Saudi Wildlife

Last weekend, Rob and his friend Sean were out running along the Corniche, which is the road that runs along the Arabian Sea.  They are training for the upcoming Dead Sea Marathon, which is in Jordan next week.

The only wildlife we see around here is ferral cats, so they were excited when they spotted some flamingos in the water!  After they finished the run, showered, and rested, we went back to see if we could spot them again.  All photo credits go to our friend Sean O'Dell.

In the first two pictures, the green slimy sewage along the coast in this part is highlighted - it smelled as good as it looks.  In the third, they are taking flight near an old oil rig, and in the last they are in front of the King Fahd Causeway which leads to Bahrain.

JV Girls Hoops!

JV Girls Hoops 2012

Al Hofuf - Caves

When we were in Hofuf, we asked our driver if he knew how to get to the famous Hofuf caves.  No, he shook his head, no caves here.  Oh well, we would just look around the town, I said.  As we drove, about ten minutes later, the driver's face lit up and he said he knew of a great place for us to visit, that had tunnels through a mountain.

So we went to the Hofuf caves after all, which are carved into sandstone walls.  It is called Jebel Gara, or Mountain with Tunnels, and reminded us all of Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon in the Southeast US.

Jack was convinced that there were dinosaurs in these caves, and he searched every part on the lookout for a T-Rex or stegosaurus.

Saudi: I love this place!

We live in the sandiest place on Earth.  My yard is sand, the roads are sand, and the air is full of sand.  I use a sand shovel to clean my ears and from time-to-time I hack up sand castles.  

Who really needs a $2000 riding lawn mower? 

Sand Sledding

We are in the middle of a several day schmall, the Middle East's answer to a blizzard.  Yuck.  There is visible brown dust in the air and this morning it was so windy that we could feel the sand whipping at our legs. 

But I shouldn't complain - we have had beautiful weather and very few sandstorms.  And sand doesn't make it hard to drive, and I don't have to shovel sand. 

To make the best of all the sand, when my parents were here we went sand sledding.  My dad had had enough sand the day before in Hofuf, so my mom and Jack and I piled in with some neighbors and drove about 45 minutes south to a big dune.  The kids had a great time!  Just like snow sledding, the way down is much more enjoyable than the long trek back up.

Poised at the top

The fun ride down

The long trek up

It's way more fun to be pulled!

Grandma's daily workout

Sand angels