Ale Vallecchi

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 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 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. Drive Details Level: Fewbie PLUS Level and Above (Fewbies with minimum 5 Fewbie drives completed) When: 4 May 2021, Tuesday. Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: This drive is a mix of the first 2 visits to this area, which were focused on exploring it and on ridge-riding. It will add an element of speed, since we'll be looking to extend it through Mahafiz and Nazwa's villages, possibly on toward Pink Rock, or even Big Red. Ridge riding will remain the main skill to be trained in this drive, while the element of exploration will apply mainly to the drive's possible extension beyond Nazwa. Time will be our main constraints, as in all afternoon drives, so there is no exactly planned exit point. We'll go as far as we can. Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/jwbqdW28NvuP239v5 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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:00PM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Fewbie Plus and above drivers. RSVP will close on Monday - 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

Brava @Foxtrot Oscar Angela!!! Very glad to have seen you progress from your first drives, and proud to have been at your baptism of fire.

Dear Desertnauts. Here are the last minute's info and recommendations for tomorrow's drive. First, about the meeting point, it can be reached, as indicated by Google Maps, by driving from Qudra's Last Exit toward the Bab al Shams Resort, and entering the drive's area after circling the third roundabout (you'll see an ambulance stand and a mosque): cross the first opening in the guard-rail, the bike track (watch out for bikers, and for the road works), and drive though the gate until you should see my car waiting for the convoy on top of a very small hill. Please arrive at 6:00 AM sharp (or earlier). As soon as you arrive you can start deflating, and tune into Carnity Channel #3 (446.056). We will leave as soon as possible, but while the convoy is deflating you'll likely be able to start warming up to the photo hunt theme, by shooting the sunrise, on the left of the sand track, due to happen at 5:45am (hence, perhaps, you'd better reach the meeting point earlier). As mentioned in the drive's presentation, we'll be able to take pictures of the most scenic sights, ONLY 1) from inside the car, or 2) just standing next to your car (not in groups), and 3) taking portraits one at the time, while the rest will be waiting their turn, in the same order as the convoy's. The convoy will line up as follows: @Foxtrot Oscar (Angela) in SL @samamara in place #3 @aaron kamall at #4 @Anoop Nair #5 @Sunil Mathew in the #6 spot @tarek at #7 @Niki will anchor the convoy (Center Forward) @Lucas Neo in #9 place @TT_Dubai with jersey #10 @Russ in the #11 spot, and @Desert Dweller (Jamy) closing the convoy at Sweep. Get ready for the drive with a restorative rest, and to enjoy a picturesque drive. See you tomorrow.

Murqaab to Solar Park (and beyond): Long Range Patrols - Drive Report "Respond to every call that excites your spirit" - Rumi A small and experienced group of drivers met between the green Margham farms and the red sand plateau that separates this village from Nazwa. The goal of the day was to climb the bowls of this plateau, and use it as a launching pad to zoom across the technical dunes just to its west/south-west, reaching the Dubai-Al Ain Road, cross it, then entering the long range, white sand, Lisaili dunes, to exit at Solar Park. As it often happens with small groups, the going was fast, unimpeded by stucks (a few refusals were sorted out very quickly), which allowed to cover the various stages of the drive in the bat of an eye. It took 1:30 hr to reach the tarmac at Lisaili (which for a normal FB drive, in a 12 car convoy, would take up to 3 hours), and another fast 1:30 hr to drive from Lisaili's camel-drome to the 3 Trees, near Solar Park's road. Given there was still 40 minutes left of daylight, as recommended by the poet Rumi, we did "respond to the call that exited our spirit", and extended the drive in the general direction of Bab al Shams' exit. Half an hour later (31 minutes to be precise) we recorded the first stuck, on a perfect crest, overlooking the sun setting on the horizon just beyond our exit track. Also thanks to the short length of the convoy, we managed to experiment with shifting all drivers in all positions. We started with @GauravSoni in SL and @Shehab Alawadhi in SW, then moved Shehab to SL, to test and train his finesse driving on the technical dunes between Margham and Lisaili, and let Gaurav Soni take the sweep's place, moved on to have @Thomas Varghese in SL and @Arda Yagcioglu at sweep, and finished with Arda in SL and Thomas sweeping the convoy. I hope this gave all drivers the opportunity to share the responsibilities of the key positions of any convoy, and make hood use of this experience in the future. In the end, the drive managed to get included in the Long Range Patrol's series of drives, with a length of 102.2 Km, covered in 3:55 hours, of which only 38 minutes not moving, for a final average speed of 26Km/h (and 30Km/h while moving). Thanks to the members for joining, and hope to see you (and more) for the next edition of Long Range Patrols. Enjoy the weekend.

Nice going @Joe Biju Joseph. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks for the update @soumyasaklani. See you another time.

Not to my knowledge @topgear

Bravo @PaoloMaraziti !!! Hope to drive with you soon

Hello @TT_Dubai. Good to know you have new wheels. Just make sure the LC200 complies with all the requirements of an off-road drives (especially sturdy tow points front and back, clearance, flag, and possibility to switch off the electronics). Looking forward to seeing you on Friday.

Hi @Sunil Mathew (formerly known as Aragon). No worries for bringing your family. For wildlife shots I would at least bring a long lens, as I cannot guarantee how close we can get to the animals. See you on Friday. Thanks.

Dear Desernauts. As we get ready for this weekday break from work, I am happy to see that a compact unit of selected and loyal members has signed up for the drive. In some cases, the fewer the better. Long Range Patrols have no problems moving in small teams 😁. In fact, the short convoy will allow us to move faster, and if necessary to linger in some interesting playgrounds. We'll be meeting just off the tarmac road linking Margham, on the E66 (Dubai-Al Ain), to Nazwa, on the E44. We'll shoot immediately for the red sand bowls overlooking the farms, and Nazwa in the distance, before turning south-west, toward Lisaili. Once reached the E66, we'll drive through an underpass, and along the pylon road, to enter the Lisaili's technical dunes leading into the plateau, and from here, on to Solar Park. The spirit of the drive will that of Carnity's Long Range Patrols: faster, direct, safe and watchful. Considering the short length of the convoy, @Gaurav Soni, @Arda Yagcioglu, @Shehab Alawadhi and @Thomas Varghese will take turns at all positions. Once at the meeting point we'll decide which channel to use, based on possible locals' interferences. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 3:00PM.

Dear Desertnauts. Most of us, even the youngest of our members, have been in Qudra at least once. Yet, this is an area that keeps reserving surprises, for those who are willing to stay away from the weekend's crowds, explore its further reaches, and look carefully around them, especially while driving at a leisurely pace. Hence, we'll combine all of these necessary prerogatives - staying away from the crowds, exploring the farthest reaches, looking around with keen eyes, and pacing ourselves at a pleasant and unhurried Newbie level - to offer a new type of drive in the already abundant Carnity's bouquet: the Photo Hunt. The targets of our hunt will be both moving and still: gazelles (usually gathering in large herds) and oryx (more secluded and solitary), will be moving on a stage made of fantastic rock formations, magical pools of water springing from the sand, or ghaf and acacia trees (lonely or in small groups) silhouetting against the white sand dunes. You don't need to be a professional, or a very advanced amateur, photographer to participate and enjoy this drive. Any camera will do, as the subject will be more important than the tools we'll use. The only rules that we'd like to enforce are that photos/films are 1) taken either from inside one's car or while standing next to it, NOT gathering in groups around the subject; and 2) no portraits are taken of any group of passengers (only individual portraits may be taken, but one subject at the time, while the rest of the convoy waits for their turn inside or next to the cars). These rules will be enforced to prevent gatherings, and anybody breaking them will be exited. We will stop long enough, if necessary, to allow everybody to take their shots, but only following the above rules. With this in mind, I would like to thank @Lucas Neo, @Russ, @Sunil Mathew, @Niki, @aaron kamall, @Soumya Saklani, @TT_Dubai, @Anoop Nair, @samamara, @Desert Dweller (Jamy) and @Foxtrot Oscar (Angela) for signing up, and wish you all a great week ahead.

Well done @Dodi Syahdar!!

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: https://maps.app.goo.gl/M9ASgjVyJqa7Yg2c7 Action Plan: We'll target a few scenic sites in the Qudra basin, hunting (armed only with keen eyes and long lenses) for large herds of gazelles and the occasional oryx, fantastic rock formations, natural desert springs (where water flows from nowhere) and stubborn trees popping from the scorching sand. A relaxing, scenic drive, to start the weekend in the most peaceful way. Myself and Angela @Foxtrot Oscar will take turns leading the convoy, each resting our eyes while the other looks for the best photo ops. 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

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 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 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. Drive Details Level: Intermediate Level and Above When: 27 April 2021, Tuesday. Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: A medium to long range drive, depending on the final exit point, taking us from the red sand bowls east of Margham, in a westerly direction, to the long cordons (and a few bowls) of white sand between Lisaili and Solar Park, across from the Dubai-Al Ain Road. We'll keep on driving until dark, with the pylon track running along the Lisaili dunes an easy exit point, at any time. Another blitz of the Carnity Long Range Patrol unit. Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hHJCPBDpXSkNxAGM8 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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:00PM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 Intermediates and above drivers. RSVP will close on Monday - 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

BUON COMPLEANNO Gaurav!!

Sorry @topgear. It doesn't mention it on the receipt, and I can't recall. It's a 2 inch lift kit. Can ask the garage (I need to go back to fix the kill switch).

No Man's Land: To Ganthoot and Back - Drive's Report "What you seek is seeking you" - Rumi As soon as we passed a dirt track that cuts through the desert close to the Dubai/Abu Dhabi border, I started looking for the large herd of oryx that usually roams this area. It usually requires a patient zig-zagging exercise, driving around the dunes, using some beautiful, lonely, palm trees pushing through the sand, as visual waypoints. It may take some time, and the oryx may not be gathered together, to offer the spectacle we hoped to find. This time, what we were seeking was seeking us. In fact, as soon as we started looking for them, the oryx materialized walking their own dusty trail, across the dunes in front if the convoy. We followed for a while half of the herd, while a few minutes later we reached the watering hole where the rest of the oryx were resting, only to see them move away toward the blazing sun. Always a great sight, the families of this bovines, calmly trotting away with their little ones, the males turning toward the convoy, stopping often, as if asking "are you done looking at us?" We had reached the "zenith" of our drive after an adventurous itinerary, through the entry technical area, past the first massive dune we used as our first beacon, and on crossing a few sets of tighter cordons alternating with smoother, more open canyons and sand bowls. Along the way we met with a few unplanned situations: a lost phone and its miraculous recovery, two back-to-back pop outs, a coupe of cars with leaking tires. Nonetheless, all drove very well, on a track that I was hoping may prove accommodating to Fewbies, but likely will have to remain a Fewbie Plus drive. Looking back on the drive's management, I would like to thank the whole convoy for a great handling of the soft sand, the tight dunes, the string of sand bowls, and the tricky criss-crossing into repeated rocky areas. Everybody responded with skills and control, making the drive as smooth and as safe as possible, and contributing to extend it through the last cordons separating the military shooting ground and Solar Park, where we were able to witness a stunning sunset. Invaluable help and support were provided by @Chaitanya D (record holder for the quickest pop-out fix),@Foxtrot Oscar (welcome back, from snow to sand), and @GauravSoni with a well executed Second Lead. Great driving by the "younger" members - @Ranjan Das the only Fewbie + of the convoy, and @Watteaudebuting at Intermediate. @imranaasghar81 you had more trouble with your phone than with your FJ (well done). @Shehab Alawadhi hats off for your ever more expert handling of your big truck: did you find out why your tire was leaking? @Thomas Varghese thanks for the assured drive, as well as for the beautiful photos you posted. @jodha singh shekhawat, well done with your new mount: the more you drive, the more you two will become a perfectly coordinated unit. As for @Arda Yagcioglu, @AlexPol and @Ali Abas I rarely heard from you, which means you were enjoying a smooth, relaxing and well done drive. Thanks everybody for driving 69.5 Km, in 2:36 hours of moving time (for a total of 3:32 hours), at a moving average speed of 27 Km/h (20 Km/h total). See you soon in the sand. It was only part of the herd, which we followed for a short while, before going to search for the other half, still visible on the left of the convoy.

Hi @Niki Patel. My upgrade was minimal. I have installed my first front skid plate (I am a little slow on mods 😅), which lowered my clearance, not just from its thickness (1 cm), but also by the way it's modelled to reach way under the car. I felt it further slowed me down on ridges (considering the stock set up is OK, but also a bit low for sharp ridges), so I asked for the minimum available lift kit. They made me a good offer for a 2 inch Dobinson kit, which I had installed. I am still getting used to it, and have not yet drawn my final conclusions. From the comfort point of view, it's very minorly different from the stock one when on tarmac, so quite bearable (keeping in mind Gaurav's observations on the matter). I can let you know more as I get used to it, and see what difference the new set up makes with my driving.

Dear Desertnauts A few quick notes about tomorrow's drive; As you've seen, it has been expanded to 10 members +2 VIS (Very Important Seniors) in support. On one hand, the quality of the convoy (mostly Intermediates, even though with quite a few debuts at this level) has suggested we can do so; on the other hand, due to the nature of the sand in this area, we'll be very careful in certain more challenging areas, to avoid risky stunts, choosing our tracks carefully, and allowing even a longer convoy to manage. The goal of the drive, besides enjoying a nice weekday out in the desert, is also to identify a Fewbie route, to be offered, safely, to slightly less skilled drivers in the Club. Therefore, we'll cover all the available terrains, perhaps just with a little less flamboyant attitude, than if we were doing a very fast paced Intermediate drive. Let's, nonetheless, keep our exploratory spirits high, and we'll still have lots of fun, in this extremely diverse and virgin area of Dubai. All of the above to simply say that this was meant, and should be, a pleasant afternoon drive, to relax our minds, and take away the worries of our weekdays' schedules. Please consider that I'd like to complete the drive by sunset. This means to arrive punctually at the meeting point (3:00 PM). I have noticed a greatly increased traffic on Hessa Street, and Qudra Street, all the way almost to Mira, during the hours of 1 and 3PM. So, please, leave a little earlier than you normally would, to account for some extra traffic. The goal is to leave ASAP after arriving. Please consider the heat of the day, and the softness of the sand, in choosing your deflation pressure. The convoy order will be the following: @GauravSoni in Second Lead @Ranjan Das at #3 @Arda Yagcioglu at #4 @AlexPol #5 @imranaasghar81 will be #6 @Thomas Varghese#7 @Foxtrot Oscar will play Center Forward @jodha singh shekhawat will take #9 @Shehab Alawadhi is going to be #10 @Ali Abas #11 @Watteau at #12, and @Chaitanya D will Sweep the convoy. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a great day.

@Chaitanya D I have been mulling the question of where to, eventually (you know I am slow on mods), attach a set of night lights on the FJ. The most advised solutions I have been given (particularly one from a garage which deals a great deal with FJs) is (in order of preference): 1) to mount two circular shaped lights inside/behind the radiator grill (with the Toyota sign), to the side of it; 2) have a light bar mounted externally (on a specially made metal bracket) on the top of the bumper; 3) mount a light bar inside the lower grill (moving the plate up) - may get damaged by hits on bumps; Other solutions, require to have a special metal bumper made, on which front lights of any kind (round or bars) can be easily mounted. Still thinking about it (while I specialize in torrid daytime drives) 😅

Well done @JeromeFJ !!

@Arda Yagcioglu you may take the spot that just opened up in the drive. Can you please confirm? Thanks