be out of range to wish you all a Happy 2018, so allow me to do that now: Happy New Year! 

All the best from Morocco,
—jim

Demnat to Ouarzazate