Morning Intermediate Desert Drive - Solar Orbit: Second Revolution - Dubai - 2 Jan 2022

[Ale Vallecchi]

@Werno, @Anoop Nair, @Archibald Jurdi, @Zed and @Humayun Ghias for those who have Spotify, here is an "all rainy" compilation to exorcise the rain from today's drive 😄

 

 

[Anoop Nair]

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for the fascinating terrain and exiting drive today. Was able to see the dreaded chimney close up (with a bit of help from the hardened sand from rain I guess) for the first time.😏. Around 100Km is covered which is comparable to the full day drives !... thanks @Werno @Archibald Jurdi @Zed @Humayun Ghias for the execllent company in this lovely weather... See you soon on sand..

[Humayun Ghias]

Thank you @Ale Vallecchifor yet another amazing drive and playlist

I had just returned from Pakistan and was planning on joining a drive next weekend when I saw that I just maybe able to get a spot in Ale's convoy. I got lucky and was able to join. 

I really liked how the convoy kept moving like a tight pack. I also enjoyed the sweep position. 

 

Looking forward to more drives with all of you! 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Solar Orbit: Second Revolution - Drive Report

"The sun comes back everyday with new and powerful secrets" - Rumi

Dear Desertnauts,

I had wanted to do this itinerary again for some time, and was hoping to actually make the orbit flatter, staying closer to the Solar Park developments, just north and south of it, but reaching out further as far as the "perihelion" of our track was concerned. We partially managed this, in that we did stay much closer to the fields of mirrors, just east of the Lisaili plateau, and came as close as ever to the "Chimney" (one of the cores of the Solar Park developments). We also reached out as far almost as Ghantoot, well past Little Sweihan, and the military training ground. Yet the new secret that Solar Park had in store for us was its further encroachment toward the east, in Margham's direction, which precluded the convoy from cutting across an area of what once were nice long range dunes, now fenced off in light of the future advance of the ocean of mirrors. Hence, we proceeded further away from this area, getting back on the original D66 route (the desert track from Murqab to Faqa), until we managed to reach the sabkha just north of Faqa. 

In spite of this setback, the orbit was very well navigated by an impeccable convoy, eating up the first, and very challenging, area of super-technical dunes (partially on the legendary route of the DCT), in just 43 minutes of unstoppable driving, mostly on the ridges of the very tight dunes which connotate this area. Immediately after, that a stuck on a crest (by me) showed everybody how tricky the wet sand could be, requiring a pull with a double rope, after all possible digging had failed to clear the way from the sticky, almost cement-like, sand. with this reminder in mind, of the unusual conditions of the sand, we proceeded to cross another, easier, technical area just south of the ever looming Chimney, to reach Little Sweihan, and through it, the Ghantoot sabkhas and long range dunes beyond. From here, once arrived at the southern reaches of Qudra (where the Bab al Shams access track meets the bike track), we finally exited toward Solar Park, to complete our revolution.

A total of 94.9 Km were covered, in exactly 4:00 hours (of which 3:14 driving), at an average moving speed of 29 Km/h (for a total average of 24 km/h), with a perfect Second Lead by @Werno, followed impeccably by @Anoop Nair (in his Intermediate debut), @Archibald Jurdi, @Zedand @Humayun Ghias, who having joined the drive at the last minute, was stuck with serving (nicely) as Sweep.

Thank you all for joining this fun drive, and hope to see you soon out there.