For 4 hours, the sand blocks out the sun

May 13, 2011 10:30 AM

"It's...it's across the entire horizon." Inside a sandstorm in the Sahara. "It seems like they've been transported to Mars."
posted by cashman (23 comments total)

dude seriously needs some goggles
posted by supermedusa at 10:41 AM on May 13, 2011

In the next scene, he goes a bums a smoke from some fellow burners and then heads back to his RV.
posted by GuyZero at 10:55 AM on May 13, 2011 [11 favorites]

Is he scouting new Burning Man locations?
posted by phaedon at 10:59 AM on May 13, 2011

Okay, so this is what bidets are for.
posted by tigrefacile at 11:07 AM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

Obama needs to do something about these sandstorms.
posted by LordSludge at 11:14 AM on May 13, 2011

While ours are nowhere near as dramatic as this, we get some sandstorms here in New Mexico too. Even in small doses, it's an otherworldly experience. I prefer to watch them when they stay on the horizon, as they create some really cool "burning sky" sunsets. It's not so great being in one though.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:16 AM on May 13, 2011

The last shot was interesting - who were the guys who had to stay in the bed of the truck?
posted by fake at 11:21 AM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

Local hires ride in the back of the bus.
posted by Ahab at 11:30 AM on May 13, 2011

Probably just some Bed-ouins. GET IT?!?!
posted by saladin at 11:50 AM on May 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

Sand must flow.
posted by Iron Rat at 11:53 AM on May 13, 2011

RVs are for wimps.
posted by tula at 11:53 AM on May 13, 2011

My contacts feel crusty just thinking about this.
posted by elizardbits at 11:53 AM on May 13, 2011

These dust storms are one source of hurricanes:

When wind over Africa blows west -- towards the United States , it carries massive amounts of dust from sandstorms in the Sahara desert. As the dust passes over the Atlantic, it blocks out the sunlight cooling ocean temperatures below the ideal temperature to form more hurricanes.

posted by stbalbach at 11:56 AM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

I mean, the dust actually dampens hurricane formation by blocking sunlight and cooling ocean surface temps where hurricanes form in the eastern Atlantic.
posted by stbalbach at 11:58 AM on May 13, 2011

I didn't understand the full effect of sandstorms until I was in a couple - imagine taking sandpaper to your hair and exposed skin for about 30 minutes. It was not a beauty treatment, let me tell you.
posted by HopperFan at 12:10 PM on May 13, 2011

Obama needs to do something about these sandstorms.

Unfortunately, the high winds play havoc with our ornithopters, and the troops would just get flayed alive. We already daren't employ lasguns because the Arab League are rumored to be using shields.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:14 PM on May 13, 2011 [6 favorites]

Fours hours, those storms last? I can't believe he was talking during that video. His mouth would have been full of flying sand. And his eyes. Ow.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:29 PM on May 13, 2011

RVs are for wimps.

Not always, as seen in this.

Or, for something more modern, when you absolutely, positively, dominate your extreme camping area.

Or this one, which comes with a detachable motorcycle and it's own UAV.
posted by chambers at 12:44 PM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

When is Ms. S gonna make the wind write a letter about why throwing sand at Roger W's face is a bad thing (for example, it could scratch his eyes, and get in his throat and make him cough a lot), and then have the wind's father sign it??? HMMM????


(no, I'm not bitter; Also, 3rd-grade-symbioid realized he couldn't forge his dad's signature, not matter how hard he tried.)
posted by symbioid at 12:47 PM on May 13, 2011

In Dublin, every so often, there's a few hours when fine, red dust falls across the city. From the Sahara. From >3,000 Km away. That's a hell of a sandstorm.
posted by meehawl at 1:35 PM on May 13, 2011 [3 favorites]

That dude looks a lot like Tim Thomerson.

Dollman vs. Demonic Sandstorms, anyone?
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:30 PM on May 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

dude seriously needs some goggles

Eh, they'll do nothing.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:14 PM on May 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

Anyone else picture something from a horror movie at about 1:40 into it?

"It's all just gone black!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" (end of tape)
posted by andreaazure at 5:06 PM on May 13, 2011