Finally it was time to take our ride out to the sand dunes. The camel handler picked out two camels (based on what, I’m not sure, but Tim’s was much nicer than mine) and helped us get on and then way, way up above the ground -- these are really tall animals. For those who have never ridden a camel, it might look effortless, but it isn’t – when they get up, you suddenly get thrown forward and then backward, and when walking up and down sand dunes (particularly down), you absolutely must hold on to the saddle with at least one hand or run the risk of falling off. That made taking pictures with my big D810 and lens quite a challenge, to say the least. Still, I enjoyed it immensely and can now say that I've ridden a camel -- in the Sahara Desert, no less!

Tim’s view of the trek to the dunes; I was riding behind him, so there was no need to take a picture of that view ;-). I found it interesting that the camel handler took off his shoes immediately after we started out.

The two fearless camel riders, posted earlier: