Almost4x4

Hello everyone,

This Eid drive took us from Badayer/Madam area towards Fossil rock, which might have been one of the last opportunities we had visiting Fossil rock. The fence is growing every day

The drive itself was relatively calm at the front of the convoy, however some got caught by the dunes in the beginning hour of the drive.
@alshamsi_m didn't read his trip description very well and took us for a small safari style tour on a beautiful dune, which showed the "NOT so easy" part of the drive. Good fun and one hour and one dune later, it was decided to drive the tracks towards Fossil.

The route itself is beautiful with the light reflecting on the red sand and the rocks on the background.
Without any further (major) incidents, we reached the chit chat area, where unfortunately, I had to call it a day.

Thanks to all for this nice afternoon in the sand and hopefully see you soon again,

Tom

Dear Almosters,

We arrived at the meeting point early so I could take my time and deflate while waiting for the others to arrive. It was a very hot afternoon with the Mercury hitting around 45C

Thank you to @alshamsi_m for arranging the drive during the EID holiday – traditionally this is a family time so it reinforces the fact that Almost4x4 is more than a club it is family.

After the briefing and receiving our EID Dirhams and candies, we headed off for what was to be a leisurely family drive on a track most of us were familiar with, having driven in the area several times before.

With @alshamsi_m leading, @James at 2nd lead followed by @Laarni , then @Tomvanhouten . I was somewhere towards the tail end of the convoy following @AdamW

A big thank you to the support crew - @Jasper sweeping. @Agalon , @Gabor , @SINGH assisted by @Rashidjass co-pilot, @Arminjune and @Scorpio

Early on we had some issues in a few of the dunes with numerous 2nd tries. We spent over 30min in one particular dune with numerous drivers requiring more than a few tries to extricate themselves under the guidance of the support crew. There were some highs and lows in the afternoon with the technical areas challenging both car and driver. Fast sections along the flat and some lovely bowls towards the end. Having to stop again while some youngsters regurgitated their lunch due to the rollercoaster ride.
We settled at fossil rock (well as close as we dared as it is slowly being fenced off) in a shady area to watch the sunset, chit chat and enjoy home made cinnamon, apple, walnut cake. Coffee but unfortunately no Karak tea this time. A big thank you to @Jasper and family for the Filipino Halo Halo (Crushed ice) desert.

My Take Aways

- Be On Time for the drive, this includes the arrival of any guests or passengers you may be bringing along. Late arrivals delay Everyone not just you
- The desert is an ever changing place, even in an area you are familiar with remember, the desert is constantly changing
- @RyanRichard . You might want to rethink your flag set up. With such a large flag the pole is bent over and hangs lower than the roof of the Xterra rendering it useless and unable to serve its intended purpose for the driver behind you to see where you are.
- When you are in difficulties, don’t panic, radio in so the crew can come and assist you. When the crew are giving you instructions about recovery LISTEN and do as they tell you – this will keep you and the rest of the convoy safe – they know what they are doing follow, the instructions !

Special thanks to @Ricardo for the drone video and your copilots cake

Until the next opportunity to drive in the dunes and continue the learning experience with Almost4x4

Brett
Wasp VII

Hello ALMOST4X4 family
In the beginning I would like to thank our beloved founder Abu Salim for organizing this lovely EID drive and because it was mentioned it the drive description that it’s going to be an easy track I decided to bring my and my brother’s kids with me but it wasn’t a good idea
We started the drive with Abu Salim’s touch
He took us to a bit challenging area just to let us have some fun but it was really challenge for most of us for me I had some issue with over heating because I installed a new performances cold air intake put it did work well and because of that I lose the power in my car and it didn’t preformed well
After leaving that area the track became easier but because we were driving in a roller coaster way the kids got sick and I had to stop and take care of them
After that we drove for a short distance to sitting area and it was really nice spot next to fossil rock , we sat there watching the sunset, chit chat sharing food and drinks and the kids playing on sand.
Finally I wanna thank the support team for their great efforts and everyone in this big family and special thank to Mr and Mrs Veron for the delicious slash it was really amazing to have it in the middle of the desert
Till the next time stay safe everyone and see you soon

All,
Yet another great trip with the Almost family, with special thanks to @alshamsi_m for organizing and investing the time to research, prepare and then lead the drive over the Eid holidays!
The track we took was meant to be "Very Easy", so I expected the usual drive along the gatch roads or lower dunes from Badadyer to Fossil Rock - in one of the most scenic part of the UAE desert,. However we were in for a bit of a surprise when for the first hour or so we took the high road and a few side detours:) It was fun for the drivers, maybe a bit less so for the passengers, but my 3yo took it relatively well with only minor complaints ;) He said liked the roller-coaster in the end :)
There were a few second tries and one or two recoveries, but overall the convoy moved at nice pace through the terrain.
Once we reached the Fossil Rock we set the camp in a nice shady area, and everyone shared a bit of their love - we had cakes, cookies, fruit, even a professionally made HaloHalo :) Great time to catch up with everyone too!

Learnings:
- The temperature was high (my car displayed 50degC at some point) and sand was very soft. I felt my car was struggling with power at times, particularly at lower rpms - checked the air filter and it was relatively clean, so this was either a different feel because of new tires, or other type of a driver issue :) - further investigation is required in the next drives. BTW the broader tires (275 vs 265) with slightly better offset and proper offroad thread add so much to side stability!
- There were a couple of places where I hit a ditch that was hardly visible - with my young passenger letting me (loudly) know he did not appreciate it ;) - always try to look at the car in front of you to see how it tackles the terrain (and don't leave too much of a gap!)
- In summer the tail of convoy is particularly challenging as the soft sand makes for a very chewed track!
- Inflating at a petrol station is a time-saver, but only if you are the first or max second to the pump - otherwise it's better to use your compressor.

Overall we covered 52km and drove for 2:15h (not counting the exit from the camp).

Looking forward to the next summer drives!!

Piotr

Hello Everyone

Although we drove this track recently and the drivers did very well which made us reach before time. I decided to make them play in the high dunes for one hour and then lead to the destination point.

The weather was relatively hot but with the breeze, it was manageable especially in the sitting area . As expected we had a fair share of food but @Jasper surprised us with ICE CRUSH juice !!!

It was nice to see the kids having fun at the dune around us but as any good time " Good time FLY like fruits " it was 7:30 pm and we had to leave

Thanks for all the ones who joined us and special thanks to all the marshals for the countius support.

Till next time stay safe and see you in the sand

Shamsi

Great to meet at the location where Almost 4x4 saved the stranded super car, super memories, thanks to @alshamsi_m

It was nice to see all the happy people arriving for the drive, deflating and prepping the vehicles, I believe there are a few that should look to making sure everything is workable before arriving, a prerequisite in the invitation message, all so we can drive on time and in a safe manner.

To a short and direct brief, selected as second lead, a position in the convoy that I love, that or right at the back to battle the chewed terrain.

We had a nice start to the event with some interesting dunes, a few second tries and time sitting chatting as everyone reformed in the convoy, lots of good advise on the handy from the support team and then through so really enjoyable dunes, and onto the navigation through the tree with the eventual end game being Fossil Rock before it is closed off, a great idea for sure so thank you to @alshamsi_m a very enjoyable afternoon in its entirety.

A big thanks to @alshamsi_m and the support team @Jasper, @optimus @Rashidjass @Scorpio @Gabor @SINGH @Agalon @Arminjune and thanks for the cake and a surprise with the crushed ice @Jasper partner.

Have a super week ahead and stay safe, until we meet again in the sand.

Hello everyone,

We had a nice Eid family drive but some kids can’t take the roller coaster ride. One of my passenger also felt sick as it was his first time. We had to take a short break and do some clean up while another family is having the same case.

Since it was summer we were enjoying a Filipino Halo Halo (crushed ice with mixed fruits, milk and ice cream) at home almost every day with the help of the ice crusher my wife just recently bought. We had an idea why not bring it to the desert and share with the Almost Family. For my son he doesn’t like the mixed fruits and prefers only the flavors so we ended up buying the flavors only and make Snow Cones! So we brought raspberry and strawberry flavors for our customers to choose. Since I committed on this the challenge will be to power the 220V 150W ice crusher. So I’m off to Dragon Mart and bought an inverter. I installed it in the morning before the drive and served the Snow Cones with Almost family after the drive. Everyone enjoyed the nice sharing of food and drinks and it was a welcome sight serving Snow Cones. It was a first for us as well and we were very happy to share the refreshing treat.

Thanks again @alshamsi_m for organizing the drive and for the Eid gift for us and the kids! We were very happy! Thanks also to the Marshals and support team for this memorable experience with the family.

Take care and see you all again soon!
Jasper

Hello Everyone,

Enjoy the video:



Cheers