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Dear Desertnauts a few info to prepare for next Friday drive. The area we will visit is not the usual sand box where we drive every weekend, but an inhabited area, although sparsely, where local farmers raise camels and goats, and grow fodder and vegetables. There is an abundance of tracks, that we'll follow most of the times, except when we'll choose to cross or ride some cordons of dunes (also quite rich in vegetation). The beauty of this area is in its diversity, with plenty of trees, and scenic spots, overlooking stretches of sabkhas dotted with acacia trees, which make them look like like African savannahs. The most stunning feature of this region are the longitudinal dunes, which cover most of the western and southern perimeter: we will drive along them, across them, and on top of their soft sand ridges. The last part if the drive, time and heat permitting, may be a small plateau of soft red sand, ending abruptly in steep slip-faces, right at the foothills of the Ajari Mountains. Red sand against black rock. It will be a scenic drive, with several photo opportunities, so feel free to bring your family, if you so desire. The driving will not be fast, and will not be extreme. Also, considering the quality of the convoy, with a great deal of Intermediates and Fewbie Plus drivers, I would like to extend the RSVP to 12 members. Therefore, the convoy will be composed of @Watteau, @Niki, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @imranaasghar81, @Anvar Sadath Bekal, @JeromeFJ, @Ehab, @Rizwanm2, @Nithin Vaidir, @Pacific, as well the 2 additions of @Chris Wing and @PaoloMaraziti. More info, and the final convoy order will be provided on Thursday evening. Have a great week. @Chris Wing, I have opened up the convoy to 12 members, so you are IN. Please confirm. Thanks @PaoloMaraziti, I have opened up the convoy to 12 members, so you are IN. Please confirm. Thanks @andy_macdxb you are now #1 on the WL.

Thank you friends, thanks so much! It's been great to have an opportunity to drive with you all! See you soon in the sands and have a great week! 😃 @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Rawad Bahsas @Chaitanya D@Anish S @Hisham Masaad@Danish Mohammad@Abdul Rahman AK@Brette@Gaurav Soni@Ale Vallecchi@Frederic@Zixuan Huang@Russ

More pictures in the gallery

@Anish S I believe that in the PC (pre covid) days Anish arrived at a legendary drive in Fossil Rock which was probably my first exposure to the stresses and requirements of leading drives. Day turned to night and Anish (with @Veedooshee by his side as always) found the going a little challenging, falling into a pocket and needing some guidance and assistance to get out of the dunes to safety. Wow - what a ride: literally. From that first drive to an Expert in Carnity, leading drives and a part of the leader group. As you'll imagine, I could not be happier for you and delighted to be able to welcome you into the leaders group in the club. It's totally deserved and earned. Our members have a lot to which to look forward in the future, with you at the helm.

Quick update after first drive. Ride is better than the Nexen on road for sure. They absorbed bumps better then Nexen at 32psi even at shop pressure of 45 psi. I went down to 35 once home. Hopefully they work well in the sand. Tread isnt very aggressive but more than an highway tire. Tread looks deeper in person than camera could capture. I could find actual weight specs and didn't get to check sidewall flex at the shop. Should be able to tell when I air down. At 14 psi my other tires looked almost on rim. Haha

Some starting information: Lenses You can use the kit lens that comes with your camera when taking photos of night landscapes with the moon in the background. But you need to be aware that it doesn’t have the magnifying power required to shoot close-up shots of the moon. Now you must be asking, how do I make the moon look bigger in pictures? The simple answer is by using a telephoto lens. Think of it as a big telescope that allows you to see everything up close. You can find so many options for your camera out there with various levels of magnification. So what’s the optimal lens to pick for moon photography? You need to find one with a focal length of, at least, 300mm. Thankfully, the moon is so bright that you do not need fast, expensive, telephoto lenses. Anything with an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 will do. Headlamp Even when the moon is shining, it can still be quite challenging to see everything at night. So bring a headlamp with you to make everything easier. You’ll find it useful when setting up your equipment as well as adjusting camera settings. Just remember to turn it off before you take any pictures. You don’t want to be accidentally shining a light on your lens. Any headlamp works for night photography. But try to get one with a red LED light. Since it’s not as bright as the white light, you can use it without worrying about accidental lens flares as much. How to Focus on the Moon to Get Sharp Images If you want to get sharp moon photos, your focus needs to be precise. Unfortunately, chances are the autofocus will have difficulty when it’s so dark. So, switch to manual focus. Do not trust the infinite mark on your lens or the hard stop of the focusing ring because it’s not reliable. Although it comes standard on all lenses, its position is often inaccurate. In reality, the infinity zone sits somewhere between your lens’s infinity mark and the maximum focal length mark. So instead of using the infinity mark, use all the advanced functions your camera has to help you focus on the moon. Features such as Live View, Magnification, and Focus Peaking will all help. With the camera on a tripod, frame an area on the moon with contrasted craters. Now, try to get their ridges as sharp as you can by focusing back and forth until you find the sweet spot. Achieving good focus can take time. If you can, use a white marker to mark true infinite on your lens. Doing so will speed up your future photographic sessions. How to Include Landscape in your Moon Photos Taking pictures of both the landscape and the moon can be tricky. Especially since each one requires specific exposure settings. For the most part, moon pictures need a fast shutter speed while longer exposures are essential or nightscapes (a.k.a. night landscapes). So it’s not surprising that there are plenty of ways to take pictures of scenes with the moon in the same shot. And each method produces a distinct effect. The simplest way is to photograph both the moon and the nightscape is by using long exposure. The slow shutter speed lets in enough light to properly expose the landscape. In this case, the moon will be overexposed, which would otherwise be bad news. But sometimes, it creates a beautiful hazy effect that adds mood to your pictures. This method works even better if clouds are blocking the moonbeam. But what if you want to expose both the landscape and the moon in one shot? Then you can try boosting your ISO. These days, some cameras let you work between 3000 to 6000 ISO or more without introducing distracting image noise. With such high sensitivity, you can take pictures of anything with relatively fast shutter speed. The only downside is that even with minimal image noise, high ISO could still drastically reduce the image quality. So use this method with caution and only apply it only if you find it necessary. The best way to expose for the landscape and the moon separately. In other words, take two photos with different exposure times and combine them in Photoshop. Mask in the moon into your nightscape, and you got yourself the perfect image. Photographing and Editing Workflow for Moon Photography What Settings Should I Use to Photograph the Moon? Now to the most crucial question in moon photography: How do I set my camera to take a picture of the moon? A lot of people end up with overexposed images because they think the moon requires long exposures. But the truth is that you need to photograph it using daytime settings. So what does that mean? First, you set your ISO to 100. Next, adjust your aperture between f/11 and f/16 for maximum sharpness. And finally, use a shutter speed of about 1/125th of a second or faster. It’s that simple. To get the best results, you should always shoot in RAW. Take a test shot and check the histogram that you have not clipped the highlights and that the Moon is not too dark. The sky will probably be pitch black, but that is not a problem. If you don’t have a remote shutter, use the built-in 2-second timer to avoid camera shake. When checking the exposure, be sure your moon is sharp.

Hello. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee 2020 stock one and the hooks has been inspected a month ago during last service I believe. It will be my first off road drive. see you all guys..

Morning, the car is a Toyota Landcruiser GXR 2019 with no modifications. I have driven once, via a lesson arranged by Toyota 2 years ago in the desert, the clearance was good underneath. The tow hooks, I presume were tested in the last service. In the last 3 years they have only been used once, and that too was in the desert. I need to purchase a Compressor, can you recommend any good trusted ones? thanks Daq

Dear @Shehab Alawadhi and @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, you are both eligible and waitlisted for your 2nd drive, after @Thomas Varghese. @Shehab Alawadhi I trust you are fully sorted out with your gear to replace the spare wheel and with your wheel nuts, am I right?

I enjoyed this newbie drive that felt like a fewbie drive @Vanessa8580 The terrain was interesting and I managed to learn a lot from driving behind @Brette thank you to the rest of the convoy as well for the interesting drive

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher, consider me for my 2nd drive. As already booked a drive with Ale on Friday. Regards

My hearty congrats to you, your mothership and her golf clubs!

Congratulations @Anish S

Congratulations @Anish S

Congratulations @Anish S...well done well deserved

Congratulations @Anish S for reaching the Expert 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. EXPERT - Carnity Exclusivity Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Full access to Carnity without any paid subscription Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Expert promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Navigating with or without GPS on the fly Trip planning, safety exits and recce skills Basic firefighting and first aid techniques Basic knowledge of car and overheating issues Minimal response to vehicle breakdown and accidents Skills required Resilient, calculative and rational thinker Self-reliance, positive attitude and forward thinking Kind, selfless and considerate to other’s concerns 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, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive with Marshal permission Inspect vehicle for safety before the off-road drive Support Marshal to learn 1:1 Desert Driving Course Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Drive Brief The stretch of land at the border between Dubai and Al Ain (Abu Dhabi) on the South Eastern corner of the Dubai Emirate, the Faqa area, offers one of the most spectacular terrains for adventurous off-roaders that may be found in the UAE. Long, high, complex dunes are so widely spread that, once entered, the biggest problem in the area becomes deciding where to go, as every dune is incredibly appealing, and when to leave, as this is one of those places true off-roaders fall in love with and never want to exit from. We will enter the desert on the North East end of Faqa area, not far from the E44 Al Ain - Dubai Road at 5.15am and head South West. After a short but fast stint of technical dunes, we will enter the majestic area of Faqa big dunes. It will be in this area that the drive will become a real "extreme" one: the convoy will go through a rapid sequence of climbs along sharp crests, long slide slopes on completely virgin dunes, rapid criss-crossings and deep dives nose down on slip faces, alternated with the exact opposite move, ie high and steep slip face attacks and criss crossing to the wind side. The rythm will be constantly fast (very fast), the technical level constantly high (very high), altitude will be maintained always as high as possible, with adrenaline levels going through the roof, while maintaining a very high level of concentration and focus, all of this between bursts of awe at admiring an equally breath-taking landscape. Participants will have a chance to put to the ultimate test their driving skills and cars will be stressed to their full capabilities, which - to be clear - means driving to one's very best, not at all driving recklessly!! As we will move South West, we will eventually exit the Faqa area and begin our approach to the milder dunes of Little Sweihan and South West Solar Park, where we will eventually make our exit by indicatively 9:15am, hopefully exhausted but enthusiastic after a "fast and furious" drive. About "Extreme" Drives Extreme Desert Drives are an extension of a Intermediate drives but at a lot faster pace with a continuous drive-time on big rolling and difficult dunes. The difficulty level of climbs, ridge riding, criss-crossing will be more or less the same as the Intermediate level, but doing that over and over again at high speed requires special attention, to be courageous but with extreme caution. If you and your vehicle are perfectly in-sync with the Intermediate level without repetitive stuck, refusals, or losing track, then only you should consider joining this fast-paced extreme drive. This drive offers the maximum adrenaline among all the types of drives and also demands a very experienced and sensible driver with a fully protected 4x4 vehicle. In such extreme fast pace drive, it is highly recommended to drive alone without any passengers to avoid any distractions. Who can join: Selected Intermediate and above drivers (with a minimum of 5 Intermediate drive experience). The final selection will be based on Trip lead and Marshals feedback. Disclaimer: the chance of damaging your vehicle is quite high in such fast-paced extreme drives, so please join at your own discretion. 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 2.0 MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: Ban Post TWO WAY RADIO GUIDELINES Every Off-roader 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. SUGGESTED READING: Carnity Two Way Radio Frequencies MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Intermediate (with min. 5 Intermediate Drives completed) and Above (All Levels) Selection: Admission at Trip Lead and Marshal discretion strictly. When: 22 May 2021, Saturday. Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Al Faqa Road - https://maps.app.goo.gl/JqXF57i8B1chp5wE8 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: 9:15 AM End Point: Solar Park Limited Spots Available: Limited to 8 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

Congrats @Anish S!!!

@Lorenzo Candelpergher I would like to attend this drive! Could you let me know if I am eligible attend the same?

@Lakshmi Narasimhanthis changes from one week to the other depending on the available drives on each WE.. sometimes there will be more drives on Sat or Fri evening so you can join a 2nd drive still (if open spots are still available by Wed as per the 2nd drive applicable rules) This is also governed by the demand observed and appetite of members to join specific levels at specific times as there is no point in opening drives and signup rates turns out to be too low. So net-net, basic supply and demand my friend but it helps a lot to get feedback from members on what the majority wants and I am sure @Carnitywill do everything possible to respond with the right solutions to keep everyone happy, as much as possible 🙏 Done

That is a good idea @JeromeFJ, i will adjust the timings.

Thank you @Frederic for organising this I can see that sunset will be 07:02 pm, and moonrise 07:09 pm (more or less, please double check). May I suggest that we meet 1/2h earlier in order to be in position and cameras ready to enjoy the moonrise ?

Please withdraw my name, as I got spot with @Ale Vallecchi. Thank you, hope to join you other day. Drive safe all.

I have have a 2014 Mitsubishi Pajero 4 door no modification. Hooks have been inspected and used recently. I drove in the desert 4-5 times already in the last 4 months Looking forward, Paolo

Hello, I have a Nissan Patrol 2021 with no modifications. I do not have any experience, never driven in the desert. Its a new car so the hooks are been completely unused. Looking forward to this experience. Thank you, Nishant.

My car isn't lifted but the tires I did increase the width from 275 to 285 but I've been using these tires since I joined @Carnity

Hi @Ale Vallecchi won't be able to make it for drive. I have exited, I believe there are quite a few on waiting list. Looking forward to see you soon.

congrats @TT_Dubai

congrats @Anish S. Loved your 1st drive as trip lead. Will join other drives with you in the lead in future. See you soon.

Noted @Lorenzo Candelpergher... Thanks for the feedback .. see you in the next drive..

@Lorenzo Candelpergher if i am eligible would you kindly waitlist me for my second drive? Thank you!

Dear @Christian Andras, @Shaaz Sha, @Tero Vallasand @Ahab Shamaa, I'm glad to confirm your are all eligible and therefore confirmed for this drive. Dear @Thomas Varghese, you are as well eligible for this drive, but under the strict condition that your vehicle has no known and unresolved issue of any kind before the drive, as the frequent occurrence of electrical and mechanical faults in recent occasions is reason for some concern in view of this very demanding drive. Since this is your 2nd drive, your are waitlisted and will be admitted on Tuesday subject to availability and furthermore subject to confirmation of full electromechanical fitness of your car on Friday.

Dear @varunmehndiratta, while you may have the required nominal number of drives, for your own safety Carnity Advisors would prefer to see you taking a few more Intermediate Drives, so your driving skills can be assessed more thoroughly in light of your interest to join Extreme Drives and consensus can be reached on your eligibility. I look forward to having you join my next Extreme Drive!

Congrats @Anish S

Excellent @Anish S. Very well done!!

Thank you @Danish Mohammad Thank you so much @Srikumar and Big thanks to the whole Carnity family for giving me the opportunity and support through out the journey.... Thanks @Niki Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher Thanks @Rizwanm2 Thanks @Lawrence_Chehimi Thanks @Abdul Rahman AK Thank you so much buddy @Brette

Congrats @Anish S!!!!!!

Congrats @Anish S👏👏👏

Thank you @Wrangeld @Jeepie @Watteau @Arman for this lovely drive !!! Thanks for your support & guidance. It was great fun day as two Convoy crossing each other this is the best part of CARNITY to let everyone learn, enjoy and to feel they are in safe hands. It was a nice experience and good learning to drive at the back of two Raptors in such a super soft sand 🤭 Thanks to everyone in Convoy for your help, support and patience during refusals, stuck and pop outs! Mr. Richard congratulation for your 50th lead. See you in next drive!

Driving behind the 2 Raptors, it felt like there was not enough hill for them to conquer !!! It was a treat watching and hearing the roaring beasts.

Congratulations @TT_Dubai 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

Dear @Frederic, I am not sure I have done correct thing. Morning I downloaded the event, and accepted it. Would like to join if possible, although I am not in photography, but I can join as assistant for participants 😀😀😀😀

Thx @Yusuf Esaf you are #1 on WL, as it’s your 1st drive for this WE you have the first right of refusal for the spot just opened @Werno you are #2 on WL after Yusuf

please waitlist me too as i got stuck up somewhere and didn't see the drive. Its my 2nd drive. I can do support also if you so wish.

@Hisham Masaad done thsnk you for the advice. @Pacific done, thank you for the advice

Congrats @Anish S

Congrats @Anish S

Thank you @Rawad Bahsas, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Chaitanya D @Frederic

During the session I mentioned that I was working on one image from March. Here we go, today I've posted it to my social media. Overall, I took almost 800 photos from 02:27am to 5:44am. Around 100 selected photos were merged to form the star trails. Foreground was taken from another photo taken during twilight before sunrise. Everything is edited in the Adobe Lightroom. As usual, one of the RAW photos before processing.

Yes I have the aerial