COVID19 Compliant - Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Sand to Mountain: The Sequel - RAK - 21 May 2021

[Ale Vallecchi]

2 minutes ago, Ehab said:

Hi @Ale Vallecchi unfortunately i will not be able to join, feel free to remove me and add someone else. 

Thanks @Ehab for advising. 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear Desertnauts

last info about tomorrow's drive.

Please follow Google Maps to reach the meeting and deflation point, which will be just off the small tarmac road leading to the Ritz-Carlton Desert Resort (you may find signs indicating the resort on the motorways). This small road will be off to the right on the Al Shohadaa Road, shortly after crossing (or turning from) E611, just a short while beyond the Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital. Once reached the meeting point, please park either on the right side of the tarmac road, or in the gravel space to the left of the tarmac. We will be using Carnity Channel 1 (446.006).

As already mentioned, the nature of the drive will be easy relatively easy from the technical point of view. Due to the nature of the terrain, with a great deal of vegetation (grass, shrubs and trees), and the presence of many locals' tracks, we'll drive at a leisurely pace, occasionally facing soft sand, some sharp drops or climbs (both short), and looking to practice some ridge riding on the very soft tops of longitudinal dunes. Together with the very different, almost savannah-like nature, these will be the major attraction of the drive. We'll divert from the tracks I have already driven in this area, to go looking for a couple of fields of these longitudinal dunes, while we are sure to find them toward the end of the drive. 

The convoy order reflects, once again in my drives, the composite nature of the drivers, equally split between Intermediates and Fewbie (or FB+). Therefore, I'd like to alternate Intermediates (our "veterans") with Fewbies and Fewbies Plus (or "juniors", relatively speaking), as follows:

@Anvar Sadath Bekal (V) at Second Lead)

@PaoloMaraziti (J) at #3

@imranaasghar81 (V) at #4

@Chris Wing (J) at #5

@Rizwanm2 (V) at #6

@Nithin Vaidir (J) at #7

@MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ (V) will be Center Forward

@Niki (V) at #9

@JeromeFJ (J) at #10

@Goutam(V) at #11

@Pacific (J) at #12

@Watteau (V) at #13, and 

@Foxtrot Oscar Sweeping the convoy.

@Niki (V) at #11

@JeromeFJ (J) at 

I have also tried to pair Intermediate "tutors" with Fewbie members according to their cars' make, so that the former may provide guidance, and the latter may follow the example of a more experienced driver, with the same car, on the same terrain. 

Looking forward to seeing you ready to go at 5:30AM (please, sharp, considering the longer drive for those coming from Dubai). Have a great end of the week.

[Looper]

This Adnoc Petrol Station is the nearest on E311 from Dubai side.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Goutam

[Ale Vallecchi]

Hello @Chris Wing. I have just realized that you are signed up in 2 drives tomorrow morning: this one, and @marks drive in Lisaili. Can you please confirm which drive will you join? Thanks for your prompt response.

[Chris Wing]

2 hours ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Hello @Chris Wing. I have just realized that you are signed up in 2 drives tomorrow morning: this one, and @marks drive in Lisaili. Can you please confirm which drive will you join? Thanks for your prompt response.

I’ll attend yours. I thought i had cancelled the other one, my bad, i’ll do it now.

@Ale Vallecchi

[Ale Vallecchi]

13 minutes ago, Chris Wing said:

I’ll attend yours. I thought i had cancelled the other one, my bad, i’ll do it now.

@Ale Vallecchi

@Chris Wingcopy that. Thank you. See you tomorrow. 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Last bit of introduction to the drive. 

We'll divert from the explored track in correspondence of the red circles, where we aim to explore some long range longitudinal dunes (Image 1)

If time permits, we'll cross the tarmac and cross a small plateau of very soft dunes (blue marked area), ending right on the black mountain rocks (Image 2).

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

1 minute ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Last bit of introduction to the drive. 

We'll divert from the explored track in correspondence of the red circles, where we aim to explore some long range longitudinal dunes (Image 1)

If time permits, we'll cross the tarmac and cross a small plateau of very soft dunes (blue marked area), ending right on the black mountain rocks (Image 2).

Can you please arrange same/ similar drive asap, I already stared feeling that I am missing the drive!!! Friends have a lovely drive with fun and great experience.

[andy_macdxb]

Hi Ale, apologies for late reply, have had a busy day. I see I am not included in the convoy, that's fine, I would have problems getting up to RAK tomorrow. Thanks for the thought tho, as always. Enjoy your drive guys 

[Rizwanm2]

22 minutes ago, PaoloMaraziti said:

@Ale Vallecchi@Foxtrot Oscar@MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ @Anvar Sadath Bekal

 

Great drive today! Scenery was amazing, from vast sabkhas with camels and dunes framing the picture to the contrast of sand and rocks in the last leg after the industrial zone.The GoPro acted up but the visual memories will remain! 

Learnings I take home:

1. Pressue makes all the difference. After three small refusals, checked the pressure that had raised to 16psi from 12psi. In absolute value not a big difference but 4psis on 12 is actually a third ! Back to 12 psi and my car was completely different.

2. I loved the extensive ridge riding. @Ale Vallecchiknows that it was something unnerving for me, but I feel every week more confident, today specifically I pushed with confidence in situations that were not comfortable before. 

3. Ok, I am getting better at ridge riding but careful: when exiting I was too fast on a step that sent me flying a bit too aggressively. The bumper is dented, the car plate bent but luckily the car seems so far mechanically unaffected

4. That friend who told me to make sure I have a good bash plate gave a precious advice! I could feel the dune hitting especially passing those bumps on the crests , I think today I got my bash plate investment pay back

5. The FJC is such a capable vehicle.... able to recover from very difficult situations/stuck ... Low gear, diff lock and in worst cases crawl control/Atrac saved the moment... 

PS: I shoveled my first car out today, and no less than the one of @Ale Vallecchi. I felt so embarrassed in my previous rides not to help, our marshals are so generous with their wisdom and time and plus shovelling in the hot weather... the experience ? It was burning hot! at least I was lucky as I got to shovel from the shady side of the car !  

To be repeated ! Thanks all for the company, good time, thrills and great mind pictures of the trip

Here a small gift for @Rizwanm2. Amazing slide sloping ! 

 

 

Thanks @PaoloMaraziti  that was an amazing clip.