Ale Vallecchi

ATTENTION: To reach the meeting point please take the exit immediately after the detour ends. There is a Ritz Carlton sign to follow there.

Hello @Mukundan Nair. You're welcome to join. Sorry for waiting so long to confirm. Please let me know if you're coming. Thanks a lot.

Hi @Tamas Hoffmann. Sure, you can join back. See you tomorrow.

Thanks for confirming @Abu Muhammad. I hope it's nothing serious. Have a good weekend. Dear @Ilya Golubinsky. A spot has opened up in tomorrow's drive in RAK. Can you confirm if you are able to join? Thanks a lot.

@Abu Muhammad I hope all is well. I heard you had troubles with your car this morning. When possible, can you please let me know if you can take part to tomorrow's drive? If not I'd like to let the next waitlisted member in. Thanks a lot for the news (and really hope all is good)..

Meeting and deflation point are the same. The link is correct and confirmed. Thanks.

Dear Desertnauts. Ready to explore an area rarely seen before!? Do not forget to wear your adventurer's hat, as we still know very little about what we'll find in this "Sand to Mountain" drive. There are numerous trails that we'll try to follow, with occasional detours in the open terrain. Occasionally, I may have to stop the convoy and exit the car to evaluate the best route. We may either be satisfied with what we find, or disappointed, and never think of driving here again. In any case, a certain degree of uncertainty awaits us. We are planning to exit around 10:30/11:00. Our convoy order will be the following: @Islam Solimanwill take Second Lead position @Syed Raza Hussain will start at #3 @Rizwan Waheed will start at #4 @Abu Muhammad will be #5 @Senthil Kumar will drive at #6 @asifk will be Center Forward @Dagdag Sofiane will be #8 @Tero Vallas is going to be #9 @Rizwanm2 will take #10 @Biju Abdul is driving at #11, and @Chaitanya D will Sweep the convoy. The meeting and deflation point is just off a small tarmac road, to the right of the main highway, leading from E611 toward Al Ghail. As there have been road works in the area, make sure you follow the signs to the new Ritz Carlton Al Wadi Desert Resort (the meeting point is on the road leading to it) Upon arrival please tune in to Carnity Channel 2 (446.031). Make sure you arrive with as full a tank as possible, and with all the necessary gear for this driving level. Besides the compressor, this means having at least a good shovel, and possibly a kinetic recovery rope (not yet mandatory as Fewbies, but recommended) Looking forward to seeing you Saturday morning, I wish you a nice start of the weekend.

Hello @Abu Muhammad. You are IN the drive. Can you please confirm that you will be joining? Thanks

Thanks for trying @Tamas Hoffmann. Hope to see you another time.

Hi @Mukundan Nair. You would be #3 on the WL. Thanks a lot.

Very well earned @Chaitanya D. Your love for off-roading is unequivocal, and totally worthy of this recognition. Congrats!!

Well done @Nabil Bishara. Enjoy the promotion.

Good job @Ilya Golubinsky. You are ready for it. Enjoy.

Dear Desertnauts, A few words about this exploration drive planned for next Saturday. Few words is all that I can use, since we have only visited this area once. The idea to develop a "Sea to Mountain" route came to me after driving the first portion of this itinerary (before joining Carnity). That drive seemed nice at the time, and indeed it still is extremely interesting, even though the vegetation in the area has exploded since more than 1 year ago, changing the look and feel of the area. That first route was then tested a few weeks ago, and driven by an Intermediate convoy less than a month ago. We managed to go from the seaside (next to Barracuda Resort) to almost E611 (even though the access has been sealed off since 2019, and we had to exit back on E311). Hence, the second leg of the "Sea to Mountain" route, renamed "Sand to Mountain", starts at the end of E611, heading in an easterly direction, toward the foothills of the Ajar Mountains. The area we wish to explore, roughly from the entrance of the new Ritz-Carlton Resort to the industrial outskirts of Al Ghail town, is relatively large, and is criss-crossed by several tracks, leading in and out of it, connecting several farms with the major tarmac roads surrounding the area. After last week's first Intermediate drive, we have chosen to open the drive to Fewbie drivers as well. This is to give all of you the opportunity to experience the double-edged sword of an "absolute first" drive, where the excitement of the exploration may be balanced by the challenge of driving in an unusual surrounding, completely different than our usual, purely sand based, stomping grounds. Free ranging camels, wild donkeys, longitudinal (Seif) dunes that suck your car down into their molasses-like sand, and, most amazingly, wide open plain areas with the look and feel of a savannah. This are some of the amazing situations and sights we will find and see during this exploration drive. All off-roading skills will be tested (finesse and control in particular), and at the end of the drive each should have gained a little more experience and knowledge about themselves, their relationship with their car, and the nature in which we'll be driving. @Syed Raza Hussain, @Tero Vallas, @asifk, @Rizwanm2, @Senthil Kumar, @Dagdag Sofiane, @Rizwan Waheed, @Biju Abdul, @Islam Soliman, @Tamas Hoffmann and @Chaitanya D, you will receive more info on Friday. In the meantime, have a great week.

Dear @Abu Muhammad, thanks for asking. You will be #1 on the WL. Hello @Ilya Golubinsky. You are #2 on the WL. Thanks for asking.

Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher. It was great fun being part of the drone shooting, and can't wait to see the final result. For me and the rest of the convoy the footage will be stunning, no matter what. Of course, I do look forward to more opportunities to perfect your work, so feel free to ask, any time you wish to fly the drone. I also appreciate your point of view on the over-driven segments we visited on Saturday. Heavily marked sand certainly tests your driving, in terms of use of power and control of the car. Better to get used to it, and know how to handle these conditions. Nonetheless, I will continue to look for less visited, and yet challenging areas, to bring a smoother and more unspoiled flavor to our drives. Thanks a lot for your enthusiasm and passion.

Very well done @Syed Raza Hussain. Enjoy the upgrade

Congrats @Yasas Dharmadasa. Very much earned promotion!

Way to go @Christian Andras!! Very deserved promotion. See you soon for an upgraded adventure.

Well done @Gok Krish. As you can see, your enthusiastic participation in the drives has been promptly rewarded.

Well done @marks. Hard work and enthusiasm always pay off. See you soon.

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 and above When: 24 October 2020, Saturday Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: IMPORTANT NOTICE - This is an exploration drive, in a little travelled area for off-roaders, in rather technical terrain. The pace may be slow, and the skills required will include finesse and control, due to the need to pick the right path through an environment with abundant vegetation (shrubs first, then trees), with sporadic animal farms, sets of soft sand dunes with little room to maneuver, and open sabkhas. This drive will test the complete set of off-roading skills, providing a good opportunity to make you a more complete desert driver. Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/UsVoyEaC9YdZdJbG8 IMPORTANT: There was a diversion after turning from E311 toward E611. Follow the signs to the Ritz Carlton Desert Resort. 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: 10:30 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL END THE DRIVE AT A 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 Fewbies and above drivers. 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. 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

THE DAY OF THE DRONE: Pink Rock to Badayer "Red Sand Bonanza - Drive Report It doesn't happen everyday to have the opportunity of driving with a professional drone pilot, with his drone in tow. As soon as @Lorenzo Candelpergher suggested that we shoot some aerial footage during the drive, we jumped for joy, and immediately organized an extended itinerary, to include both scenic sites (Pink Rock at dawn is certainly a sight to behold), and more action-packed locations (Badayer's dune pyramids and bowls). After deflating in the morning's chill (17 degrees....brrrrr), we moved, while still in the dark, toward Pink Rock. Once at its base, Lorenzo's drone took off in the first light of day, to shoot the climb through the rock's fork, then hovered to record the sun rising over the desert and the mountains behind. Can't wait to see the footage. With the first scene completed, we proceeded to cross the plateau that separates Pink Rock from Badayer. Unfortunately, the crossing was made unpleasant by the enormous number of tracks, covering virtually every dune, hill, bump, step, pocket, and anything else on the ground. A clear reminder that off-roading season has started, it makes one long for the past months, when driving in these same areas used to be as smooth as silk. Getting closer to Big Red (and the "Tall Dune Before Big Red") it became clear that track-wise things were not getting better. On the contrary, the closer we got to the big dunes, the more we realized how much damage to the terrain the Friday climbing frenzy can make. Nonetheless, we managed a few bumpy ins and outs of a couple of Big red's bowls, before we decided to move into Badayer proper, pointing toward the farthest bowls, in the hope that less cars had reached them the day before. Luckily, that was the case, so that the convoy managed to ride up and down a couple of tall dune pyramids, with a synchronism that went from rusty, at first, to smooth and coordinated toward the end. At this point (we were actually at the furthest point from Badayer Shops) Lorenzo's drone made its second and final appearance, to shoot what I hope will be very nice footage of myself, @Rinelle Sanaani, @Yousef Alimadadi, @Mehmet Volga and @Jun Zamora riding ridges, scaling bowls, criss-crossin over to the successive one, then up, down and across again, in a series of four adjacent bowls. Until the batteries ran out, and we had to all get back from being actors in an action scene, to just being the desert wanderers that we usually are. In fact, we had wandered so much that we found ourselves almost at the foot of Iftar Bowl, and following a couple of stucks on increasingly soft (and once again, very marked) sand, we decided it was time to write "The End" to this drive. In the end, we had driven for 4:20 hours and 60.5 Km, at an average speed of 14 Km/h (22 Km/h while moving) and almost 1 Km of vertical climbing. Thank everybody for enduring the long and challenging drive. Have a great week, and look forward to seeing you soon.

THE OTHER SIDE OF QUDRA: Access (restricted) to a still unspoiled desert - Trip Report While many clubs scoff at Qudra as an entry-level, all too busy and easy desert to drive, only few understand, and enjoy, its diversity, openness, and wild (in terms of fauna) feeling. Thankfully so; while most look for thrills in the big bowl areas, or near the famous Rocks, Carnity continues to discover new locations, in and around the Qudra Basin. The so called Bab al Shams area is one of them, along with South Solar Park, Lisaili, Margham and Little Sweihan. Yet, what makes this area interesting and diverse, was also the reason for a delayed departure, from an unplanned deflating point. In fact, as we reached the original meeting point, we were chased away by a zealous watchman, who must have started patrolling the area only since a few days. That is, since a new (almost invisible) "no entry" sign has been put up, exactly at our deflation point. The sign seems to have been put up to protect migratory birds who use this part of Qudra to nest and reproduce, according to the guard's supervisor, who eventually allowed us to proceed into the desert, and deflate far away from the tarmac road, and the protected area. After this initial delay, the drive started very smoothly, and progressed even more pleasantly. It was so smooth that it soon became clear that the convoy was more like a Fewbie Minus, rather then a Newbie group. So I decided to bump up the drive to a gentle Fewbie level, practicing higher side-slopes (this particular area, near our entry point, is a side-slope paradise), and a few dunes' criss-crossings. We still had a few refusals and a couple of stucks (both on crests), but these actually gave the whole convoy the opportunity to pause, and analyze the stucks' dynamics, thus improving the understanding of the dos and donts of this dune crossing technique. The drive ended at the Bab al Shams tarmac road, not before practicing a low and safe ridge riding. All of this without meeting other convoys, and driving mostly on virgin sand. Big thanks go to @Foxtrot Oscar (Angela) for sweeping the convoy on the fly, assisting on all recoveries (self and aided ones), as well as to @Lukas Lewis, who found himself thrown into the Second Lead position, which he did manage in a safe and calm manner. To all other drivers - @Pickey Singh, @Yasas Dharmadasa, @Sandeep Padhi, @Archibald Jurdi, @Arda Yagcioglu, @Karthik Krishnakumar, @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan, @Shital Somaiya, @Athula Dharmadada and @Ranjan Das - I can only say "bravi", as you all drove with very good skills (higher than the average Newbie), facing everything with enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Good job. In the end, we drove 3:54 hours, and 49 Kms, at an average speed of 13 Km/h (24 Km/h while moving). Thanks to all of you for the nice drive. Have a great week, and see you soon.