Looper

I am back & doubly so. 💪

Yellow Truck Season is upon us. It's an annual ritual held mostly during the winter months. I invite you to the 2024-25 edition of the famed Yellow Truck Drive. My trip to the location last year: -------------------------------------------- Yellow Truck, what is it - or should I say what was it?: Buried deep inside the Bu Hasa Desert near Madinat Zayed City, there was an abandoned water tanker truck, which due to its remote location, had become a pilgrimage for many off-roaders all over the UAE. It’s not there anymore, in 2023 soon after our drive it was taken away. Before that in 2021 someone painted the truck in national flag colours. Coming forward to early 2024 someone put another truck, yellow in colour in the same location. It is not the same truck, and frankly I don't feel connected to the new one as much as I did for the last one, because it doesn’t have the same heritage and history. But there is one and would like to go and check it out. May be my feelings towards it will change. How did it get there? Nobody knows. Only Speculations. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. We can go there and get our own ideas. What's the location? https://goo.gl/maps/9aiJC29bUyRFHmvJ9 Those who wish to join this drive from Dubai it's a 3+ hours to the meeting point, so ideally well rested body will enjoy this entire day drive without much fatigue, so reaching a night before and camping or sleeping in the car at meeting point would be ideal, but completely optional for everyone. Some say the pre and post drive parties are as famous as the drive itself. ------------------------------------------- SIGNUP CHECKLIST MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAR IS IN GOOD RUNNING CONDITION. Your car should have been serviced recently and all the lubes and fluids are topped up. Repairs inside the desert are going to be a difficult endeavor and are despised. A full fuel tank at the meeting point and extra fuel of 20l in jerry can would be needed. The spare tire should be in good working condition. If not been used recently, ensure that you take it out and check the condition properly. Please ensure that your car has the right tool to remove the tires (if needed). Air compressor, proper shovel, flag, fire extinguisher, first aid kit will be mandatory. Fully charged radio (tuned to all Carnity Frequencies) with spare battery / radio. If you have a car charger for your radio, please bring it along. Car charger / battery pack for your mobile. The drive will start at in the morning time to be announced. Make sure that you reach and are ready to leave on time. The drive will last approximately 6 hours and of will be for upwards of 120 km in the desert. Get lots and lots of rest the previous day. Liwa will not only challenge your vehicle but your mind as well. For those who prefer camping the previous night, you can do so at the starting point as it's a nice spaced-out area. Bring some firewood incase if you wish to have a bonfire to keep you warm. Cleaning up after the bonfire is mandatory. Plenty of water, approx. 5 liters per person per day. Bring along your breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. in easy to eat packaging. We shall be having breaks during the drive. Dry food, energy bar, cookies, nuts, crisp to munch while driving Bring garbage bags along to carry your trash. Littering in the desert is strictly prohibited. Please take this event seriously and understand that this terrain, due to its remoteness and size of the dunes will challenge everyone on this drive. If you decide to bring passengers, please make sure they have spent a full day already in a vehicle in the desert and are used to it. There are hardly any nearby exit tracks and rerouting might take hours, so once we are in this terrain the aim is to complete the entire drive and visit the Yellow Truck

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I have revised the convoy order as follows. We will be driving on Ch 2. JAN 5, SUNDAY

The drive RSVP is now closed. After the rain this morning - seems like we are going to have a totally different track than anticipated. While I am not sure of what I am going to see, I am anticipating a lot of green and/or fresh dunes without any tracks and white sand (in my dreams at least). It will be super technical in some parts. There are some moderately big dunes as well. Let's find out. PS: my topless car would have got wet this morning. It is in the garage so still need to pick up and see. We will be navigating the "scenic route" on Ch 2 (Looper Constant). Nearest Fuel Station is ADNOCAl Faya Shahinat - 2 (763), I am doubtful if they sell 98 octane. Come on E611 then go towards E311, fill up and take a U turn at Seih Al Sedeirah Roundabout - approx. 15 min detour but nearest to fill in. CHECK THE DAY / DATE OF YOUR DRIVE CAREFULLY JAN 4, SATURDAY

@Michael asir this is a fewbie plus drive, i am going to remove you.

@khlief since you have joined the Saturday drive I have removed you from Sunday drive. I don't think you are mad like me to do drive the same track twice.

@Mahesh_ please exit from Sunday drive if you are good to go on Saturday..

I removed you from Sunday morning WL..

Signed up: @nithish468, @Glenn W, @RiadJL, @Ahmed Farouk, @Mahesh_, @azad, @Mahmut, @Andrei S, @Anoop Nair, @Haneef Thayyil, Waitlisted: @khlief, @Cristian, @ChrisW, @Giacomo, @Sandeep Nayar, @Lala G, @Shahid Mehmood Support: @Bjoern As there is a significant wait list, it is inevitable that the convoy got split. I am not able to find anyone else, so planning to do double duty. I have couple of options: Drive on Saturday: same time same location, or Do a reverse drive: start at Ghantoot and end at Qudra, at about 11 am, and do a return drive at noon from Qudra and end at Ghantoot. After considering both the options, I have decided to do a second drive to be held on Saturday this time. I will experiment the reverse drive next time if required. I have posted the drive below and request you to sign up if want to join. Please carefully note the time and place and the nearest fuel station. I Will Not Consider Waitlists ----------- Sunday Drive:

Number one point to remember is that Sony makes all the camera CCDs used in almost all of them DashCams. So often times there’s hardly any difference between the run of the mill Chinese made dash cams. Most of them are made in just a few factories. Of course there are differences based on the cost, e.g. high-end dash-cams will have newer most sophisticated CCD and better connectivity and app features. My go to recommendation was 70 Mai for the same reason but one of them burnt on me when I was hot swapping the memory card while it was in operation. I had done it many times in a past model but the new one just died. I have seen good reviews of VIOFO. Suggest you view some YouTube reviews before you take a plunge.

Obviously, the pièce de résistance of the drive was DP Hill. We spent more time at the foot of it than actually driving it and only half of the convoy could manage a go at it, and rest looped behind @Rob S. I could understand the FOMO that another convoy was having because it is the same with me. You want to go around it as much as possible, but it is a very difficult place to navigate and there is only one track that can be taken it being a super tight technical area. Hopefully we will be back soon. Rest of the drive after DP Hill was so so, and the desert is even greener than I anticipated. Unfortunately, our Plan A and B failed. But for me it is the journey, which is important than the destination, so exited on time at Muquab itself. @Ishak, @khlief, @J-P L, @nithish468, @Frans M, @azad, @Lala G, @Waqaɾ, @Gautam Banka, @Andrei S, @Alphin Aloor, @Mahesh_, @Amir Amiri, @Rob S Thank you all for joining this year-end drive with me and wishing you all a very happy new year.

DRIVE PLAN I have done a few drives with @Ale Vallecchi in the general area and always loved the pristine dunes devoid of any tracks and white sands. I would suspect that it would be lush green. It would be one last drive in the area if it is green or start of many if it is not. I touched upon this area personally during the practice runs of DCT 2023 and found the area still good. Fingers crossed we will find a nice play area. This is the area when in one such drives with @Kailas as lead in July 2021, I changed my profile name and decided to call myself @Looper(Link). A Glimpse of Drive Plan Track (Plan is in reverse): We request every member that joins this drive to 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 When: 05 January 2025, Sunday Meeting time: 7:00 AM Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wwZobbonSVh4ZWxH7 Approximate finish time: 10:30 AM 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, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. RECOMENDED 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 Saturday - 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

We will be climbing DP Hill on Ch:2. That’s a constant. Following is our convoy order. Once again request all to be present well ahead of time and be deflated and ready to go at 7:00 am. This week I will not wait. EPPCO will be nearest but it won’t sell E98 so the Enoc or Adnoc near Outlet mall will be your go to fuel pump.

@Ishak… They say if it’s worth doing. It’s worth over doing. Everyone is welcome. Let there be madness on DP Hill…