Rahimdad

Fantastic is all I can say. The oarticipation, the enthusiasm, the patience, good food, great time and amazing people.

I would like to thank @EmVarlet, @skumar83, @Gaurav, @Asif Hussain and @Nikhil who helped in carrying out duties beyond themselves and were selfless during the entire drive to help the newer people adjust and kept the convoy moving successfully.

A big thanks to @Javier M, @Emil, @Jocreative, @Pwn, @Maxiben, @Shafeel, @AlexGeorge, @Julien V and @Brette to join this amazing morning drive. We met on time and moved on to the deflation point at which we had our absolute newbie brief. @Shafeel thank you for understanding and leaving you ride at the deflation point and guving me company, it was great to have you onboard.

We started off with really easy dunes and as all managed well we moved to level up gradually. I was pleasantly surprised to watch everyone do so well. There were a couple of evasions where I felt I would hear over the radio that there has been some stuck, but nothing more than a couple of refusals.

We decided to stop at one good looking dune for the more experienced drivers to have a go at side slopping, everyone managed it beautifully. Special mention to @Nikhil and @Pwn who did very well, pleasure to have them on board. We than headed to our shaded area to grab a bite and some cold drinks to rest for a while and discuss the drive thus far. Thanks to Sonia who felt each part of the challenge as successful. She was surprised that the newbie drive included actual handling of the dunes rather than a track drive. As I explained to her that is my way of leading a Newbie drive and enhancing the learning for everyone in a safe environment.

As we moved after the breakfast towards the Fossil Rocks, everyone tend to keep up, before I could realize we were on top. The descent seemed rocky and unfavorable, but still I tried and a bit of scraping under the car I still was thinking about different angles. All the Wranglers were able to make it down without any hiccups.

This time @EmVarlet bravely came forward to try an angle which could set the path for rest to cross. But it was not meant to be. Within a few seconds our hearts were set racing as the angle had seemed to be too much of a challenge. His car was hanging very thin and quickly we had 4 people hanging from the right side of his car. My hats off as everyone kept their cool and managed everything with lot of patience and good coordination. @Gaurav slowly and steadily came back up on Fossil Rock from where he was to help in the situation. He secured his car behind with his winch and pulled slowly and steadily as believe it or not but pulled it back and @EmVarlet was able to reverse onto safe grounds. Lesson learned on many accounts. No matter what angle but recovery is possible, and when the feeling is not there do not attempt.

Safely exited by going around Fossil Rocks thanks to @Asif Hussain and @Gaurav. This lead to an easy path out to the Adnoc pump, where we inflated our tires and headed back. Thank you to all who attended and looking forward to many more adventures.

I'm in too. Just confused if I should drive in the night and camp out, or drive in the morning.

Hi @Shafeel. Welcome. Newbie means for first timers. We have had a Ford Explorer on our previous drives in similar area with no problems. You are most welcome to join. Do you have the old shape or the next shape explorer? We have one of our experienced driver having a Ford Explorer truck, he can share some tips and tricks with you on the drive. So do sign up, looking forward to seeing you on Friday.

I was just about to say I like a different kind of radio on desert drives and to me the voice warning me of dangers ahead is music to my ears.

@Nikhil this drive instead of seeing love, you will feel it. I will be parting my teddy bear hugs to all.

@Barry very well said. Information in personal messages is information lost.

@Jocreative most welcome buddy.

Welcome to the trip report. The trip was so amazing my adrenalin is still pumping as I type this report. We all met on time and was happy to have @Emil as my companion for the ride. With @Gaurav bhai in the lead and @EmVarlet shining bright the real surprise was having @baselsm83. Saw him almost after a whole year, but instead of his mosterous Nissan Patrol he was sporting a SWB Pajero with a 3.5 litre engine. The younger sibling of Gaurav bhai's Pajero.

We entered a bit different than our usual place and that gave us some challenging soft, small to medium very technical dunes. Once we crossed from these we were treated to a quick drive through some more small to medium dunes.

As we managed ourselves through the treacherous terrain we were treated to the dunes of my dreams after about 7 years. Here we did everything from side sloping, to riding the ridge, to criss crossing to flattening some sharp ridges. It was just amazing.

That was not enough for us, we continued through some more technical small dunes inching our way to the twin hearts on our maps. The suspense was killing as we came closer to this intriguing place. Than Gaurav bhai stopped and gave us options to continue exploring through some unknown spots or head to the twin hearts. Majority wanted to continue exploring, which meant we might have to miss the 2 hearts.

Luckily we managed to clear the exploration area and reach the place which was now so close to my heart. As we drove around we realized that it was the love Lake, which is being constructed. My hats off to the thought where it is designed in a way which shows up on the map as 2 hearts. After driving around and circling the place we settled down near one of the lake to grab a bite. It was an amazingly cool night and the stars were shining bright.

But like every good thing comes to an end, we headed out, inflated our tires, helped a couple of stuck saloons and headed on our way home. All I can say is @Gaurav bhai, what a lovely drive.

1 hour ago, shadow79 said:

motorola units are expensive when i asked they were selling at 200+ so that's why i got the baofeng one and am using it without any issues was once in deep trouble for being immobile and was really far from the convoy searching for something  but when i tried to reach the convoy with the radio they sure did heard me and came to save the day....you all know which day i am talking about ☺️

Only one problem with baogeng, when @shadow79 is talking we only hear kwak kwak. Hahahaha

I just indicate left to tell them I'm overtaking and would move as soon as I get the chance. When I get the chance I indicate right and move.

@Frederic NuyttensDrop him early morning as Dubai airport has fantastic facilities. He can use the Mariana lounge for a good breakfast and rest before the flight.

@Jeh in 2001 I bought my Toyota Echo from Al Futtaim Motors in Abu Dhabi because they were 10% cheaper. No hassles, I had to go to Abu Dhabi showroom once to pay down payment. Car was registered in Dubai and handed to me from Dubai showroom.

@shadow79 I remember when you removed the battery for the Pajero the Traction Control had gone off and you had to drive it around for 15 minutes to get the Traction back on.

I have tried this on my Jeep Commander and it worked. Remove the red battery terminal for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes touch briefly the red terminal with the black terminal there will be a spark. Now reconnect the red terminal back to the battery. This resets the car completely like new. You can now drive as per your new habits and the car will pick up new values for shifting your gears.

Hope this helps you.

Now that we found love what are we going to do with it.. We are going to have an Absolute Newbie or a Newbie drive depending on the level of the participants. Looking forward to an easy relaxing drive for everyone with plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, hill climb, and ridge riding. Newbies and Fewbies will have great chance to see and learn the real fun that off-roading offers in a very safe and organized environment.

Level Newbie and above

When: 16 November 2018

Meeting time: 06:00 am, convoy will move at sharp 06:15 am

Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road GPS Coordinate: https://maps.google.com/?cid=15033938015658585340

Level of drive: Newbie - Fewbie - All are welcome

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance.

Plan: Drive, train and enjoy till about 10:00 am

What to bring along: Loads of snacks, plenty of water - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 10:00 am

Those interested please mark accept on the below calendar.

@Emil & @Javier M. You can sign up for this drive which will allow you to learn about desert driving in a very organized way.

Good to know @Javier M. I am guessing it is the Pentastar.

You really do not need a lift, but if you are going for one at least have a few drives to feel that need to do so. If you are still going for a lift make sure you do a thorough job from a professional as Jeeps tend to loose their geometry once lifted and you need plenty more just to keep them safe.

@Javier M welcome to your off road family. I am happy to hear you are willing to sit out till we have our newbie drive. Just to be on the safe side, plus we have briefing which will help you learn and grow. Besides we will be more comfortable after we have seen you on a drive or two before we can let you attend drives at a higher level.

I am pleased to extend you the offer to join one of us as passenger if it's OK with you.

BTW which 4×4 do you drive?

Most welcome @Emil. Let's see if anyone coming from Silicon Oasis, else you can drive to the meeting point. Y62 is quite powerful and capable. For a Newbie drive it will manage fine. Just make sure you research a bit on switching off traction control, EBD and any electronics in the car. Any ways we will have a look at it this Friday and try to figure out if anything required.

Your friend is most welcome to join us as well.

At this time if you want to buy anything you can skip Ace hardware and head to Dragon Mart. You will need a flag from the only quad bike shop there, a glass clamp to hold it up, a 2 way radio, deflator and proper tire gauge. You can look for other equipment after your first drive. We can discuss this further on Friday as well.

Hi @Emil, welcome to your off road family. We are pleased to have you onboard. This week the drive is intended for the level of Fewbie and above thus I will not recommend this drive for you. However we would be happy to accommodate you as a passenger to get a flavour of the desert. We will be posting a Newbie drive for the week to follow, you may sign up as a driver there.

As far as it goes with the mods, I recommend that you first attend a few drives before you decide what mods are necessary for you. The Nissan Patrol is very capable stock and no mods required so early. By the way is it a Y61 or Y62. Sorry new shape or classic shape?

If you decide to come as a passenger please advise your location so we can determine if one of the participants can pick you on their way. Worse come to worse you can bring your vehicle to meeting point and you can park your car there, we can pick it up on the way back.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you for sharing your experience @Mohit1, always a big fan of your write ups.

My good friend @Mohit1 has a BMW X5. He might be able to give you more feedback.

Good going @Gaurav bhai. Good thought. Looks like a wonderful area to explore. I'm on with full support.

@Gaurav bhai you are right, flag and proper communication through a 2 way radio. But I like @EmVarlet suggestion, they should attend a Carnity Absolute Newbie training.

Only for the off roaders. See anything missing besides the distance. @Gaurav, @Asif Hussain, @skumar83, @Atif, @baselsm83, @NOOR OMAR, @Mujtaba, @EmVarlet