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Afternoon Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - TGIF: Aperitif Drive - Dubai - 12 Aug 2022


Ale Vallecchi

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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 strictly follow these guidelines.

 

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: 

 

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie Plus and above 

Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Dropped pin
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JUGAmDnkLhxhgtYx9

Action Plan:  According to Not One-Off Britishisms, a restaurateur in New York is said to have named his very first establishment based on the expression, “Thank God! It’s Friday!,” which he heard during his time spent at Bucknell University. This origin is disputed; nonetheless, the expression is almost universally used to celebrate the arrival of a new weekend. This is also true in the UAE, at least from this year (as previously it would have needed to be changed to TGI Thursday 😉). So, what's better than an afternoon drive to unwind from work, and get excited for the upcoming days of fun and relaxation? This time we'll start somewhere between Lahbab and Margham, will cross the Dubai-Al Ain Road, direct the convoy to Murqaab, and try to reach out to Faqa, where we plan to exit in time for the weekend's celebrations.

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 and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 7:00 PM

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

  • Limited to 8 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 19 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.
  • Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list.
  • 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 CALENDAR 

 

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  • Ale Vallecchi changed the title to Afternoon Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - TGIF: Aperitif Drive - Dubai - 12 Aug 2022

Dear Desertnauts,

no specific updates regarding the TGIF drive, other than please note the meeting point, just published, on the road joining the Dubai-Al Ain highway to E44, taking the Margham exit.

Please, let's try to arrive as close to 3:00PM as possible, for a timely departure.

The convoy order, at the moment, is the following:

@DP1011 , Deepak wrangler will be Second Lead

@Jose Thomas #3

@takeshi sobue at #4

@Thomas Varghese will Center the convoy

@Gertjan at #6

@Santoso Marjuki #7

@Beide Worku will be #8, and 

@munkybizness will Sweep.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

TGIF !!!

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@Ale Vallecchi I am terribly sorry I have to exit the drive a family commitment which I overlooked tomorrow evening is coming in the way. Thank you very much

Ashok

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Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, again an amazing drive! 

Also thanks to @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler, @Thomas Varghese and @munkybizness for all the support, also with the pop-out. A lot of learning points on the trip!

See you all soon on the sand again!

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TGIF: Margham to Faqa - Drive Report

"There is a desert I long to be walking. A wide emptiness; peace beyond any understanding of it" - Rumi

It would be a safe guess to say that all us desert wanderers find fulfilment where others see emptiness. The desert draws us to it, in a way that sometimes it's difficult to explain. A drive like last Friday's TGIF certainly quenches the thirst for the desert's emptiness, and stirs up the appetite for more.

A nice start at Margham's red sand bowls, followed by a slow dance on the ridges leading west toward Lisaili, across the Dubai-Al Ain Road, along the camel track to reach the technical area at the beginning of Lisaili's long range dunes, through the sabkhas leading to Murqaab, and on to reach Faqa, traversing a mix of tight bowls long range cordons.

At the end of the day, we went for 78.7 Km, in 2:59 hours of moving time (and 1 hour of stops and rest), driving at 26 Km/h (total average speed of 20 Km/h).

Very well executed drive by everybody, with minimum incidents until the last segment, where fatigue likely took a bit of a toll, causing a few back-to-back stucks. The take away from these issues that arose at the end of the drive was that the approach to the crest remains a crucial element in the success of a safe criss-crossing, and that exiting when finding oneself below the ridge, and unable to reach it, is the best way to avoid getting stuck, and keeping the drive moving.

Besides criss-crossing, the other main skill practiced during the drive was ridge-riding: not the straight one, on long range dunes, but the sinuous, almost dancing-like, slow motion ridge riding, along curvy bowls and tight crests.

Great support by @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler in Second Lead, @Thomas Varghese at Center Forward, and @munkybizness in Sweep. Not too much work to do, but always ready to run to the rescue when needed.

Very well done to @Jose Thomas, @takeshi sobue, @Gertjan, @Santoso Marjuki and @Beide Worku.

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon in the emptiness.

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15 hours ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

TGIF: Margham to Faqa - Drive Report

"There is a desert I long to be walking. A wide emptiness; peace beyond any understanding of it" - Rumi

It would be a safe guess to say that all us desert wanderers find fulfilment where others see emptiness. The desert draws us to it, in a way that sometimes it's difficult to explain. A drive like last Friday's TGIF certainly quenches the thirst for the desert's emptiness, and stirs up the appetite for more.

A nice start at Margham's red sand bowls, followed by a slow dance on the ridges leading west toward Lisaili, across the Dubai-Al Ain Road, along the camel track to reach the technical area at the beginning of Lisaili's long range dunes, through the sabkhas leading to Murqaab, and on to reach Faqa, traversing a mix of tight bowls long range cordons.

At the end of the day, we went for 78.7 Km, in 2:59 hours of moving time (and 1 hour of stops and rest), driving at 26 Km/h (total average speed of 20 Km/h).

Very well executed drive by everybody, with minimum incidents until the last segment, where fatigue likely took a bit of a toll, causing a few back-to-back stucks. The take away from these issues that arose at the end of the drive was that the approach to the crest remains a crucial element in the success of a safe criss-crossing, and that exiting when finding oneself below the ridge, and unable to reach it, is the best way to avoid getting stuck, and keeping the drive moving.

Besides criss-crossing, the other main skill practiced during the drive was ridge-riding: not the straight one, on long range dunes, but the sinuous, almost dancing-like, slow motion ridge riding, along curvy bowls and tight crests.

Great support by @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler in Second Lead, @Thomas Varghese at Center Forward, and @munkybizness in Sweep. Not too much work to do, but always ready to run to the rescue when needed.

Very well done to @Jose Thomas, @takeshi sobue, @Gertjan, @Santoso Marjuki and @Beide Worku.

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon in the emptiness.

Perfectly summarized @Ale Vallecchi  Cannot agree more and cannot add more to this ! It was a perfect Friday ! Given the track and soft sand all through, looking back, I am pleasantly surprised! It was a perfect FB+ Drive and Very Very well done bye all as you rightly said ! I had eyes on Jose / Takeshi and considering this was @Jose Thomas's second drive, he maneuvered  impressively well, and @takeshi sobue continues to get his roaring machine do wonders :) .  

As always, its pleasure to see again the known folks ! @Thomas Varghese, @Santoso Marjuki @Gertjan @Beide Worku and finally getting to be on a drive with @munkybizness ! Full points to the convoy at the back considering soft sand making it difficult for these amazing experienced folks, only in theory ;)

all in all even on Monday morning, I can say - TGIWF  ! ( Thank God It was Friday ;)

Edited by DP1011 , Deepak wrangler
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