African Sandstorms

[George Kourounis]

I just got home last night from Mali in West Africa. It was an incredible trip with lots to see including Timbuktu, the Sahara Desert and quite a few sand storms.

I've created a page with plenty of pictures here:

http://www.stormchaser.ca/Mali/Mali.html

Here are a few samples:

Getting blown around in a Sandstorm:


A well formed dust devil:


A camel in a sand storm:


Finally arriving in Timbuktu:



Now I get 2 days to unwind, get caught up and prepare before I start the two day drive down from Toronto to Oklahoma for the annual tornado chase trip.

[Susan Strom]

You got to see Timbuktu? I'm jealous.

What does that sign say? It says Tempe with an American flag. I'm in Tempe right now.

Love sand. A sandstorm is a positive omen. It means that whatever created it, a big thunderstorm, is churning about somewhere and a chase is on.

When I'm out shooting, the first thing I like to do is stand in front of the sand wall, which is about 3,000 ft tall, put goggles on, hold my breath and let the thing overtake me. A little pre-chase fun before a long night.

Monsoon season starts in the Arizona Desert in 2 months.

Nice shots. Looks like home.

[George Kourounis]

Hey Susan.

The sign at Timbuktu shows its sister cities around the world, including Tempe Arizona. I never knew that they were sister cities until I got there.

It is a wild place with unspeakable heat, and the fine dust in the air all the time makes for some strange sunsets. The sun doesn't actually set, it just sort of "fades out" into the haze.

And yes, goggles are very useful, especially for contact lens wearers like me (ouch!)

[Susan Strom]

How funny. I wonder what the connection is between Tempe and Mali. Really huge dust devils maybe and the familiar sight of haboob coming to stop traffic LOL

I thought the sandstorms mainly blew in the eastern Sahara in the Sudan and Arabian peninsula (and here). Must be in West Africa too.

Cool pics!

[Susan Strom]

Very interesting. It is a kind of diplomatic partnership. Indeed, Tempe is Timbuktu's sister city. I'm looking more into this...and the program called Sister Cities. http://www.tempesistercity.org/Our_C.../timbuktu.html

[Susan Strom]

Hey George:

Just playing…this is fun:


Hand of Fatima, your cool picture in Africa:
http://www.stormchaser.ca/Mali/Transport/Transport_01.JPG

Shiprock New Mexico USA
http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/staff/scholle/graphics/tourist/Shiprock2.jpg


Dogon Cliff Village you went to in Africa:
http://www.stormchaser.ca/Mali/Dogon/Dogon_03.JPG

Mesa Verde cliff castle, Four Corners region USA where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah meet.
http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-plateau/meve0796.jpeg
Montezuma Castle near Sedona, Arizona:
http://croad.net/images/Arizona/montezuma3.JPG


You skiing on the pink sand dunes in Africa:
http://www.stormchaser.ca/Mali/Sand/Sand_Ski_01.jpg

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park near Kanab, Utah USA (hmm…you have given me an idea LOL…now where are those skis of mine.)
http://www.art-stop.com/images/product/red_dunes.jpg


The sandstorm you caught in Mali:
http://www.stormchaser.ca/Mali/Sand/Sand_04.JPG

A sandstorm in Phoenix:
http://z.about.com/d/phoenix/1/0/_/y/1/DustStorm0807_02.jpg


Distance from Arizona to Mali in a straight line:
8,452 miles or 13,603 kilometers

A very small world obviously J

[George Kourounis]

Okay Susan, that was very cool. It is a small world afterall.

I guess I didn't really need to fly all that way! All I had to do was take another trip to the desert southwest.

[Susan Strom]

So distant, yet oddly familiar. Still, there is only one Timbuktu!

But do come to Arizona to chase a sandwall or two...

[Susan Strom]

Originally Posted by George Kourounis

It is a wild place with unspeakable heat

Hey, this is April, I understand that in Mali the temperatures right now can reach 105-115F with the sands blowing too. That's similar to July-Aug here. On your expedition, what did you do to help your body cope? You've got a good Arabian headwrap; that is a good start. As we know, heat survival only begins with water. I find that all the water I can possibly carry is absolutely required, but not enough in extreme deserts. I will take powdered trace minerals and electrolyte mix (won't leave house w/o it), dates for minerals, and bananas for potassium, avoid sugar and soda, and chase after dusk. I find it is the desert winds too, even the night wind, that will wither a person as fast as the heat will, so it is about defense of that too. In Saharan Africa, did you learn any new techniques from the local people that helped you in the extreme conditions?

[George Kourounis]

Oh yes, it was hot. I visited the met office at the Timbuktu airport and it was 109 with a dewpoint of 44.

The turban headwrap seems counterintuitive but it really does help to keep the direct sun off your head and the sand out of your face. I learned to wrap mine in a Tuareg style which seemed to work well. I also wore glacier glasses with side protectors to keep out most of the sand and then I'd upgrade to my goggles when required.

Water was always an issue. We'd have to stock up in some of the small towns with bottled water since it could be quite hazardous to drink the tap or well water there (although by the end of the trip I was and had no ill effects). The bottles of water would heat up in the un-air conditioned Land Cruiser to the point where it was like colorless tea. Not very refreshing but still hydrating. We had no luxury of electrolye mix with us, all we could do was stop at the occasional roadside vendor for some mangoes or a watermellon.

The locals were amazing. I don't know how people can survive there in the extreme heat with no electricity, no running water and sometimes no rain for almost nine months of the year. The trick is to only be active in the early morning and late afternoon. Even at night it was hot. I expected the desert to cool down more than it did. With the RH so low, your sweat evaporates so quickly that you don't realize how much water you are losing until you are already dehydrated.

One of the people I was with had a real tough time and was suffering from heat exhaustion (possibly even heat stroke). He did everything wrong - He wasn't regulating his heat well enough and then started to strip down, exposing himself to more direct sunlight. By the time we got to Timbuktu, he was in bad shape and was too beligerant to heed any advice I had for him. Keeping covered up with light clothing would've helped a lot.

I've been to Arizona numerous times now for the monsoon in August plus I've filmed in Death Valley in July and the Danakil Desert in Ethiopia so I have a fair amount of high heat experience. If you don't keep yourself hydrated and your core temperature down... It can get very serious, very quickly.

Originally Posted by Susan Strom

Hey, this is April, I understand that in Mali the temperatures right now can reach 105-115F with the sands blowing too. That's similar to July-Aug here. On your expedition, what did you do to help your body cope? You've got a good Arabian headwrap; that is a good start. As we know, heat survival only begins with water. I find that all the water I can possibly carry is absolutely required, but not enough in extreme deserts. I will take powdered trace minerals and electrolyte mix (won't leave house w/o it), dates for minerals, and bananas for potassium, avoid sugar and soda, and chase after dusk. I find it is the desert winds too, even the night wind, that will wither a person as fast as the heat will, so it is about defense of that too. In Saharan Africa, did you learn any new techniques from the local people that helped you in the extreme conditions?