Ale Vallecchi

@Mohamed Seidam it's our duty to make our dreams come true. Great writing!!!

Thanks @Frederic. I will look into that 😅

Thanks @Frederic for the great new club. As far as introductions go, alongside my previous activity (more a hobby) as adventure tour guide (see other threads), I enjoyed photographing the extreme places I had the fortune of visiting. Since we are speaking of a different era (it truly is, in terms of technological advancements), those photos were taken with a series of reflex machines: first Minolta, then Canon, and finally the gem of the times (talking about the middle 1990's), a professional Nikon F5 and a Nikon F100, with Nikkor lenses. I guess my approach in photography has been as the one I had with off-roading: first learn how to "drive", then upgrade to a better car. So I first taught myself the skills and tricks of photography using a basic camera, then slowly moved up to more sophisticated machines, which just allowed me to capture a few more things (quicker focus, more range of exposing options in manual, longer and/or wider lenses), but didn't add much to my abilities to choose subjects, frames, lights, etc.. I used to travel with the 2 camera bodies on me at all times, each mounting a different lens (a wide angle zoom with 17-24 mm opening, and a telephoto 70-300mm zoom). This made me always ready to "draw", and gave me many more opportunities to shoot different subjects and situations. Hard to believe nowadays, those cameras used real film rolls. I used to favor Fuji Velvia 50, for its vivid greens and blues, and Ektakchrome E100 for its warm reds and oranges. I would normally leave for a trip with between 50 and 100 rolls, and ended up taking an average of around 2,000 shots each trip. One reason for this enormous number of pics was that I liked to use underexposure and overexposure with most shots, to ensure a variety of color hues with the same pic, from which to chose my favorite). Also, the risk of not getting the right photo was quite high (no live viewing of the pic), hence more shots were taken of the same subject, just in case. I used to work a lot in manual, and sometimes with A priority (less times with S priority). Each photo was the result of a thought process, which forced me to think about a lot of variables, before and while shooting, that made each chosen photo (not more than 100 each trip) extremely satisfying. Then, digital photography appeared. Slowly but surely, great film types and brands went out of production, reflex cameras were virtually terminated, photos started to be viewed on a PC rather than with a projector (you wouldn't believe the difference if you haven't seen it), immediate reviewing became available, automatism started to kick in, and photography lost all its poetic meaning, for my. At least, it became a much colder, mechanical means of expression, in my opinion. So, here I am, an old-timer in the world of today's quick and cheap photos. I have tried using digital cameras, only to be displeased by the lack of detail, warmth and finesse that old slide mounted pics possessed. I have used all the ready-made tricks the new camera's menus have to offer, but they all have given an artificial feeling to my photos. So I am doing what most of us do today: I use my cell phone (and indeed some take great quality pictures), while trying to apply the old tricks, learned in a foregone analog world, in terms of how to "cut" a photo, angles, choice of subjects, and all that went into the preparation of a nice, well constructed shot. This has still allowed me to take some nice photos of our deserts, during our drives, which I will be very happy to share with you on this thread. And thanks again to Fred for coming up with this idea, which will has surely revived my desire to take pics.

@Veedooshee GREAT news !! Can't wait to have a drive with you.

How can you see yourself as a "most boring guy" with your drives, is beyond my belief..... @Rahimdad you are the reason why many of us are with Carnity, and you are at the beating heart of this great community. Magic guy is a more apt description. Looking forward to our next drive together (it has been a while).

Sand to Mountains, RAK Exploration Drive - Report: The more the merrier Dear Desertnauts What a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning. With so many of you!! Rarely I have seen such an enthusiastic response. Thanks to all of you for the trust, and active participation. This was veritably a case of "the more the merrier". This is not always true in off-roading, as bigger/longer convoys often lead to headaches. But last Saturday, thanks to Legend @Gaurav's availability to lead half of the group, to the nature of the terrain, as well as (and in no small part) to the consistent ability of all drivers, we managed 26 cars, with no major stucks, through a very long drive, in sometimes uncharted terrain. The drive started with a very timely meeting (not gathering 😅), in the tight spot where the dirt track leading into the desert leaves the tarmac road to the Ritz-Carlton Resort. We managed to separate the two groups, each on one side of the road, and to conduct a briefing in the chilly open air, before a rather early departure. As mentioned in the pre-drive briefing, this is an area where locals operate mostly camel, goat and sometimes vegetable farming, with a great number of tracks which lead over and around dunes. The open terrain is not easy to navigate off-track, due to the large amount of vegetation (you never know if there are trees or bushes on the other side of a dune, and when one finds out it may be too late to redirect), as well as a lot of pockets, double ridges, and other features created by the proximity of the dunes to each other. In fact, I had to exit the car twice, as I was uncertain about what laid ahead, to find the right path for the convoy, away from tight pockets full of soft sand, or bushes. Besides the intricacy of the paths we followed, the beauty of this area is given by its most prominent feature: the Longitudinal (or Seif) dunes. As explained in @Frederic's essay on dunes (available among this site's threads). these run alongside the direction of prevailing winds, and both sides (especially closest to the ridge, which tends to be less sharp, as smoothed by the wind) have quite soft sand. We enjoyed the beautiful landscapes' panoramas, from the top of some of the higher dunes, looking down onto the waves of these Longitudinal dunes, separated by sabkhas, the larger ones looking like dark lakes, with lone Acacia trees dotting them, like small green islands. Once we managed to reach the largest two sabkhas, surrounded by lower, still baby Saif dunes, we could not resist riding on top of their humpback, wider ridges. Hence the snaking around up the very ling length of these dunes, which most managed to ride all the way, while a occasionally exiting safely down the low slope onto the safe, hard plain (most of the early exits due to the sand getting softer, and looser, on top, or to some breaks in the ridge that invited more caution). Great job by all the Newbies, @frederic demolder, @Mike Kraher, @Baskaran P.R, @Alphin Aloor, @Arman, @Shehab Alawadhi, @Paul Zeitoun, in practicing a skill - ridge riding - which is more of a Fewbie level trick. Yet, the environment felt safe, so we pushed the drive a little bit toward the end, to add an extra layer to this great off-roading day. Once reached the exit point, on the outskirts of Al Ghail Industrial Area (after driving 53 Kms, in 3:15 hours), with Gaurav we decided to pull an ace from our sleeves, and attempt a "recce" drive in the last area of dunes before sand turns into rocks, and meets the Ajari Mountains. Hence, with the group's Fewbies, @Ahab Shamaa, @Niki Patel, @Federico De Chirico, @Federico Galbieri, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ. @Mahmoud Hamzawy and @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, we remain deflated, exited the industrial area on the main tarmac road, crossed it, and re-entered the sand in the direction of Al Ghail village proper. This is a small plateau of sand, with a variety of dunes, all very young and shifty (moved around and re-arranged by the wind), mostly of soft golden yellow sand, which first cascade onto a smaller, lower plateau, then eventually drop onto a gravel path, where the sand abruptly ends, and the black mountain rock begins to rise on the other side. This makes for a short, but exiting drive, with possibility of ridge riding, some criss-crossing, and, the final bonus, a straight climb, or sharp side sloping, on the wall of a very tall slip-face (where the plateau takes its first step down). Stunning views of the mountains accompany the ride, with a glorious mix of yellow, black and blue colors. After the bonus "recce", we reached our drive, which totaled 67 Kms, in 4:31 hours (3:12 moving), at an average speed of 15 Km/h (21 Km/h while moving). Thanks again to all the members who joined and have already written very good reviews of the drive: well done @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran, @Bala Krishnan, @Ben84, @varunmehndiratta, @AlexPol, @Hisham Masaad and @Harold Roberts. One final special thanks goes to the 2 support drivers in my convoy: well done to @paolo dassi as a sure-wheeled Center Forward, and @Luca Palanca Falsini as a vigilant Sweep. See you again on the sand, as soon as my FJ will be returned to me.

Hi @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran. OK will do that. Thanks a lot and see you tomorrow. ATTENTION It seems there may be road works around Sheikh Khalifa Hospital. Google maps is giving an itinerary to reach the meeting point with a turn off toward E611. PLEASE FOLLOW GOOGLE MAPS. For any need my number is 0522163122. It's also my WhatsApp contact. Thanks.

Hi @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran. OK will do that. Thanks a lot and see you tomorrow.

Hello @Mahmoud Hamzawy. You are in tomorrow's drive. Please acknowledge. You'll be joining @Gaurav's convoy. Thanks.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to get ready for tomorrow's Boxing Day drive in RAK. First, as this is the first Newbie driver we take in this area, let's consider it an "exploration" drive: this means that there is the chance that we'd have to stop occasionally to check the track ahead, or re-direct to find a cleaner path. The Second Lead's job will be to follow instructions very carefully, and for the convoys to exercise some patients whenever the situations above may arise. Secondly. due to the nature of the terrain, very much rich in vegetation, with a lot of human activities by locals, and therefore with a variety of tracks that mark the area, we'll mainly follow the tracks, with some occasional venturing in untracked areas. This will not make the drive any easier: there will be dunes to cross (especially toward the drive), up and downhills to manage, and finesse driving to avoid bushes, pockets and bumps. Keep in mind that most of the driving in the world's deserts is done on sand tracks, so this won't be any less adventurous. It will give us the opportunity to enjoy the environment, the occasional animals and farms we'll pass, the stunning sabkhas will drive on, and the beautiful longitudinal dunes we'll cross. As you know, we'll drive in 2 separate convoys. They will both enter and exit in the same two places, and may drive in the proximity of each other, but will nonetheless be led separately. The other convoy (we never have # 1 and # 2) will be led by Carnity's legend @Gaurav. As the original meeting place is the only one both convoys will have to use please follow carefully the instructions below, as far as reaching it, and keeping with the right convoy (mine or Gaurav's). Please, use E311 to reach the meeting point; Pay attention to possible detours that have been operated near Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital Stay on Al Shohabadaa Road, and look for signs to The Ritz Carlton Desert Resort: follow these Once you'll reach the meeting point - a left-side turn off from the tarmac road leading to the Ritz-Carlton, onto a gravel track: MY CONVOY, LINE UP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD (you can enter the gravel area with the first cars that will reach the location, behind me) GAURAV'S CONVOY, LINE UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. Please keep the road clear in the middle, so that local's trucks may pass. The following will be the group's breakdown, and convoy order: ALE'S CONVOY: @Federico Galbieri as Second Lead @frederic demolder at #3 @Mike Kraher in place #4 @Baskaran P.R at #5 @Federico De Chirico will be #6 @Alphin Aloor is #7 @paolo dassi will anchor the convoy at #8 @Saneesh Thomas is #9 @Bala Krishnan at #10 @Arman will be #11 @Shehab Alawadhi at #12 @Paul Zeitoun will be in place #13, and @Luca Palanca Falsini will Sweep the convoy GAURAV'S CONVOY: @Niki Patel will be Second Lead @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran at #3 @Ben84 will be #4 @varunmehndiratta is #5 @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ will take #6 @AlexPol in #7 @Hisham Masaad at #8 @Harold Roberts will take #9 @DANIEL NOGUEIRA is #10, and @Ahab Shamaa will close in the Sweep's position Please, make sure to reach the meeting point on time, and separate from the other convoy, as instructed above. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. See you tomorrow.

Hi @DANIEL NOGUEIRA. Copy that See you tomorrow.

Hi @Mahmoud Hamzawy. Nothing so far, but I will keep you posted. Thanks.

Dear @Mahmoud Hamzawy, I will place you at #1 on the WL. At the moment the convoys are stretched as much as they can be, considering the new area and needs for safety, but if someone drops out you'll be in. Thanks a lot. Dear @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader you are #2 on the WL. Thanks for asking.

Thanks for the video @Mohamed Seidam. Just wandering if, in the time it took to tie the rope around the tire and secure it to the car, some good old shoveling would have also done the trick. After all it was a short wheel base car, and on the first stuck, with a front-heavy position, digging a V under the front may have freed the chassis enough for the car to self recover, just as quickly. Then, of course, each driver grows up in different off-roading cultures, and I've found that what is drilled into you is what you end up resorting to, all the time. I have driven once with an acquaintance who had been taught in his club to winch cars out, and who had never used a kinetick tow rope!! Yet winching suited him just fine. So, while I may prefer shovelling (always my first resort) it's good to see these videos, from different off-roaders, to learn thinking outside our box, and learn new tricks. Now, I would still prefer shovelling, but will keep this in mind, in the need arises. Thanks!!

Complimenti @Luca Bregni!!

Bravo Fede!!

Hi @Shehab Alawadhi. We'll arrange accordingly. Thanks

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA done. See you Saturday. BTW is your car sorted out?

No worries @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran. You are already signed up. Hi @DANIEL NOGUEIRA. I didn't think you were in the WL. Sorry. You can still sign up on the page, or would you prefer I add you? Thanks.

Dear Desertnauts Considering the enormous number of wait listed members, it has been decided to re-open the drive, and accept up to 22 Newbies and above. The convoy will then be split in 2, with the legendary @Gaurav leading the other group. Therefore, I have added all those waitlisted to the drive. @Luca Palanca Falsini, @paolo dassi, @Ahab Shamaa, @Paul Zeitoun, @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran, @varunmehndiratta, @Bala Krishnan, @AlexPol, @Hisham Masaad, PLEASE REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM THE LIST, IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO PARTECIPATE IN THE DRIVE. Looking forward for the final information before the drive, in the next couple of days.

Dear @Hisham Masaad I have added you to the WL. Thanks.

LONG TREKS – OBJECTIVES, PREPARATION, AND MANAGEMENT (Part 2) As anybody can guess, one of the most critical ingredients of a successful desert exploration is water. In order of importance, the need for water is for drinking, cooking, car maintenance, and finally, washing. From the physiological point of view, once a person looses through perspiration approximately 2 liters (or 2-3% of its body weight in water), she/he starts to experience loss of concentration, fatigue, dizziness, and general discomfort. So, replenishing your body’s reserves of water is a must. Perhaps few know that there are optimal times for drinking water, to maximize absorption. Locals know well what are the ideal water drinking times: in fact, if you notice a Bedouin or a Tuareg’s habits, they would drink water only in the morning and in the evening, without takin countless sips during the day. What they take countless sips of, during the day, is tea. With lots of sugar. This forefather of energy drinks resets the body’s dehydration gauge. That is, simple water passes rapidly through the system, reducing its benefits mostly to cooling the body, while sugared tea gets processed more slowly, providing a deeper and longer lasting hydration of the cells. Of course, one still needs water to make tea, so the requirement for water in terms of supplies will not change. How much to drink may vary depending on the season. Also, the first days of the trip may also require more water, as the body adapts to the drier environment. All things considered, in general we calculated that each person should need 3 liters of drinking water per day (these may be reduced to no less than 2 liters in winter, or upped to 5 liters if trekking were involved), while on a daily basis we accounted for a usage of 2 more liters for cooking and brewing tea, plus 1 additional liter for washing/shaving (even though this consumption may be reduced by using wet towels to wash), and, finally, another 1 liter for potential car maintenance. That makes a total of 6 or 7 liters per person each day, just to be on the safe side. So, for 12 days out in the desert, a group of 14 people will require a supply of almost 1,200 liters of water. WATER REQUIREMENT: Done. Next chapter – Fuel supply. We only used to get a little anxious about the need to refuel when the gauge in our cars started reading “Kilometers left: --------“. Since Cafu appeared on the UAE scene, we do not even have to worry about that. Now, imagine a 2 (or 3) week drive, 1,000 km from the nearest Cafu truck, and fuel, once again, becomes a major concern. At this junction, knowing your vehicle’s fuel consumption comes in handy, to establish your requirements for the whole trip. Let’s start with the assumption that a Land Cruiser normally goes just under 6Km with 1 Liter of gasoline, in city driving conditions. Add some extra consumption to account for driving on sand: let’s say a benevolent 5Km/Lt (or an equivalent of 20 Liters to cover 100 Km). Under these assumptions, and considering the cars we were using (Land Cruisers 70 Series) were equipped with a dual tank, their 130 Liter capacity would last for Kms 650 (130 Lt/20 x 100 = 650). Adding to this calculation the fact that the cars will travel with a full load (4 passengers plus gear and supplies) and keeping a minimum safety margin (one never wants to be running on fumes), let’s say each full tank will be good for 600Km. Therefore, planning for a 1,500 Km trip means that each car would need to carry approximately 200 Liters of extra fuel (to be on the safe side). That’d be 10 jerry cans of 20 Liters, to be stacked on the roof rack. Clearly quite a load to carry, which would force the group to greatly streamline their luggage. Thankfully, regardless of how remote some of the locations we would pass seem to be (and actually are), they happen to find themselves along major trading routes. Originally, of salt caravans, and pilgrims on their way to Mecca; nowadays, salt is still traded along these lanes, but other commercial goods are motor trucked across the Sahara, from Central Africa to the coast of the Mediterranean. So, thankfully, Bilma, Dirkou and Arlit are either equipped with proper gas stations, and, more likely, with refueling points, where gasoline is pumped out of barrels. Considering that our two refueling points, Bilma and Arlit, were respectively 550 Kms away from Agadez, and another 600 Kms away (Arlit from Bilma), we were able to carry “only” an extra full tank worth of jerrycans. Incidentally, water can also be resupplied at the same locations (which they also happen to be oasis), so that the load of water tanks needed for the whole trip could also be reduced. FUEL SUPPLY: Done. Next chapter – Kitchen and camping equipment.

Hello @Arman. Thanks for raising your points. We will not need any particular gear. This an area with mostly sand, and virtually no rocks, as we'll exit just before reaching the line where sands subsides and the mountains rise. No mountain related equipment will be necessary. Furthermore, there may be some small flat pans with some residues of dried crust, but they should be mostly dry and dusty. Cannot guarantee that your underside will remain clean, but certainly it will not be encrusted. See you on Saturday.

We have been working on that @DANIEL NOGUEIRA. At the moment we have 3 routes in the area (on sand). We'll continue working on expanding our trips' locations, but we need to do it cautiously, going first for recce drives, then in with Intermediates, and finally involve all levels, when we'll be sure the routes are safe for all. More to come.

Yes @Shehab Alawadhi the meeting time will be 7:00 AM, as what I meant by "later than usual" is 30 minutes later than all other Carnity drives so far, which are starting at 6:30AM. So please, all drivers, plan to be at the meeting point no later than 7:00AM. Thanks a lot.