Desert Gazing - Through the Tunnels

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Johanna
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Hello everybody,

this was night drive no.3 already, only one more to go… TT TT

We met in UAQ this time and I left home early as I could not predict the traffic, so I arrived 45 min earlier at the meeting point. XD
But I was not the first one to arrive, [mention]rapailo[/mention] came even earlier grin

We had a convoy of 14 cars, with [mention]Booy[/mention] leading and [mention]Agalon[/mention] sweeping/floating at the back.
Only 4 newbies made it to the drive, all of them lined up behind the 2. lead, the 7 intermediates drove behind them.
The track was about 60km, from UAQ through parts of RAK with end point in Sharjah. The track was easy most of the time, but we also had some challenging technical spots in between.

The first hour we drove with no interruption, with only a minimum of radio communication. I expected the track to be more bushy and bumpy, but it was very smooth. It was very relaxing and I enjoyed it a lot in love
We had a short break at around one hour of driving and while standing together, someone found a little snake moving on a dune right next to us. It was the first time I saw a snake in the desert, but I guess we scared the little thing and it disappeared under the sand. in love

After the break we had a technical part ahead, and one spot was indeed a bit tricky. It was a short climb with not much space to gain momentum, but soft sand instead. So we had couple of second tries there, and I think the guys in the back suffered a lot as the track was totally messed up after a few cars. But no rescue was needed this drive, well done everyone thumbsup

I know I mentioned it before, but desert gazing drives are special, and just little things like the snake made this experiences very unique. You should I have seen my colleagues faces when I told them that we drive around in the desert at night, watching snakes and eating Suhoor afterwards together. grin
I guess they think we are crazy thrill seekers thumbsup

This time we did not stay together for long after the drive, as it was already late and a long drive home for most of us.

Thanks to the Marshals for their work and everyone for joining.

See you all in the sand. have a nice day
BR, Johanna

If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
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osman
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Hi,

The drive name is "Through the Tunnels" and we all went through many tunnels under the various roads and highways over 60 Kms across the three emirates we crossed from north to south. "Desert Gazing" was slightly twisted to "Snake Gazing" during the break.

It was rather like an endorphin drive than adrenaline drive, but towards to the end, I am sure the later one had more weight!

I really enjoyed this drive which was quite different then the ones we had, mostly on hard sand, some steep drops, beautiful night scenery...

Thanks to [mention]Booy[/mention] for your efforts and time before the drive for designing the track and leading the convoy.
Warning: Sand is addictive... and also the sea salt.
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Booy
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Hello everyone,

The idea of this trip was to do 60km, mostly "cross country driving" through 3 of the UAE Emirates.

Whether was a bit humid when we started, but with the desert breeze later, it cooled down nicely. I was hoping to see some desert foxes in the area, as there are many in the area that we drove, but instead we ended up seeing snakes :) This was a gentle reminder to wear good shoes and not flip flops in the sand - especially at night.

Looking forward to seeing the solo bats in action tonight, and to enjoy Suhoor with the family.

Till later.

Regards,

Booy
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Jasper
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Hello everyone!

This is the 3rd installment of the Ramadan night drives. The area was new to me and going there at night feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. I’ve arrived at the meeting point and around 10 cars already deflating. [mention]Booy[/mention], our leader, gave the briefing and we are off. The area was generally flat with some tricky technical soft dunes. We had second tries on these parts but nothing major. We had only 4 newbies, the rest inters, so they were lined up by [mention]Booy[/mention] in the front of the convoy following our second lead [mention]rapailo[/mention] and with [mention]Agalon[/mention] sweeping.

We drove for about 2.5 hours and around 60 kms till we reach our sitting area, through 3 Emirates and quite a few tunnels. The flow was very nice and relaxing but there were parts that you’re gonna be blinded by your own off-road lights due to the dust being blown by all the cars. Some parts visibility is less than 10 meters.

I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Driving for 1 hour to the meeting point and 1 hour back home is all worth it. Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks again to [mention]Booy[/mention] for creating this amazing drive for us.

Take care and see you guys again soon!

Jasper
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Rooies
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Through the tunnels or through the snakes grin

The first one I found on my way to the meeting point, it was a little viper & it did not look very happy with me shining my torch in its eyes, so I left it be & moved on to the meeting. I posted the pic on the chat & when more drivers arrived they all wanted to know where the snake was. Good news, it was very far away.

[mention]Booy[/mention] arrived at the meeting point & he explained that it will be a long drive with several tunnels. The convoy was ready & we moved off. The area was quite different from what I have driven before, at night things looks different. It was very dusty at some places & I only drove with my normal lights. We moved into the desert & crossed some dune before heading out again. The pace was good with hardly any second tries. We went through the first tunnel, the first of 3. The going was good & the scenery was pretty. We entered the desert again, crossed some more dunes just to bring back the focus. We went through a village, crossed a highway & went back into the sand. We hit the dunes again, at one stage I had to go around [mention]Agalon[/mention] , I lost the track for a second which caused me to hit the dune at a weird angle that ended up with a second try grin .Take two & I was back on the road again. We ended the drive on a high dune overlooking the desert, very pretty.

It was late & working in the morning meant it was time to go home.

Thank you [mention]Booy[/mention] for a nice track through a beautiful area.

Till we meet in the sand again, take care.

Greetings
Rooies
Nobody Gets Left Behind
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