The Carroll Chronicles: Exploring The Desert: Mission--To Get As Close To The Iraqi Border As Possible

A trip to the Middle East wouldn't be complete without heading out into the desert. Our original intent was to search for a race track to watch some camel races. We found the track, but by the time we made it there, the race was over! J took us around the desert to show us some significant sights!

Homes along the road on the outskirts of Kuwait City...We were told that typically the oldest son and his family live on the top floor while his parents live below.

Sports arena...

Sad area of town where lots of third world nationals live...There were hundreds of buses in a parking lot to take them into the city to work.

Another mosque...

More homes...

Headed down the highway with the desert looming in the distance...

A desert mosque...

The desert was FILLED with power lines to provide power for the oil refineries.

The Camel Racetrack...We hope to see the races next time.

Once the power lines started to disappear, the desert was filled with Bedouins camping and raising their herds of sheep and camels in the desert.

If you look very carefully, camels can be seen in the distance.

End of the road...

The highway ends at this point...There are oil refineries in this section of Kuwait that people are not allowed to travel to...One entrance to Iraq lies beyond those refineries.

The Weather Blimp...This blimp is high enough in the air that it can observe any activity along the border.

Rock Formation in the desert...

Kuwait Border Security...

God Bless U.S. Troops! This is one of the last signs that our soldiers see before crossing over the border into Iraq. Seeing this sign and knowing that we were in an area where the Gulf War had been fought was surreal.

On this particular day, there was a steady stream of semi-trucks that were carrying army vehicles and containers full of army equipment out of Iraq back into Kuwait.

Old Kuwaiti military checkpoint...Hum V and shack...

Me in the Kuwaiti desert with sand between my toes!

Our oldest in the desert...Little sister was asleep in the vehicle...She didn't believe us when she awoke hours later and we told her we'd been to the desert and back!

Daddy and daughter in the desert...

Sun setting over the desert...

Military helicopter overhead...

Desert...

Intersection in the middle of the desert...

Road to Camp Beuhring...

Defensive berm...

Sign for Camp Beuhring...This is a temporary stopping point for many soldiers before they head over to Iraq. At this point, we were 15 miles from the Iraqi border.