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Dear Desertnauts. As I enjoy finding a theme for all my itineraries, this one has been inspired by one recent Fewbie outing, when we found this perfectly laid track, just smoothed out by some kind of machinery, that allowed us to speed, highway style, from the yellow Murqaab dunes to the white Lisaili cordons, without having to worry about the very difficult technical terrain separating these two great off-roading areas. Combine the presence of this "highway" with the fact that the sun will constantly be at our back, rising in the east to west direction, and Solar Park will be our goal, to understand why we'll be enjoying a "Highway to the Sun" drive. Despite its romantic, and possibly comforting title, the drive itself will not be a particularly relaxing one, from the point of view of the technical difficulties of the two areas will explore. They both have some tall dunes: Murqaab with smoother and wider ridges, Lisaili with sharper ones. There will be soft sand patches in both. There are a few deep bowls in both, wider in Murqaab, and tighter in Lisaili, where they tend to form "canyons" of successive bowls, to ride as a rollercoaster. We'll proceed with care, working on our skills, mostly focusing on side sloping, and perhaps some rudiments of ridge-riding. @Pmaraziti, @ARAGON, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Russ, @JeromeFJ, @WaYan, @Gregory, @Chris Wing, @Warren Flay, @TT_Dubai, @Ranjan Pattanaik and @Roger K, thanks for joining, and stay tuned for more detailed drive's info coming to you this Thursday. Enjoy your wee. Hi @Thomas Varghese. You are #1 in the WL. Thanks @Lucas Neo you are #2 on the WL. Thanks a lot.

Congratulations @imranaasghar81 for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required after fewbie promotion and within last 6 months. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and 2 Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback) What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

It was indeed an amazing journey and totally unexpected! I was not aware that we would climb up Fossil Rock and even less to descent it from Maleha's side... such an amazing experience. We really enjoyed the drive and meeting nice people like you all. Thanks for the support for the recoveries and see you next time!

Trip Report A bit late to write this but nevertheless the memories are fresh from what was a fast drive while it was day and continued into the darkness. Specifically planned with IM level so that the intention was to drive fast , and to get aquainted with night driving at this level as a preparation to what was coming for the summer- a plethora of night drives , at various levels to keep the drives cool and interesting. This area in Lisaili is a perfect ground to test drivers at any levels, and we specifically entered tight to supertight dunes with soft to supersoft sand to test you all at IM level. I was delighted to see how everyone managed the tight technical areas at the start along the dirt track from off love lake . Very impressive - especially by @Jack Thomas and @Rob Harper who were driving some monster trucks - F150 and a super charged Tundra respectively. Both had hardly any issues roaring the super LWB trucks. @Hisham Masaad played 2nd lead role to perfection, but only thing I observed was you need to speak on your radio more loudly and acknowledge . Good self recovery in a tricky spot and I hope now you know how to control your throttle well with that great FJC of yours. @Shaaz Sha has finally come to terms with his new toy - Red X, improving in all aspects without any issues as did @Tero Vallas who managed his LC Prado amazingly well. @Mario Cornejo was riding his SWB super safari aplomb with gusto, no issue again to all the challenges thrown and it was great to catch up with you after all the amazing feedback about your driving and dedication the the club. The father-son duo @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ managed well in the back and great to see your improvisation every time. Glad to know you have managed to fix your jeep shoulders now. @Ahab Shamaa we missed you out on this drive and hope you are enjoying your upgraded FJ. @Islam Solimans experience at the sweep meant we were sure no one was left behind and he was always there for managing minor refusals etc when needed. Shukran habibi for your support. This bunch of signs ups with varied cars and experienced drivers is always great to drive with. It was indeed good to see how nicely all of you have prepped your cars with some fab off road lights which literally lit the convoy all along. We drove along Lisaili ( at love lake entry) , Murquab all the way to a small patch separating from Faqa and winded back to exit at Murquab mosque on time. Well done everyone and get ready for more thrills with longer and faster night drives!! Cheers

Long Range Patrol: Faqa to Bab al Shams via Ganthoot - Drive Report "It's your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you" - Rumi The spirit of this drive was both to revive the nature of desert crossings (long, dusty, hot, tiring) and to recreate the spirit of the caravans of the past, or the patrol units of more recent history, where the road is shared with good, often silent, company, but the journey is really an individual one, no matter how much help and support one gets from the caravan's buddies. The convoy was organized to provide such support and guidance, with each more experience member leading the way for the "younger" drivers, alternating the former with the latter, so that we could move smoothly as a unit, with as few hesitations as possible, and as much time to enjoy the drive in the company of our own thoughts, music, memories, etc.. As planned, we crossed the Faqa plateau in 1:10 hour, diverting slightly along the wat to skirt the eastern border with Abu Dhabi/Al Ain, reached Little Sweihan eastern entry point in 31 minutes of technical dunes, took 45 minutes to cut through the awesome canyons and bowls of this challenging area, drove in just less than 1 hour (circling the southern fenced area of the military shooting ground) to the western-most waypoint, just outside the Ganthoot outskirts (touching again AD's border), and finally zoomed north to the Bab al Shams exit in the remaining 90 minutes, through a mix of long dunes, sand bowls, and a final, tricky, technical area. In terms of "my own walking the road", I have to say the drive gave me a mixed bag of feelings. At times, I felt like I was driving "in the zone", with inspired, total concentration on the track ahead. Other times it opened up my field of vision, widening it to allow me to enjoy completely the landscape, the trees, the oryx and gazelles. There was a moment, in Little Sweihan, when I felt frustration at the forbidding paths that I seemed to be invariably choosing, taking the convoy into closed bowls, or attempting ridges that were proving too soft to cross from the slip-face, and making me change route a few too many times (for my taste). Finally, of course, the sense of satisfaction that comes with the completion of a long voyage, at the sight of the last sabkha, like a mirage through the gaps opening between the last tall and blinding white dunes. I can only hope the day provided each of this caravan's companions their own bouquet of emotions and feelings. My congratulations to all the Carnity's new Long Range Patrols (the small group of those who have completed 100Kms and above through the UAE deserts). Well done to all the Veterans - @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ at Center Forward, @Abu Muhammadin Sweep, and @Archibald Jurdi, @GauravSoni, and @Jack Thomas, who kept the group together, and led their younger partners throughout the drive. Hat off to the Rookie Intermediates - @Mario Cornejo (thanks for providing a clean Second Lead), @Niki Patel, @Tariq Carrimjee and @Rob Harper, who faced the challenge with concentration and skills. The final stats say that we drove for 5:08 hours (of which 4:10 moving), covering 114 Km, at an average speed of 22Km/h (and 27Km/h while moving). The maximum drive's speed was 76Km/h. Have a great week, and see you soon in the sand.

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 MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Newbie and above (All Level) Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Next to Murqaab's Mosque https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q6UskoSE7r5b84EJ9 Action Plan: We'll start with the sun at our back, just after sunrise, and we'll continue driving, propelled on by the sun's warmer and warmer rays, directed to Solar Park. We'll face nice yellow long dunes at first, then we'll race on a "highway" of a sand track, carved among a set of very technical dunes, that will allow us to reach the heart of the Lisaili plateau's white color dunes, and on toward the natural conclusion of our sun-inspired drive, at Solar Park. 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: 10:30 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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

Congratulations @Rawad Bahsas for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. Fewbie: Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Self-recovery techniques Shoveling at right place Crawling out of difficult situations Blip Blip - Coordinate steering and gas control Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Ability to manage stuck/refusals with radio Learn to control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Gaurav Soni @Thomas Varghese @Shehab Alawadhi @Ahab Shamaa, @Ehab @Pacific @Sinol @armaan @Alexander Alcala @Watteau @Wrangeld Some pictures posted in the gallery

Thank you @Rawad Bahsas for the mighty clip, and @Lakshmi Narasimhan who put it so well into words. After seeing this clip Christopher Reeve will be turning in his grave, while Charlie Chaplin will be laughing in his grave. BTW thank you for everyone's patience and concern. The job cost me a total of AED 135. It was a bust rubber stopper which was the guilty party and cost me AED 30 for the part and labour. The Toyota coolant which cost me AED 105/-. All fixed and ready to take on more challenges and improve my learning with you all.

Congrats @imranaasghar81 🎉

Dear Friends Mohamed Seidam @Mohamed Seidam Russ @Russ VipinShetty @VipinShetty Thomas Varghese @Thomas Varghese Chinthaka Ruwan @Chinthaka Ruwan Please note the mandatory gear required for this drive without which you will not be allowed to join. Meeting point updated on the drive thread Convoy Listing will be as below 1. Chaitanya Black Xterra 2. Thomas Varghese 2nd lead @Thomas Varghese 3. Chinthaka Ruwan Xterra @Chinthaka Ruwan 4. Russ Ford Raptor @Russ * @Lakshmi Narasimhan Pajero - if joining 5. Vipin shetty JGC @VipinShetty * @GauravSoni Pajero if joining 6. Mohamed Seidam White Xterra @Mohamed Seidam 7. Islam Black Yukon Sweep @Islam Soliman See you all tomorrow, I will rearrange the convoy on the spot if needed.

Evening @Lakshmi Narasimhan. Thanks my dear. It is still in the garage and the clutch needs to be replaced. I should be ready on Wednesday, all going well. If not, then I get to borrow the wife's Land Cruiser again 😃 Have a good week ahead!

Congratulations @Rawad Bahsas

@Rawad Bahsas congratulations well done

@imranaasghar81 congratulations well done

Thank you @Luca Palanca Falsini @Thomas Varghese @Shehab Alawadhi @Jeandre Bezuidenhout for this super drive, it was challenging and everyone performed very well. As the sand temperature became high some refusals, stuck comes up but all this was resolve very quick by excellent teamwork and good support by our Marshal, 2 LD, CF, & SW. Thank you everyone for your patience help and support during pop-out. Wish you all *Ramadan Kareem* GOD bless Stay safe an Insha’Allah see you soon! 🙂

RSVP is open now

hi @Chaitanya D can you please add me to waitlist. I have a few meeting around 4 tomorrow and I am hoping for them to be preponed!

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 MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Fewbie and Above (All Levels) When: 15 Apr 2021, Thursday. Meeting time: 10:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Mahafiz Tree Shade - https://goo.gl/maps/Tj9WXKFDYB43KpWZ9 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 tyre inflation. Approximate finish time: 02:00 AM End Point: Faya LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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

Many congratulations on your promotion @Rawad Bahsas. Great person with a big heart and a bigger vehicle. The awesome black on the Y62 looks mighty sexy. The only thing that makes the Y62 more sexy is @Rawad Bahsas the way he handles it. Love the attitude as he is always ready to be flexible and support the drive as and when required. Really happy for you @Rawad Bahsas.

Congratulations @imranaasghar81

Hi @Luca Palanca Falsini kindly add me to wait list 2nd drive. It seems that mistakenly i clicked manage, kindly remove me from manage list (some time to to before I am ready for that..😃) thanks

Sure @Lakshmi Narasimhan, Keep me posted in advance. Thanks Sure @GauravSoni, keep me posted in advance as spots are available. Thanks

@Chaitanya DI would like to join tomorrow, have back to back calls, in case if I am free can I join?

Sure @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader and @Danish MohammadMohammad addes you on thw WL

@Ale Vallecchilooking forward to the great learning, much awaited one!!!!

Congrats @Rawad Bahsas!!

@Lorenzo Candelpergher please add me to WL

Congrats @imranaasghar81!!

Congratulations @imranaasghar81

@Lorenzo Candelpergher please add me to waitlist...

@Niekku you'll need to get back to drinking coffee 🙃

Great job everyone 👏🏻

Thank you @Lakshmi Narasimhanand @Gaurav and a big fat special THANK YOU to our superman @Rahimdad

Congrats @Rawad Bahsas

@Christian Andras, @Shaaz Sha, @Tero Vallas most welcome!

@Ale Vallecchi a great drive indeed, particularly because the route you led us through, from Faqa to Qudra, is something I had been looking forward to explore. Reflecting on the experience, criss-crossing is an area to focus on . Even though the terrain threw at us some challenges, I feel we had a good pace, thank you once again for leading us all through, and also to @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ & son, and @Abu Muhammad for keeping the convoy moving and supporting when needed. @GauravSoni, @Rob Harper, @Jack Thomas, @Niki Patel and @Tariq Carrimjee, it was a great pleasure to drive with all of you. A side note: I read somewhere that the lifespan of date palm trees is, in average, 100 years, I wonder then if those palms buried in sand were not remains of an old farm. Looking forward to a 2nd LRP Experience. Have a great week ahead.

thanks a lot @Jeepie, @marks and @Watteau for the great drive, enjoyed every bit, glad to hear it was as much enjoyable for everyone after our exit. see you all soon on the sand. @marks very good job leading the convoy, managed to make it a safe yet enjoyable drive for everyone

@Watteau @Thomas Fumarola @Ahmed Wagdy @Ehab @Ranjan Das @Werno @sheri @Yahya Munir @marks A very misty drive to Lisaili but everybody was on time, except for @Senthil Kumar who didn't turn up eventhough we waited a little bit just in case he was late because of the fog. After leading the convoy in to the desert, I handed over the lead to Mark and I think he was doing fine. There were some extremely soft patches and I wish I would have recorded the perfect blib blib that Mark demonstrated to get him out of an extreme soft area. A little redirection here and there to stay out of the high pressure gas line area or to get into the more interesting dunes, but overall Mark managed to get us to the playarea quite smoothly. Playing around was a lot of fun except for Ahmeds passenger, so not feeling well enough to continue the drive towards Sky Dubai we had to exit them to the nearest exit at the farm and that is where Yahya decided that he would exit early as well. Now with a somewhat smaller convoy we moved to the Sky Dubai exit, trying to steer away from restricted area's and barb wire, we managed to find some nice dunes and exited almost on time. Well done everyone, no mayor stucks and quite a nice drive. Congratulations to Mark for a proper first lead. See you all again soon A few pictures in the gallery

Nice pictures @Shaz Shah ! It was another amazing drive led by @Emmanuel with mastery. We covered a lot of ground and the morning fog + sun was a rear treat. @Tero Vallas great second lead. I am amazed how your car doesn’t have a scratch or dent after so many drives! @Rizwanm2 it was a tricky tug on top of the dune and I am glad we did it safely @Christian Andras have a look at your tire the noise was quite loud at times

Thank you Ale for a super drive. Where you felt frustration, we felt challenged as it seemed we were driving in unchartered territory. There was a sense of exploration in this drive, and the feeling of doing something new. Was tiring and long, but very rewarding and fun. Not to mention, very educational with your explanation of the geography and the sabhkas etc. Many thanks,

@Wrangeldman on mission.....

Though its bit late post, as i was unable to reply to any topic. Now i have signed out & logged in again to join the club then saw the reply box luckily. It was really fantastic drive and got to learn many things. The best lession was like how to survive in desert with limited equipped. Its possible bcoz of you @Rahimdad and off course can't forget the teamwork by all partners. First of all i was surprised to see my name as SL also got little nervous as i have Ford Explorer which having only terrain management system without any Low Gear, but somehow managed bcoz all of your cooperation. Many thanks to @Rahimdadto believe me to keep behind him. How can i forget our superman @Tbone who entered in middle of desert to continue our journey to the end, claps. Even though we had few hurdles still all members were cheering up and enjoying their drive. Also @Rahimdad's entertainment and courage which keep all members active at all time. Special thanks to @Roger K who managed CF very well and @Richard Franks at sweep. Would love to be in the group and wish to have more drive with you all. @Rawad Bahsasthanks for the video clip which @Rahimdad showered in sand while pushing my car ( can't stop laughing by watching it) and thanks @Lakshmi Narasimhan who reminded to post this. Thanks everyone for courage and support. I hope @TT_Dubai must have fixed his car and ready for next drive. See you all soon.

Hi all ! It was really thick fog in early morning, one couldn’t see longer than 10 meters ! After small waiting we started the journey anyway and soon discovered visibility to improve. This was my first extreme drive and yes... we were speeding through amazing areas and dunes. @Emmanuel, thank you for confident leading, you are a pro. I am amazed how well you are navigating in the front and same time finding suitable drivable routing. Especially with pace we used, you really need to do split of a second decisions and observe same time what we are messing up behind 😁. I wish I could do same. Simply hats off ! @Christian Andras you did great sweeping and assist of recoveries. I was glad to hear your pilot background also. Perhaps we may have a flight sometime.. @Shaaz Sha, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe and @Rizwanm2, it was pleasure to drive with you guys !! Few shots in gallery... See you soon on sand !

Post Drive Report Our first night drive of the season, and a great drive it was. We briefed and explained the techniques and additional safety considerations for night driving and got under way. We drove off into the dark and straight into our frist patch of construction sand which led to our first recovery (a winch from @Alexander Alcala for @Arman That sorted, with @Watteau in second lead [doing a Sterling job throughout] the real adventure began. It started quite tentatively as getting used to the way the light plays on the sand and lights up a few meters here and a few meters there invited caution. Intentionally, I started the route in an area that I had driven in the morning with the Absolute Newbie convoy. Knowing that in general we would not find any rocks or fences meant that the worse that could happen is getting stuck in some soft sand ... which is exactly the problem that presented itself quickly and continuously through the drive. In the day time it's a lot easier to read the sand and see if the sand is ridiculously soft. I guess as I practice more in night drives I will get more expert at seeing the patches of soft sand in the night in the same way as in the daytime. This meant that there were a few more reroutes than normal and a chance for me to use all of my self recovery skills to the full! Implementing the buddy system of fewbie/intermediate through the convoy worked well. The team work was great and as a lead it was excellent to get feedback from more experienced drivers about the less experienced so that we could offer real time feedback to help everyone through the drive. @Gaurav Soni @Thomas Varghese @Shehab Alawadhi @Ahab Shamaa, @Ehab @Pacific @Sinol and @armaan all benefitted from your line through the sand. Our biggest general problem through the night? Crests. There were quote a few stucks where drivers misjudged the momentum needed to get over a crest or make a it through a crisscross. This is a quite understandable because depth and distance perspective changes in the night and whereas in the day it's possible to see the height of the dune and have an idea of the descent, in the dark ... I was also a bit surprised about the softness of the sand. My expectation was that as the sand cooled it would be less soft than during the day. Perhaps it's just where I drove, but it felt to me that the sand was softer in the dark - I am sure it is not, but all your senses are heightened in the night so the feeling was a bit different. As expected we saw quite a lot of wildlife, Gazelle and Oryx feeding quietly suddenly disorientated and unsure what to do faced with bright lights and noise coming in their direction. Sorry if you did not see them by the time the convoy came through, but I promise, they were there. Unique moments? I loved seeing the whole convoy riding a long the top of the long range dunes seeing the long line of lights lighting up the dunes was quite mesmerizing. Watching the same lights snake their way down some stepped dunes and finally the way that the technical section was handled with (almost) everyone getting through without incident. The swooping virgin sand Sweihan style dunes we found were quite puke inducing from the driving seat, never mind a passenger seat. The roller coaster section was amazing as we literally swooped through one dune and onto the next. And then there was Arman's spearhead in the tire. Take a look about to see what he managed to impale into his tyre in the post above. We did out best to repair this which let Arman continue thanks largely to the foresight of @Jeepie in equipping us both with a repair kit. [We did not check before we left, but frankly there is a rule that says don't drive without a spare tire in good condition on your vehicle] which was a chance for @watteau to bring out the big guns in the 'jack' stakes. Frankly I think that this Jack could lift the Burj Khalifa a few feet off the ground. As the temporary repair failed we had to make a direct run for the exit point. My Marshal colleagues reading this will all understand what I say if I refer to the exit following @Pancho rules, but even so we have to reinflate a few times to get to the exit. Those who needed to leave quickly left and with massive thanks to @Thomas Varghese a recovery was arranged that got Arman home. Conclusions: At the end of 4 hours, the confidence of everyone was much higher and we were moving at a great pace and I had normalized to reading the sand, as had all the drivers. I imagine that at the back of the convoy it was fast paced and challenging due to the softness of the sand and that it was churned. Night driving is different, scary at times, massively adrenalin pumping and I cannot wait for the next lead. Oh, and if by some chance you know that poor camping trip that was convinced they had found themselves that amazing secluded camping spot to which no one would arrive where we drove through their living room. Sorry! See you soon in the sand.

Was an amazing and fun drive with @Wrangeldand @Shamilwho held reigns of the whole event with absolute flair and control .. with the constant directions , explanations, snippets shared by @Wrangeldduring the drive over radio , it was a huge "knowledge gainer" as well.. The small chit chat session with fellow jeepers @Lucas Neo, @Morshedi, @Imtiyaz Ali was also enlightening during the "big recovery event" we were listening to over the radios...we should meet more often on future rides 😊😊 to discuss how to get our jeeps fitted with new stuff 👍👍 So..the next ride should be a newbie one and i hope it will be on same levels as todays drive, i still need to polish my skills on riding on inclines, and doing the "semi circles" on hills, i could not quite catch up on most semi circles and i exited early steering down..looking forward to honing this part on the next drive

Please waitlist me. Need some miracle to happen!!! Technically half of the drive is on Friday!!!!!!

@Rahimdad please add me to waitlist 2nd drive

Please wait list me