munkybizness

Same experience as @Looper. I already work Mondays through Fridays and it was easy for me to do drives in the summer (surprise) because they were much earlier and I could be back at work (while inflating 😛) but with cooler weather, I’m now limited to Saturday drives only. A shift to a Saturday+Sunday weekend for the private sector (yet to be rolled out) would mean more drives for me to do, but I enjoyed not working on Sunday when everybody was heading into work. Always felt like a tourist. Guess, not anymore…

The majority of the drivers here use Gaia as it is easy to use, and track drives: https://www.gaiagps.com Here is a very handy post from @Frederic explaining how to get going with it. https://carnity.com/forums/topic/15357-gaia-gps-for-beginners As most things go, you’ll soon discover that everything he writes is usually gold, and he leaves a lot of useful nuggets around in the forums

*Not an FJC owner The only time I actively use 4L for long-ish periods is when I’m doing climbs up extremely steep inclines in Wadis on rocks where my speed is never rising above 20 kmph. Through a consistent pressure on the pedal and carefully watching my RPMs, I find the 4L works a lot better than 4H when doing the steep grades. Beyond this, in the desert, I rarely ever use 4L unless I’m doing self recovery. Switching to a lower gear and improving my line of ascent is a much better process for me.

Here are few of the places I did last year during the season. In most cases, I'm looking for spots at the start or close to camping trails so I can do a trail by getting there early on the day, or do one the next day. 1. Wadi Sena: https://goo.gl/maps/dcU5viujADKn46yq8 2. Stardust: https://goo.gl/maps/MXWkDB7QjBhwbAoc9 3. Wadi Sidaqa: https://goo.gl/maps/83RZcJ4dLFanjowA9 4. Wadi Sal: This was my favorite "drive + camp" as it was a bit challenging - https://goo.gl/maps/FJX62EovNX9AtpcB9

Look at this beautiful convoy of ridge-riders. This was my view for most parts of the day Since excellent drive reports have already preceded my post, I won't labour the point any more. Firstly, thank you @M.Seidamfor your lead. From driving with you in support to now being on two drives under your leadership, it's truly a great experience coming out with you. From getting the convoy into a good pace for the first leg, slowly building up their confidence between long-range dunes and then tight twisties, it was a great warm up given we had some shivering at the briefing @Charbel - taking on the SL at the very last minute can be daunting but you played that role with elan. We hardly had any major re-routes because you were always giving Doc enough space to choose his path and then leading the convoy there. We haven't driven together in a very long time. @Anoop Nair - As the second most experienced driver on this convoy, I was always safe in the knowledge that the center was in the strongest and most deft hands. Always a pleasure to be on a drive with you @Imteeaz Goolamhossen - It always warms me up to see another Y61 on the convoy. From the thrill in your voice at the stops, it was clear that you were having a ton of fun up front. Great drive! @Gertjan - Definitely didn't look like your first FB. Great job! @Alexander Holodny - Excellent throttle management with the Montero. It really shows how much you're getting to know your car! @Prakash Anoop - Effortless driving at the back and cool as a cucumber even with your fiery red Wrangler. @Davie Chase - Thank you for stepping in and supporting on the tire pop-out and swaps. Also, your experience in the field with jacks and how to change spares was a great lesson for the entire convoy. It also meant that Doc Seidam always had a second pair of able and knowledgeable hands to assist and run ideas off. @Felix Obst - Thank you for jumping into action in every recovery. Also, all those rocks did not slow you down one bit. Excellent driving in the back too! @Alfred Alinazar - Some days are just tougher than others. Every single one of us has been there, and will be there again. But most importantly, great job on keeping your nerves together. I've been quite rattled in the past after a pop-out (I've had 3) that it took upwards of an hour to get my confidence back. Add to that, driving at the end of the convoy is always challenging because the sand is the most churned up here. If you can find a less churned up track not too far off the main track that eases your path, please do that. Pushing through the tracks of 9 cars especially when climbing will severely impact how much momentum you have left when you get to the top. Great job exiting early and safely when you did to loop again. Also, the rear tire did not help you much today. Beyond that, excellent drive in the back! Thank you all for a great day out - and ending it with that painting of a sky was a special treat See you all out on the sands soon!