COVID19 Compliant - Mid-week Evening Fewbie Desert Drive - Lighting up Big Red and Pink Rock in a pitch Black Night - Sharjah - 4 Aug 2021

[Aisha S]

On 8/2/2021 at 12:31 AM, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

Drive Brief
On Wednesday night only 21% of the waning moon will be visible in the UAE: the amazing colors of Big Red and Pink Rock will be hidden in an almost pitch black night, only to be unvealed by the light beams of our convoy. 

We will enter the sand from Al Badayer Interchange on Dubai - Hatta Road, making quickly our way to the heights of Big Red, hopefully early enough to contemplate the twilight following the sunset. 

We will then head north with the aim to climb "the other big dune next to Big Red" and from there to indulge in an endless sequence of round ridges and large bowls as we will get closer and closer to Pink Rock. 

We will then approach the rock itself, crossing it twice, first from the south east side and then up, again from the west side. We will enjoy the warm breeze at the top, then turn around the north edge of Pink Rock, to eventually reach our exit point at 2nd December Cafeteria. 

A nice mid-summer desert diversion, away from an ordinary evening on the couch. 

 

General Infos

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely.

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: 

• COVID19 Precautions
• Ban from Carnity Off-road Club
• Two Way Radio Guidelines

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and Above (All Levels)

When:  4 Aug 2021, Saturday.

Meeting time: 7:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Al Badayer Interchange, Dubai-Hatta Road - https://maps.app.goo.gl/FXsEjCSTTQh5oCnx9

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and your own compressor for tire inflation.

Approximate finish time: 10:00 PM

End Point: 2nd December Cafeteria

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Tuesday - 5 PM.
  • If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list. 
• Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.
   

PLEASE RSVP ON THE BELOW CALENDAR EVENT 

 

Hello, 

I forgot to bring shoes with me and it’s too late for me to drive back to get them. @Arman will be my passenger. Is it okay if i let him do my (out of car) business while i stay in the car? 🥺 or else wear his shoes with 20 socks? 

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

23 minutes ago, Aisha S said:

Hello, 

I forgot to bring shoes with me and it’s too late for me to drive back to get them. @Arman will be my passenger. Is it okay if i let him do my (out of car) business while i stay in the car? 🥺 or else wear his shoes with 20 socks? 

Both options work! 

[Aisha S]

3 minutes ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

Both options work! 

awesome!!! see you there

[Hisham Masaad]

1 hour ago, Aisha S said:

Hello, 

I forgot to bring shoes with me and it’s too late for me to drive back to get them. @Arman will be my passenger. Is it okay if i let him do my (out of car) business while i stay in the car? 🥺 or else wear his shoes with 20 socks? 

 Are you carrying 20 socks, but not the shoes???

[Aisha S]

2 hours ago, Hisham Masaad said:

 Are you carrying 20 socks, but not the shoes???

😂😂😂🤡 20 socks at a pitstop but no spare shoes 

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

@Lorenzo Candelpergherit was a perfect mid week night drive. I started loving Rubicon just by looking at the way you handle it on soft patch and wanted to drive one on sand!!! And your patience throughout the drive is very much appreciated!!!

Thanks for trusting me for support role which I love the most. Driving in the back helps me understand where I need to focus more.

Thanks @Gaurav Sonifor the tug, it would have been better for me if your warning was clear on radio before I had to stop on the crest. 

All fewbie drivers did very well and those who took their first drive in the night. Even though this terrain was well know, the track we took was exciting and gave opportunity to learn a lot on the way. Thanks to every one in the convoy for joining this drive. I loved my 50th drive very much and see you all soon!!!

[Gregory]

Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher for a great drive, and @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Danish Mohammad and @Gaurav Soni for the support. Great weather, especially when starting off... It's always good to be in peace of the desert, leaving the city behind. I had around 3 refusals, but was happy managed to get myself out - due to work commitments I haven't been able to join any drive for around 6 weeks, and this drive was a bit of re-learning. 

I also learned that there was a dine called "little red" 🤣

@Lakshmi Narasimhan congrats again on your 50th drive! 

Have a good day everyone. 

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

DRIVE REPORT

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

being the 4th of August in the UAE, yesterday's late afternoon was a relatively pleasant one when we reached the meeting point: hot, but not too humid, thanks to the nice breeze. 

Everyone made it quite early to Al Badayer interchange, so by 7:10pm we were already on the move. 

We immediately made our way to Big Red, where we made a first attempt to climb from the west side to test the level of the convoy while there was still a bit of light. 

Maybe it was a bit too early in the drive and the convoy was not yet ready: the climb proved problematic, with a first refusal by @Danish Mohammad first and then @Naveen Raj stuck in a pocket after having lost the track, with @Rjducos awaiting for instructions how to come down avoiding a deep bowl.

After a quick tug for @Naveen Raj, we started going around Big Red counter-clock wise, with a couple of other attempts to climb on the east side. 

We then roamed a bit around on fairly small dunes, which gave everyone the chance to adjust their distance from the car in front and to familiarise a bit more with night-time driving, a total novelty for 1/3 of the convoy members. 

We then tackled "the other big dune next to Big Red", aka Little Red (thanks @GauravSoni for the toponomastic hint). Surprisingly the ascent and descent from Little Red was brilliantly and almost effortlessly overcome by the convoy, which gave me the confidence to raise the level of the drive a notch up.

As we kept heading north, we enjoyed a long series of large dunes along a convoluted and yet fluid route where we proceeded seamlessly until we hit a nasty crest where @Lakshmi Narasimhan first and then @GauravSoni both got stuck, requesting respectively tugging from the back and winching from the front. As there's no 2 to stucks without a 3rd one, while probably bored waiting for the recoveries at the back to be completed, @Danish Mohammadmanaged to get himself stuck again in a tricky soft sand patch, which - again - requested winching out. 😂

We were then able to proceed further in a zig-zag to the west, reaching another area of large dunes. 

While riding a long ridge, @Ehab (who otherwise had a spotless drive) slipped on the wrong side and had to climb up again.

We then aimed at some of the largest bowls in the area, where we played a bit, including a daring criss-crossings from inside a large bowl to the top of its edge and then down on the opposite unknown dark side. It was quite a maneuver for a Fewbie drive, but with some guidance the convoy did very well, with @Aisha S @Rjducos showcasing all their abilities in the circumstance. 

Quite on the opposite.. Soon after it was my turn to get crested and tugged our by @Danish MohammadMohammad.

I guess, at this point @Gregory's son was starting to get really excited as I announced on the radio that we were about to enter an area of big rocks that would have eventually led us at the top of Pink Rock, his favourite place, as he later admitted. 

Another couple of refusals with @Gregoryand @Aisha S were brilliantly self-recovered, then we fiercely headed uphill, bordering the huge rock spine that leads to the south edge of Pink Rock. 

In a pitch black night, with no moon to be seen around, we knew that we were at the top of the rock more because of our GPS and because of the view of the road lights far in the distance than because of what we could actually see the immediate surroundings. 

The short pause we took there was, personally, the best moment of the drive. Nice, warm breeze in the air, no one around us, a 360 degrees view from the top of the rocks and, once lit by the headlights of my car, the wonder to eventually discover Pink Rock itself, now visible on the North side. 

Once we passed the crest and stared moving down on the west hillside, we had a quick opportunity for a group photo:

We then roamed around, descending all the way to the bottom and reascending as close as possible to the rocky crown of the hill, then, after a couple of quickly self-recovered refusals, we reached the starting point of the climb to Pink Rock pass, the 2nd crossing point of the day, more on the north side. One by one we smoothly and surely made it to the top, and I must say it was quite a show to see the whole convoy climbing up. The photos below only give a fraction of the real feeling:

It was after making it to the top of Pink Rock that @Aisha S started paying the toll for an extra-long day, so @Arman sat behind the wheel for the last, short stint of the drive.

We gently descended on the north side, heading towards our exit point at 2nd December Cafeteria.

Before exiting, however, we tackled a last group of tall dunes, where @Danish Mohammad first and then @Naveen Raj had to find their last energies and skills of the day to get out of a nasty bowl with soft sand, after which, having exhausted our time, we quickly made our way to the exit, just in time to avoid troubles with the failing O2 sensor in @GauravSoni's Pajero, who was spitting grey exhaust smoke! 

Overall we drove for 38.6km over a total of 2h 56', of which 1h 58' moving, at an average moving speed of 18.1km/h. Our total ascent (ie total elevation gain/loss) was +800/-825m, which is quite significant for a Fewbie drive, meaning we really climbed a lot. See elevation graphs elow:

Kudos to everyone for an excellent performance and  thanks to @Danish Mohammad (a very good 2nd lead) and to @Lakshmi Narasimhan (congrats for your 50th drive with @Carnity) and @GauravSonifor their support. 

I also hope @Aisha S had a good night sleep to recover! 

See you soon in the sand again!!

[Aisha S]

3 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

DRIVE REPORT

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

being the 4th of August in the UAE, yesterday's late afternoon was a relatibely pleasant one when we reached the meeting point: hot, but not too humid, thanks to the nice breeze. 

Everyone made it quite early to the meeting point, so by 7:10pm we were already on the move. 

We immediately made our way to Big Red, where we made a first attempt to climb from the west side to test the level of the convoy while there was still a bit of light. 

Maybe it was a bit too early in the drive and the convoy was not yet ready: the climb proved problematic, with a first refusal by @Danish Mohammad first and then @Naveen Raj stuck in a pocket after having lost the track, with @Rjducos awaiting for instructions how to come down avoiding a deep bowl.

After a quick tug for @Naveen Raj, we started going around Big Red counter-clock wise, with a couple of other attempts to climb on the east side. 

We then roamed a bit around on fairly small dunes, which gave everyone the chance to adjust their distance from the car in front and to familiarise a bit more with night-time driving, a total novelty for 1/3 of the convoy members. 

We then tackled "the other big dune next to Big Red", aka Little Red (thanks @GauravSoni for the toponomastic hint). Surprisingly the ascent and descent from Little Red was brilliantly and almost effortlessly overcome by the convoy, which gave me the confidence to raise the level of the drive a notch up.

As we kept heading north, we enjoyed a long series of large dunes along a convoluted and yet fluid route where we proceeded seamlessly until we hit a nasty crest where @Lakshmi Narasimhan first and then @GauravSoni both got stuck, requesting respectively tugging from the back and winching from the front. As there's no 2 to stucks without a 3rd one, while probably bored waiting for the recoveries at the back to be completed, @Danish Mohammadmanaged to get himself stuck again in a tricky soft sand patch, which - again - requested winching out. 😂

We were then able to proceed further in a zig-zag to the west, reaching another area of large dunes. 

While riding a long ridge, @Ehab (who otherwise had a spotless drive) slipped on the wrong side and had to climb up again.

We then aimed at some of the largest bowls in the area, where we played a bit, including a daring criss-crossings from inside a large bowl to the top of its edge and then down on the opposite unknown dark side. It was quite a maneuver for a Fewbie drive, but with some guidance the convoy did very well, with @Aisha S @Rjducos showcasing all their abilities in the circumstance.

I guess, at this point @Gregory's son was starting to get really excited as I announced on the radio that we were about to enter an area of big rocks that would have eventually led us at the top of Pink Rock, his favourite place, as he later admitted. 

Another couple of refusals with @Gregoryand @Aisha S were brilliantly self-recovered, then we fiercely headed uphill, bordering the huge rock spine that leads to the south edge of Pink Rock. 

In a pitch black night, with no moon to be seen around, we knew that we were at the top of the rock more because of our GPS and because of the view of the road lights far in the distance than because of what we could actually see the immediate surroundings. 

The short pause we took there was, personally, the best moment of the drive. Nice, warm breeze in the air, no one around us, a 360 degrees view from the top of the rocks and, once lit by the headlights of my car, the wonder to eventually discover Pink Rock itself, now visible on the North side. 

Once we passed the crest and stared moving down on the west hillside, we had a quick opportunity for a group photo:

We then roamed around, descending all the way to the bottom and reascending as close as possible to the rocky crown of the hill, then, after a couple of quickly self-recovered refusals, we reached the starting point of the climb to Pink Rock pass, the 2nd crossing point of the day, more on the north side. One by one we smoothly and surely made it to the top, and I must say it was quite a show to see the whole convoy climbing up. The photos below only give a fraction of the real feeling:

It was after making it to the top of Pink Rock that @Aisha S started paying the toll for an extra-long day, so @Arman sat behind the wheel for the last, short stint of the drive.

We gently descended on the north side, heading towards our exit point at 2nd December Cafeteria.

Before exiting, however, we tackled a last group of tall dunes, where @Danish Mohammad first and then @Naveen Raj had to find their last energies and skills of the day to get out of a nasty bowl with soft sand, after which, having exhausted our time, we quickly made our way to the exit, just in time to avoid troubles with the failing O2 sensor in @GauravSoni's Pajero, who was spitting grey exhaust smoke! 

Overall we drove for 38.6km over a total of 2h 56', of which 1h 58' moving, at an average moving speed of 18.1km/h. Our total ascent (ie total elevation gain/loss) was +800/-825m, which is quite significant for a Fewbie drive, meaning we really climbed a lot. See elevation graphs elow:

Kudos to everyone for an excellent performance and  thanks to @Danish Mohammad (a very good 2nd lead) and to @Lakshmi Narasimhan (congrats for your 50th drive with @Carnity) and @GauravSonifor their support. 

I also hope @Aisha S had a good night sleep to recover! 

See you soon in the sand again!!

Definitely would not recommend heading for a drive after coming back straight from AD and having a long day with poor food and water intake. Hope I learned my lesson. 

However, I was having a splendid time earlier and I was enjoying the pace of the drive which was thrilling. 

I always enjoy recovering myself on my own without instructions whenever I get a refusal as it promotes my problem solving abilities and makes me use my brain. 

It was great driving with you and the rest of the pleasant convoy. Looking forward to doing it again!

[Naveen Raj]

Every Carnity drive is a learning experience and this being my first night drive this was the perfect drive to begin with thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher for the exciting and thrilling drive and at the same time challenging as well. I started the drive at the comfort of daylight and started challenging  as we lost lost day light , keeping close distance with convoy especially at night drive is crucial which I learned from this drive( realized after having fallen into a pocket when I lost the convoy).
Thanks for your excellent guidance over radio which helped me with the stucks and refusals. I appreciate your tolerance and patience levels when we had stucks and refusals in the convoy.
Thanks @Lakshmi Narasimhanfor your guidance and support during the drive.