We got a late start out of Dakar today when only two of the
four trucks would start. It appeared
that both Shane’s 101 and Mike’s truck suffered the same problem. After several hours of diagnosis and repair
we were on our way with new ignition coils. Another African beaten part that
probably broke from the constant vibration and heat that the entire truck and
occupants must endure on a daily basis.
Like so many times before, the convoy didn’t get too far. Al’s rear springs- the new ones he had
installed in Nouakchott- had already succumbed to the load weight and road
abuse. One of his bump stops ripped clean off and nearly took Jim’s windshield
out. We stopped for nearly three more
hours of roadside repair. The delay was
not all bad. A group of children from the nearby village wandered up to see
what was going on (as they always seem to do). We got some lessons in Wolof
(the local language) and we in turn taught them a few things in English. We
donated pencils, water and gum- and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, to their
cause.
The terrain was mostly flat and savannah like. Although dry
(we have not seen rain since Europe) it was overcast. Lucky for us, if it had
been sunny the temperature would surely have been higher than the already
oppressive 97 degrees F. In fact at 10pm the temperature had only dropped to 89
degrees F.
We made camp after dark not more than 300 yards from the
roadway. This is a pretty remote area so we figured we wouldn’t be bothering
anyone. Since arriving we have seen numerous grasshopper like locust, several
scorpions and a snake hole. A little
creepy, especially since we have yet to see the area in the light of day. We had canned ham with Swiss cheese on
baguettes for dinner and then retired for the night. Al and I made use of our vehicle-mounted showers too. Even
without running the heat exchanger my water was pretty toasty.
-Michael Ladden