Ale Vallecchi

Hi @Sam Selim. No problem. I'll be glad to have you. At this point I'd like to switch the drive to Saturday AM. Will correct the post accordingly. Just waiting for @Hani crest king reply, if he may join on Saturday AM instead of Friday PM (due to an emergency change of plans on my part). Thanks to all.

Hello @Hani crest king. Would it be OK for you to move this drive to Saturday morning? Thanks for updating.

Thanks @ChrisW. Saw that. If OK for @ChrisW, @Beide Worku, and @Hani crest king (who just joined the drive: please see the thread above for clarification) I'll switch the drive to Saturday AM. I can also post the starting time as 7:30 AM, so @Jose Luis Campos may join. Please confirm and I'll go ahead with changing the day. Thanks to all.

Hi @khlief. Did you have the chance to see the above? Thanks a lot for your input.

For @ChrisW, @Beide Worku and @Jose Luis Campos Saturday for me is fully open. I'd go with whatever availability you'd all have. AM start would be at 8:00 am, and PM start would be at 3:00 pm. Thanks a lot.

Thanks @ChrisW. For @Beide Worku, @khlief and @Jose Luis Campos, please consider reacheduling to SATURDAY. Thanks to all

Dear @Beide Worku @khlief, @ChrisW and @Jose Luis Campos as I have an emergency on Friday PM (nothing serious, but something I need to attend to) I would like to ask if you would be OK rescheduling the drive on either Saturday or Sunday morning. Please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks for your availability.

We request that every member joining this drive go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above Meeting time: 07:30 AM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9d8rEZJo5G98EpYG8 Action Plan: July 4th celebrates the day humanity defeated the alien fleet that had appeared in Earth's sky, or so it's shown in the 1996 movie "Independence Day". The film follows disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by a powerful extraterrestrial race. So, we'll head to our own Area 51, in the red sands between Pink Rock and Super Bowl, and roam the dunes in between. We look to execute a fast drive, jetting over and around tall star dunes, in the heat of the early summer afternoon, until the sun goes down on our own celebration of Independence Day. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:30 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit 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 - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts The last installment of the Desert Books' series takes us to the den of one of the most endearing characters of the fabulous "The Little Prince" fable: the Fox. In fact, on the way from Sweihan to Faya there is a rocky outcrop that hides a den of desert foxes, aptly named the Fox's Den. This is our goal, which we'll reach through driving to another one of the Sweihan's desert wonders, the Pond, a small lake of sweet water fed by an underground spring. The convoy order will see each Fewbie Plus member guided by a higher ranking member, for a one-on-one tutoring session: @Aser in Second Lead @Andrew John Melvill at #3 @Cesar Chacon at #4 @Giacomo at #5 @Johannes Roux at #6 @topgear at #7 @Sherry Jacob at #8 @Beide Worku at #9 @Hani crest king at #10 @ChrisW at #11 and @Glenn W at #12 The meeting and deflation point will be posted on the main drive's post. See you all tomorrow afternoon to conclude this long weekend in style.

“This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is here that the Little Prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared. Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is."

“The house, the stars, the desert -- what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible!”

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...”

" What makes the desert beautiful," said the Little Prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well.".... (or a Pond)

We request that every member joining this drive go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus and above Meeting time: 03:00 PM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/d8BH6rsYq2vFCgqbA Action Plan: Fifth and last installment of the Desert Books Series, the drive is dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupery's masterpiece "The Little Prince". Here the desert symbolizes the narrator's mind. Made barren by grown-up ideas, the narrator's mind slowly expands under the guidance of the little prince in the same way that the deadly desert slowly transforms itself into a place of learning and, once the well appears, refreshment. As one of the book's protagonists, besides the desert, is The Fox, the track chosen for this drive will take us all the way from Sweihan's entry, through its Pond, to the "Fox's Den, two-thirds of the way to Faya's exit point. The drive will be a bit long, but not too tricky, so feel free to bring guests, with whom to share the pleasure of the desert, and the sun setting on the last ridge of dunes. As usual in this series, in trying to distil the best of the book and to build up to the day of the drive, I'll post a book's quote each day. Let's try to find inspiration in this Desert Books' Series to truly appreciate our interaction with our favorite element of nature. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit 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 - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

Dear @vinayak n@Jason M @Mei ling @Paul Eldho and @Shary. Thanks a lot for your wishes. I will be consulting with the orthopedic this afternoon and should be able to get on with fixing what is likely a strained knee. I thought it best to cancel the drive, as if we need to be physically involved in any kind of action, perhaps I would not be able to be 100% operational. Sorry for wrecking your weekend plans. We'll recover the drive as soon as possible. In the meantime, I wish you a great weekend, and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Dear @vinayak n@Jason M @Mei ling @Paul Eldho and @Shary, just to inform you that yesterday evening I hurt my knee, and I am still trying to assess the situation with its conditions. There is a possibility I may have to cancel the drive. I will be able to make a decision in the next couple of hours. In the meantime, please stay tuned. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Dear Desertnauts preparing for tomorrow's PM drive, we'll start the weekend with what I hope turns out to be a nice mix of climbs, and technical areas. From Pink Rock to Big Red, on to Iftar and Super Bowl, we'll try to reach the furthest star dune in the area, next to Bezhad Ranch (Ericcson Tower), in Al Madam. Get ready for the heat and the sun: "That was what he wanted, to be baked dry and hard, to feel the vaporous worries evaporating one by one, to know finally that all the damp little doubts and hesitations that covered the floor of his being were curling up and expiring in the great furnace-blast of the sun." The convoy will line up as follows: @vinayak n in Second Lead @Jason M at #3 @Mei ling at Center @Paul Eldho at #5 @Shary at #6 and @Aser in Sweep. The meeting and deflation point, at 2 December Cafeteria, is available on the drive's main post. The sooner we arrive close to the planned departure time of 3:30 PM the better. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

" A tourist is someone who thinks about going home the moment they arrive, whereas a traveler might not come back at all. "

" The desert landscape is always at its best in the half-light of dawn or dusk. The sense of distance lacks: a ridge nearby can be a far-off mountain range, each small detail can take on the importance of a major variant on the countryside's repetitious theme. "

" The sky here's very strange. I often have the sensation when I look at it that it's a solid thing up there, protecting us from what's behind . . . "

We request that every member joining this drive go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquettes Emergency details for all off roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above Meeting time: CANCELLED Meeting Point: Action Plan: Third installment of the desert books' series, dedicated to a book turned into Golden Globe and BAFTA's winning movie, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. In the Sheltering Sky, bohemian American couple Port and Kit Moresby, in the hopes of rekindling their marriage, set off for North Africa in 1947, intending to travel through Algeria in search of renewal and personal inspiration. They are instead tested to their limits by the emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert. The chosen track, although far from the north-western Sahara's movie locations, will take us through some rocky outcrops that symbolize the great Plateaus of Niger, as well tall star dunes, reminiscent of the vast expanses of the Malian and Nigerian deserts. Still trying to distil the best of the book, and to build up to the day of the drive, I'll post a book's quote each day. Let's try to find inspiration in this Desert Books' Series to truly appreciate our interaction with our favorite element of nature. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR: Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge Compressor (MANDATORY) Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY) Off-road flag (MANDATORY) Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles First-aid kit 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 - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts Last instructions for tomorrow's drive. As planned, we'll cross the sands between Sweihan and Tilal Resort, hoping to cross, at some point, the path taken by the author of "Arabian Sands" on his way from Yemen to Abu Dhabi. Long range cordons, skirting farms, in the hope of encountering the camels so beloved by the Bedu tribe described in the book. “Many Englishmen have written about camels. When I open a book and see the familiar disparagement, the well-worn humour, I realize that the author's knowledge of them is slight, that he has never lived among the Bedu, who know the camel's worth: 'Ata Allah', or 'God's gift', they call her, and it is her patience that wins the Arab's heart. I have never seen a Bedu strike or ill-treat a camel. Always the camel's needs come first. It is not only that the Bedu's existence depends upon the welfare of his animals, but that he has a real affection for them.” The exit will be in the proximity of a camel track, and close to Tilal Resort, where it will be possible to stop for lunch, for those who choose to do so. The convoy order is the following: @Sam Selim in Second Lead @Wayne Momsen at #3 @fred_ at #4 @Chrismayer at #5 @Diego at #6 @Aser at Center @Myrko at #8 @Steve Farmer at #9 @Humi at #10 @Kirill K at #11 @vinayak n at #12 @Krinesh at #13 and @Giacomo in Sweep Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a nice Saturday evening.