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Thanks Doc @Chaitanya D ! was a fantastic refreshing NB drive, right from the start till end. I term it as NB+ Drive and congratulations to all the NBs who did this drive so well ! On Few whom I had visuals - @Marketa Dobesova You Did absolutely impressive in your sunflower, being on your 5th NB and first as SL, you were proactive and all times giving clear updates to fellow drivers, at times I felt you were leading the drive Well done ! am sure you are looking forward to next level @Tatsiana Chase This was my second drive with you and I see that huge change on how you started to master the NB dunes including those technical patches ! I know the pressure to be driving with a co-passenger, ( @Davie Chase) who is a master too - and btw congrats for your first Shoveling experience. @essam ibrahim With every refusal, there was visible lesson learnt for you and keep up the spirit - as we say, the more you have refusals, the more you learn @Shinebabu am sure this drive had some interesting take aways for you too , you did well for your 4th drive and considering the track we covered yday. All others whom I am not specifically mentioned above - The reason is am sure how quietly you were just enjoying this NB+ Drive @Patrick @Felix Obst @Glenn W @Ben Lee @Mahmoud Taha ! @Senthil Kumar Thanks for Sweeping the convoy! @Pavel Pashkovskiy Thanks for another coffee treat ! I am keeping an eye on your RSVP ! and as always pleasure to have you as part of drive @Looper! See you all again soon in sands !

Day 7: Wadi Deesah - Tabuk (419 Km) By far, the most spectacular day, with the most astonishing views (that no photo can encapsulate), and with the most off-roading of the whole trip. After leaving our shelter, in the farmstead at the entrance of Wadi Deesah, we had the pleasure of taking our breakfast under a sunny sky, in a small palm grove just on the side of an imperceptible sand knoll, between the red canyon's walls, surrounded by oleander flowers, chirping birds (and the occasional bleating goat). Omelette and coffee, brewed with our faithful Bialetti moka, put us in the right mood to start the day, blessed by yet another crossing (the third) of the fantastic wadi, to finally exit on a narrow road, climbing the heights of the plateau that divided us from the Tabuk plain. In the outskirts of Tabuk we did the last shopping of fresh eggs and drinking water, before heading West, along Road 8784. Just before reaching the village of Bajdah we turned right into the sand and tried to proceed undeflated (as we had managed to do most of the time, so far, on the wadis floors and on the hard, rain packed sand) only to discover a super soft, almost powdery yellow sand, that got us stuck, and demanded deflating to not more than 11 Psi. From here, first stop the so called "Two Arches", a pair of rock arches on top of each other, at the top of a short climb, through which an immense expanse of red rocks, strewn on yellow, red and white sand, opened up as if from a spaceship's viewing deck. We had a quick lunch at the bottom of the Two Arches, on their wind protected side. With that done, we begun an exhilarating cavalcade on the vast plains, into a red sand canyon snaking its way through a vast plateau, then out again around succeeding sets of very tall slip-faces, each hugging the side of one of the plateaus that seemed to come at us, one after another, separated by white, very flat, mud-cracked plains, lurking past the hard-faces of each giant dune. Safety required that we drove our way around these huge dunes, and yet this took nothing away from the thrill of the drive. Occasionally we managed to drive the ridges of fatter, flatter dunes, descending sharply from them onto the mud-cracked plains. After four hours of this marvelous adventure, we found a magic site to camp, just at the entrance of a deep, very narrow canyon, protected from the wind by the warm sides of a red cliff, and still with a perfect sunset view, through the canyon's entrance, looking onto a dune to the west. With a sense of wander and awe, we cooked, chatted, and prepared to go to bed under the stars, in the deep, deafening silence that only the desert can offer.

Great to have you along with @Looper and @Davie Chase (even though a passenger) - we had more than enough on our hands to sort and all is well that ends well. 👍🏼

Wow this filled up real fast - by 7:07 already we had 6 WL. Thanks all for your great response - it’s very encouraging, a much needed one especially for these exploration drives. @DP1011 and @Fabien Monleau added you guys to manage tab. In case of change in plans let me know. Details for the drive shall follow over next few days, in due course - ensure your cars are in healthy state, tools all set and above all, make sure that in case of any change in plans, update rsvp asap - we still have 6 WL 😊 Have a nice week ahead. Your response has raised my excitement to another level. See you all on Saturday.

Congratulations @Jaro Tuzinsky 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 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. 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

Drive Report: We started slightly later than usual, waiting for some later comers. I had planned to enter desert a bit down the line but couldn't sustain the temptation as soon as I could enter the dunes. The early entry meant that we met some very tall but soft dunes. We played on some long dunes in Faqaa area and then took one of many Sabkha to move towards Little Sweihan. After a brief drive though the large Sabkha, we entered some mildly technical areas and continued though some technical as well as smaller Sabkhas. Soon we reached Little Sweihan and started discovering all that it has to offer. At about 10 am we were ready to exit but were on the wrong side of Solar Park. The typical thing to do was to exit on E14, but I was not done yet. So, after a quick vote we decided to cross Little Sweihan towards Solar Park and exit. We completed the drive at the Innovation Center about 11:15 am. I could not have done what I did without the tremendous team I had on the convoy and excellent support from @GauravSoni and @Stumpy Paj @Gautam Bankaa: You did well for your first Fewbie drive on this kind of terrain. @Parliament: I know it was a successful drive, when I saw you after the drive. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. @Bravoecho: I guess it is finally time to upgrade the shoes. Just remember to rotate all tires this time. I would recommend you check out Michelin LTX AT2 tires. Have heard good feedback on them. @Adam James: I hope you had good practice after a long break, and you dusted off your off-road driving skills. I hope you had a good practice with the fabled A Trac system on your FJ. @Stumpy Paj: Thank you very much for being at the sweep and making sure we are all in good running order. Your quick instructions on the recoveries at the back were a boon. We did a decent kms in the desert, even excluding about 20-25 kms in the Sabkhas. Most of the stopped time came at the beginning of the drive where we had our first refusal and the pop-out. After that the other refusals were taken care of quite quickly.

This was a fun fast paced drive , only 1 stuck from me, thanks @Krishna Rfor the assist. Despite the intermingle of another convoy and getting lost with @Benjamin this is now my favourite drive. I’ve been rewatching the videos, will post when I get a chance. next time I do that climb near the end I’ll be more careful on the early part of the climb, hadn’t realised my rear end jumped as much as it did. Great dunes, comms and banter from all.

Congratulations @Marketa Dobesova 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 Basic 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 Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

I have uploaded a highlight video from Saturday Mornings drive. It mostly features the backend of @Patrick van der Loo @Mark B @Benjamin and @Varun Mehndiratta ‘s comms. https://youtu.be/vs1YfeCctOE

Congratulations Marketa!!👍🚙😊

Don't give @Stumpy Pajtoo much credit. As my brother in law he is legally obligated to do that 😄

Welcome Fewbies to Lisaili Rockers, a drive that offers all the driving and recovery skills to be mastered in one place. Roller coaster side sloping Ridge ride to slide Fighting a bit of gravity Crisscrossing with confidence Stay afloat on technical dunes Blip Blip when you get stuck Rock your boat on soft sand We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Off-road Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 7 May 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 3:00 PM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/UDzJ7FKT2Aq5HcyFA Approximate finish time: 7:00 PM 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, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on FRIDAY - 12 PM If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Disclaimer: I don't know how to code or what it means. I just recognize patterns and go from there. I was trying to merge a couple of tracks into one and in my research found the following that might be useful if anyone wants to try. GPX files that you have which are recordings of GPS tracks are basically *.xml files that you can open on Notepad app or any text editor on your computer. Some apps do a better job than Gaia in structuring the file. Gaia GPS is just a bunch of code dumped into a *.gpx file. Here I have tried to separate them for easy reference. There are 3 parts to the GPX file 1. Start: The initial header data such as how it was created, the name of the track, description if any, color of the track etc. <?xml version="1.0" ?> <gpx xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1" creator="GaiaGPS" version="1.1" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1 http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1/gpx.xsd"> <trk> <name> IM0148A, Al Quaa, Abu Dhabi - Gaurav Soni </name> <desc> this file is combined from Gaurav Soni recordings </desc> <extensions> <line xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/gpx_style/0/2"> <color> 00B2FF </color> </line> </extensions> <trkseg> <trkpt lat="23.477482" lon="55.217087"><ele>115.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T05:08:11Z</time></trkpt> <trkpt lat="23.477484" lon="55.217087"><ele>115.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T05:08:20Z</time></trkpt> 2. Track Point Data: for every second or so the Gaia or any other recording app will make an entry in to the record. The track point data is contained between <trkseg> and </trkseg>. Each track point is consist of Latitude (lat), Longitude (lon), Elevation (ele) and date and time of recording. Time is mentioned in the file is GPS time which is almost same as UTC. The latitude and longitude is described in Decimal Degrees. <trkpt lat="23.477482" lon="55.217087"><ele>115.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T05:08:11Z</time></trkpt> <trkpt lat="23.477484" lon="55.217087"><ele>115.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T05:08:20Z</time></trkpt> <trkpt lat="23.477482" lon="55.217091"><ele>115.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T05:08:21Z</time></trkpt> 3. End: Towards the end the file is closed <trkpt lat="23.40979" lon="55.358162"><ele>123.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T12:01:20Z</time></trkpt> <trkpt lat="23.409809" lon="55.358177"><ele>125.0</ele><time>2022-11-12T12:01:26Z</time></trkpt> </trkseg> </trk> </gpx> Note: I have kept 2 rows of Track Point data in both Start and End for referance only How to Combine: Say you have 3 tracks then export them to desktop in *.gpx files format. You have to keep the start point and track point data and delete the ending of the file that starts at </trkseg> copy the text into a new text file and save it with extension *.gpx For the middle track copy the Track Point Data. and paste it in the new file you do not need the start or end portions of this file. For the last track, copy the Track Point Data and End data, and now you can save the new file and import that to Gaia GPS to see a new combined file. It will be imported into a new folder in Gaia. My referance Files: Combined File (I even changed the color, name and description while creating the combined file on the desktop) Track1 Track2 PS: Personally, I wouldn't stop recording till the drive is completed, meh! that's just me.

Hey Marketa - well deserved. It’s awesome to see you progressing each and every week and each and every drive! You’ve been the best second lead I’ve ever experienced! Keep it up and you’ll make it one the fast track to the marshal! It’s always an honor to drive with you!!!

Well deserved best congrats Marketa @Marketa Dobesova 👍

Thank you @Looper and entire crew. We had a great fun despite the extension, and very good learnings. Saw amazing spirit from @Stumpy Pajhelping @Bravoecho changing the popped tyres. I also felt the need of buying a new jack and realized that the stock jack in Prado would not work in desert conditions. would buy a 2.5 tons jack soon. I had a couple of refusal but recovered back fast with @GauravSoni giving me expert instructions to get out without getting out of the car. Look forward to next ride soon. Have a nice week guys.

yes you are right, but i hate the folder/subfolder system of Gaia....

Time for 315/75/16s, no point stuffing around with half measures 👌

Good topic. I use the web browser of Caltopo for that. You don't even need a subscription: 1. Open Caltopo CalTopo - Backcountry Mapping Evolved 2. On the left hand side, click on IMPORT and select your gpx tracks and waypoints you want to club together. 3. Once you've imported your tracks, now select EXPORT, and choose the format "GPX". You will now end up with 1 gpx file with all your tracks and waypoints inside of it, This is handy to basically create 1 GPX file that contains all tracks and waypoint from a certain time range, area, emirate, or as you wish to categorize them.

@Hisham Masaad thanks for great experience, it was long due for me. And to see old folks @Mohamad Anwer @Charbel @Chris Wing @Rob S @Simon D. Also new faces doing great. Hail Carnity.

@Hisham Masaad "Al Badayer King" I agree with @Simon D and wish to share the same feedback, thank you for the great drive with old friends just like old times. 😀. We felt well connected like the old days 😌 Thank you @Beide Worku @Imteeaz @Rob S @Chris Wing for helping me with the popout towards the end of the drive. @Beide Worku beleive me, even though I love your jack and the hightech kit on your vehicle, its not intentional to have pop outs when we are on the same drive! 😉 However, it is always re assuring to have you on the drive, as it takes 10 minutes max with your kit to fix a popout. To the rest of the convoy, great driving gents. @Charbel I hope your car us ok, as it looked a lot more serious when it happened, than the actual minor damage we saw 👀, hope you only need to fix the lights and rats it! Regards, MOHD

Badayer is Badayer. Despite the tracks and churned sand in some areas, still enjoyable. Hope all enjoyed the drive, and was a good start of the weekend. Nice to meet all of you, was great time, spent without issues to mention. Thank you @Gertjanfor being SL, and for the nice photos....amazing. @Rob Sthank you for your support, as usual feeling safe when you join and watch the back of the convoy. @Salim Akhtar @Charbel @Chris Wing @Mohamad Anwer @Alexanderrr @Beide Worku did great keeping the pace, thank you for allowing me to keep pushing, without "yalla push'". Support team @Simon D @Pacific @Imteeaz thank you for joining and helping whenever required. Wish you a nice weekend. Good time

The master is watching on the top, I need to redo my climbing properly 😅😅 Thank you @Varun Mehndiratta and everyone, was an amazing drive.

Dear Desertnauts, as if I didn't have enough business trips (which have lately taken a little away from my off-roading), I have just finished preparing for another trip, this time for pleasure, which will bring me away from Dubai for the next 10 days. It's going to be a bit of a trip down memory lane, like the long overland adventures I used to enjoy, once or twice a year, while taking groups of travelers, mostly to North Africa's Sahara. This one is going to be an exploration drive to Saudi Arabia, from Dubai to Tabuk, via many hopefully amazing sites, and back. I have just finished to load up the FJ, which I have decided not to equip with a roof rack, or any other loading and storage gimmick, in the spirit of keeping the car as stock as possible and manage its cargo accordingly. The boot is organized with two layers of 2 boxes each, with a row of stripped-down recovery tools crammed at the back of the booth, secured against the backseats (shovel, kinetic rope and soft shackles, hard wood board, hydraulic jack, a mixed toolbox, and the compressor). The boxes contain the dry food pantry, cooking equipment, mixed items (mostly kitchen tools, and an ice chiller. Between the two rows of boxes there has remained enough space to put the tent and 2 foldable chairs. The suitcases (soft bags, stuffed inside a loose and large outer cover accommodating also an inflatable air mattress, toilet paper, a spray bottle, and a pillow) will be placed on the back seat, separated by a small ice box containing some munchies for the trip. The space between the front and back seats is packed with a picnic table, and a supply of water. I have planned not to take any extra gasoline, since it'll be possible to find gas stations quite regularly along the planned route. The availability of gas stations will also allow to manage the water supply, which will be limited to 8 lt. per person every 2 days (4 lt. each day, sufficient for drinking and cooking). Washing will be done by spraying any unused fresh water, but mostly with wet towels. Of course, in case of purely off-road long trips, an adequate supply of water (no less than 3lt/person/day) and gasoline (for an extra autonomy of at least 5/600 km) would have forced me to mount a roof rack to carry these critical goods. While looking to minimize the upgrades to the car, I have also chosen not to bring an electrically charged chiller and no extra battery pack. Charging of phone, PC, lamps, or air pumps will be done with a converter (700 W capacity) charged through the car's lighter (with the option to accommodate 4 USB's and a regular socket). To complete the preparations, travelers to Saudi need to get a Tourist Certificate from RTA (provided upon presentation of a Carnet de Passage from Emirates Motorsport Organization), a visa (1-year validity, multi entry), and a car insurance, obtainable at customs. So, now that all is ready, I'll update you on the trip one day at the time, with a few notes on the areas visited, a picture of the day, and the track completed each day. Looking forward to showing you what I find, with the goal, eventually, to organize an overland sometimes next winter. Let the adventure begin!

Congrats @Marketa Dobesova enjoy the new challenge!

Congrats @Jaro Tuzinsky looking forward to meeting again soon! Enjoy the new tank

Congratulations @Jaro Tuzinsky - Enjoy the adrenaline !! Well deserved !

Congratulations @Jaro Tuzinsky on your promotion!

I am an accountant by profession with MIS and Financial Reporting specialization. Excel is my bread and butter. While I use a little bit of VBA code in a few spreadsheets; I don't really understand how it does what it does. I am generally as amused as the next person who is in awe of my spreadsheets lol. But I do, however, use Chat GPT. to help me with some documents in the regular work (e.g. corporate secretarial work, drafting agreements etc.) and it does a fair job. It prepares the initial draft for me to build up on.

Love where you heads at mate 👌

Thanks a Lot @Davie Chase for the great lead to this drive, it was a very enjoyable drive, different scenery and quite challenging at times along with the great drivers in the convoy, made it this exciting. We certainly enjoyed it. Thanks @Mehmet Volga , @premindra rajaram for the support making it a smooth drive.

Congratulations @Cristian