The Bridge to Nowhere

Abu Dhabi is short on tracks. Abu Dhabi Striders, the local running group, often does its speed session in parking lots (last Sunday night, at least two people were felled by curbs). There's the formula 1 track, open most Tuesday nights for runners and bikers. If it's not Tuesday or Sunday, there's always a good old standby right out our front door, the Corniche.

And then there's the bridge to nowhere. Until recently, though, we stopped when we got to nowhere -- the island on the other side of the bridge. 

Big mistake. 

It turns out that nowhere is a really lovely place to be. 

The sand is firm enough for running, homicidal Ferraris are scarce, the scrub is lovely, and the views -- they are sensational. 

The birds love the island, too. 

 Including these distant flamingos.

And (Nick promises it's true) sometimes dolphins, too.

Safa Park

Safa Park is one of the rare green patches that make Dubai a conceivable habitat for outdoor beings. From inside it, the metallic city glows gorgeously....

....until the occasional sand storm envelops all but the nearest towers. You can just barely see the Burj in this picture. 

What you can begin to grasp, though, is how many birds frequent the rare green spaces in Dubai. The park is full of birds (it is renowned for bird watching) in the sky, and soccer players on the ground, with field after field of games going.

As always, signage is ... curious. Someone managed to think up a fantastic term for "Parking." 

Ras Al Khaimah

The Ras Al Khamiah Half Marathon bills itself as the fastest in the world. The first edition was only seven years ago, but in that time both the men's and woman's half marathon records have been set at RAK.  Our goals for the race were more modest: have a nice run and explore the northern tip of the UAE.

After the race, we went a few miles north to Dhayah Fort, which was built in the 16th century.  It was an important part of the emirate's defense, but was partially destroyed by the British in the 1800s and only recently renovated.  

Unlike Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah doesn't have oil -- its main industries are cement, tourism and fishing -- but it does have mountains!

We saw cows lazing by the side of the road, and goats crossing when the mood struck them (like Berkeley pedestrians!).

After driving by the cement factory a few times, we finally located Wadi Litibah.  It was only a few miles inland from the coast, but felt very far from the bustle of RAK.

There are farming families who keep herds of goats.

And fields which are irrigated by the wadi.

We went for a hike up one of the mountains.  Away from the wadi everything is dry... except for the occasional, lone tree.

As we went up it began to look more and more like another world.

After a bit more exploring we climbed down and started back for Abu Dhabi.  Along the way, we stopped a few times to gaze at flamingos, who were happily flapping in mangroves, dirty ponds, and even in golf course hazards!