Rock & Sand 02/01/2021

[David]

Shamsi arranged a family suitable drive through Wadis and desert tracks to start the year with, no doubt very scenic and suitable for all type of drivers.

Started somewhere off the E87 where we were asked to deflate to only 25, main reason to make the drive a little bit more enjoyable, with a lot of logic families where positioned at the front close the leading Marshall so they could enjoy the scenery a bit more and the rest of us towards the back, I went before last just ahead of Haider who was in charge of sweeping.

From the meeting point we drove in a very beautiful mountain area with no difficulty, even at the back of the convoy where the dust of the cars ahead was at its highest we could appreciate what this region has to offer. I marked a couple of "crossings" that lead into what seemed to be interesting tracks up the mountains in case they could come useful in the hotter months for camping with the family.

What I learnt, well, sand is much better than gravel!!!, the views are fab but the drive is a different thing ... my wrangler managed to produce rattling noises from some places that I did not believe was possible, I think that even the plastic covers where rattling ...

Came out of the mountains in the Al Ghail Road and pass Al Ghail in the E18 we enter the desert where we were asked to deflate to "normal", little technical break and off we went in West direction, a lot of vegetation, farms, farm animals, ... very different from the desert I am used to hence very curious about my first trip in that area.

Second lesson learnt, if sand is better than gravel, bold dunes are also better than "hairy" ones ... we used tracks but the dunes did not look very inviting with all the bushes waiting for a pop-out.

Shamsi had warned us of 5 climbs in the desert drive, while waiting for my turn below in the last one I noticed Shamsi coming out of his car quickly once he reached the top to position himself in the balcony area, he normally does that to keep an eye on safety or when he wants to smile at other´s in trouble so I wondered what would be ahead of us, once my turn came ... the worst climb ever in my life!!!, ditches and holes on uneven positions, don´t even know how to describe it but I imagine that is how trainers must feel when you put them in the washing machine.

We finished the drive in a very good location to head back home (even more if you live in Al Hamriya ), E611 close to the Um Al Quwain exit.

Thank you to the Marshall and everyone who attended for making the drive possible, a great way to start the New Year!!!

See you on the sand soon.

[brett]

A relax newbie and family drive arranged by @alshamsi_m
With an 830am meeting time in RAK following the waypoints given we managed to fill up at petrol station and arrived early 8:10am. Without taking the short cut suggested by google - Alshamsi advised later he added the turn off waypoint so as not to drive through a village and upset the locals.
When we arrived Alshamsi was already waiting - he was so Keen even he turned up 45min prior to the posted meeting time.

Once everyone assembled for the briefing we headed off with a total of 18 in the convoy. It was great to see a lot of families with kids out for the adventure.

Part one of the drive lead us through the rocky roads in the mountains very dusty in parts with a couple of switchback climbs and a descent. Nothing too challenging for any of the vehicles with some great scenery mountains, wadis and right through local villages.
A short stint following the high voltage power lines on the access roads - extremely dusty which created almost zero visibility for those of us at the back of the convoy. A quick transfer to the highway and then across into the Sand portion of the trip.
Across the flats it was again very challenging to follow the convoy through the clouds of dust. Driving along the sand and the dunes started to appear. Very different terrain than we experienced previously. Established tracks with lots of vegetation off to the sides. We encountered a plethora of animals along the way sheep, goats, cows, donkeys and camels.
The dunes were very gentle (and forgiving) nothing too technical, which made for a very relaxing drive. There were a couple of decent dune climbs and decents which I think every one managed with out any stucks or recovery needed. For those toward the front of the convoy after completing the climbs they had an opportunity to stop and watch (with amusement) the Jeep drivers bounce their way up the slopes and corrugated tracks
There was one vehicle completely “beached” on the top of the steepest dunes with a decent drop on the other side. Fortunately it was not one of the convoy but some other hapless driver that had simply abandoned it where it was lodged.

We finished the drive at the 611 where we all inflated and headed off home. What an amazing drive it was.

Nothing very challenging with regard to driving but such a great way for a family to enjoy the fun of off-road driving. Educational too with Alshamsi giving an insightful commentary along the way pointing out points of interest and fun facts. This sort of drive also helps us to gain knowledge about the UAE it’s diverse geography and culture.

My upmost respect and thanks to Alshamsi for arranging and leading the convoy, and to the marshals and intermediates for keeping an ever watchful eye on the Newbies and keeping all of us safe. Thank you for giving up your time and sharing your depth of knowledge and skills, There are no short cuts in this.

Looking forward to continuing this learning experience with ALMOST4X4 family.

Until the next time
The little yellow Jeep Newbie

[brett]

David.
Great report pretty much as I experienced it too

[CARLOSS]

Hello everyone,

Very beautiful family drive: A perfect combination between rock and sand plenty of vegetation and animal life! What else could you ask for a Saturday morning?

Thanks @alshamsi_m for taking us to this unexplored area for me and my family and thanks to the support team for keeping us safe.

Definitely I do prefer sand…I still feel my car shaking even in the highway! However, my six years old copilot had a lot of have jumping over the rocks asking me all the time: please go faster!

Lessons learned:

- Put all your lights on when dusty. It would help to identify where the car in front of you is
- Keep medium range pressure on tyres when on rocks.

See you soon in sand
Carlos

[dorudoru]

Hello Everyone,

It was a scenic family orientated mountain drive in the beginning, then it turned out to corrugated dusty roads where I thought my car has no suspension at all and body is directly sitting on axle. I felt every single bump in my body, during those corrugations. Remembered somebody was saying(most probably @Booy ) "go faster on corrugated tracks, it will feel more comfortable". From the experience with Pajero stock suspensions, I cant see the difference yet of being fast or slow maybe(hopefully) it will be different in future.

The only thing during these bumpy roads in my mind was "Damn I just balanced the tires last week!" What a waste of resources !

After we reached to the sandy area, tires have been deflated to regular pressure instead of 25psi on mountain roads, flags are mounted. In that horrible climb which @David defined very vividly, I felt like my Pajero was swearing at me after receiving lots of hits from every single ditch with a decent pace. Even few things I strapped in the trunk was out of their place and hanging around in the cabin. I ended up that climb, again with a scooped rear bumper as always.

One of the highlight of the trip was the cheerly voice of @alshamsi_m on radio, "That's a shitty road". I was expecting a roller coaster kind of road with lots of ditches, but no it was literally a shitty road :)

Long story short it was another amazing experience and this time I was amazed with durability of stock Pajero after all we put it in.

Thanks for everybody make this experience possible, especially @alshamsi_m and sweeper @haider alnuaimi.

See you in the sand!
Dorukhan

[NahorJP]

Hello Almosters

Trip report for Rocky & Sandy drive (Adventures Trip to Wadis).

Google map shows this area is just the beginning of the Fujairah mountains (Spread from RAK to Oman) and i was expecting the trip to get end at Dibba to have a glimpse of coastal view. Then i said to myself, Better luck next time and dream high!!

It was the first drive of a 365-drive in 2021, and was a Good start with the Almosters family.

Meeting point was the beginning of the Rocky track which was full of scenic beauty, and the famous Cidar & Summer Honey producing trees at Wadi al Cider (if i am not mistaken about the name of the wadi). And at the same time it was a resistance test for our 4x4 , luckily all 4x4's passed the test and took a first technical break to relish home made Qahwa (Arabic coffee) & dates cookies by @alShamsi_m (thanks for the treat).

Crossing the second village and the highway, we entered into the sands (what a relief!!), deflated to normal tyre pressure required for off-roading with the Flags ON!! Kinda easy track but very dusty may be because of the plantations around the tracks. Inhaling all the dust even through the AC vents, with low visibility got a feeling of working in mines/ stone crusher unit . But its a added advantage in driving such areas.

This trip was pretty relaxing for all the drivers including Intermediates & supporting team, since there was no stucks / recoveries. Everyone could enjoy the hidden farms & cows in the desert (Thanks to @alShamsi_m) which i have never seen before in UAE. But yes, supporting team was very active enough and keeping an eye on all newbie's to keep everyone safe.

Fueling our beast's and our self's at the fuel station was a must to sustain this 5hrs drive. I assume this trip was just a trailer for newbies to get prepared for more Long Off-road drives (multi terrain) in coming days.

We ended the trip with a big smile on our dusty faces.
Thank you @alshamsi_m , @haider alnuaimi , @David , @Loca , @Sorin, @Petr @Viktoriia for arranging this trip. Surely our vehicles also had a blast!!

[Vika]

Hello everyone!

Rock&Sand Drive was certainly the most wonderful start to the New Year 2021, the beginning of the best changes. And of course, waking up early in the morning, remembering all the postulates and rules of Almost4 × 4, I left in advance, having looked through the entire route and therefore, not with my own eyes, but with navigation, I arrived to the meeting point on time, grabbed a passenger on the way (not a very good idea, as it turned out later)

Deflated to 25 PSI with a huge smile on my face , I went over to greet all the frozen club members trying to thaw out in the morning sun. I must admit, it was very fresh even in the sun. And, guess what ...?

The stern voice of @alshamsi_m
- "Again a mistake !!!!! Why did you come from the other side?
- But I followed strictly the novigation!
- You followed the Meeting point, not the Entrance point. MISTAKE !!!"
It's not possible for me to start the drive day without @alshamsi_m slap , no matter how hard I tried.

After a short briefing, the convoy was lined up and the adventure began. @alshamsi_m was leading, @haider alnuaimi sweeping. While reading the previous reports, I realized that it is absolutely not important for me how and where to drive, the main thing is TO DRIVE!. No matter how easy and relaxing is a drive, it is always an invisible practice of learning lessons such as distance, radio communication, teamwork and another opportunity to feel the language of your car while driving in various conditions.

Rock & Sand was dedicated mostly to families, and made it possible to enjoy the animal and plant world. In the end 5 climbs were waiting for us, the last one was a little tricky and funny (it is good to watch from the side, but not always so fun when you overcome an obstacle yourself ).

It was a lovely day with Almost4 × 4 , was very nice to see families with children and I really hope that our women's team will be replenished soon.

Many thanks to everyone, who made this event possible. Thanks to the support team@David , @Sorin ,@Loca ,@Petr

And see you soon.
Viktoriia

[osman]

Dear Almosters,

I like to start with a thanks to @alshamsi_m for allowing me to join the drive from the wait list of the wait list. I am so glad I joined this scenic drive so did my wife.

As everybody mentioned above, it was a relaxed drive with no pop out, no recovery and not even a single second try. It is a family drive, meeting of two families: first and second one...

So, lets write something different for a change and see if we can remember what we saw. But we have to trust uncle google for the information I compiled:

Starting with Ghaf Tree, scientifically called as Prosopis cineraria. This tree needs few more words of fact since it is the national tree of UAE:
- The Ghaf Tree is able to tap water from 30 m below the ground. Its presence points to the availability of underground water in the desert. So, it is a ‘phreatophyte’ or a plant whose rooting system is in contact with the water table.
- A lone Ghaf Tree in the desert serves as a niche ecosystem by itself. It supports mammals, reptiles, scorpions, rodents, insects and birds. It also enriches the soil and helps fix nitrogen in the air.
- The seeds can germinate only when there is heavy rain. Even then, the seed pods get eaten by animals as they are easily digestible. Hence the tree also propagates itself through asexual reproduction from its lateral roots. You may find an offspring of a Ghaf Tree at a great distance from the parent tree.
- Its fruits, flowers and leaves are an important source of food for animals in the desert as they are rich in proteins.
- The Ghaf can withstand very high temperatures and very dry conditions. The leaves are small to help reduce any loss of water due to evaporation.
- In the past, the nomads used its leaves in salads. Its wood was traditionally used for construction and as fuel.

I find Samur (or Umbrella Thorn Acacia), scientifically called as Acacia tortilis very aesthetic. There is a plain only a few kilometres before our meeting point where you can see hundreds of them. Every time I travel to Dibba, that scenery mesmerises me. Samur has the following interesting facts:
- The Acacia tortilis is a typical tree which grows in hard soil near mountain areas or hard gravel plains unlike the Ghaf which is found in the desert or sandy areas.
- As the Acacia groves inhabit gravel plains or mountain areas, the roots are unable to penetrate deep under the soil like the Ghaf. Acacia trees in the wadis depend on runoff water coming down the mountains after the rains or from flash floods.
- The tree is also shaped like an umbrella so as to absorb moisture from the air through dew to meet its water requirements. The Acacia tortilis has a highly aromatic white flower. It can withstand high temperatures and poor soil.
- The tree provides shade in the desert and the leaves are eaten by goats and camels.
- The gum of the Acacia is edible and parts of the tree, including roots, shoots and pods, which are twisted and spiral shaped (hence the name “tortilis”), were used for decoration, weapons and medicines.
- Extracting honey from the Samur trees, the main source of honey in the UAE, is an age old tradition. The honey produced has a distinct flavour.
- It has excellent medicinal properties – helps with digestive disorders, diarrhea and also helps check bleeding.

We have another Samur tree which is scientifically called as Acacia ehrenbergiana. Although it has the same arabic name as the one above, they look very diferent. Both are from the same family but only different species.

Our first stop for a break is in a valley with lots of trees, and hence the name of the valley is. The source of the tasty dark honey is from the Sidr trees, which they are scientifically called as Ziziphus spina-christi.

After we cleared out from the valleys and rocky environment, we started to drive on the sand and started to see lots of Desert Squash, which they looked like miniature versions of water melon or melon. It was very tempting to grab one and eat but it says Citrullus colocynthis are extremely bitter in taste.

Post report comment: I tried to put html links to the red items above as embedded URL but the portal does not allow more than one link. For each plant there is one form Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and one from Wikipedia. Below are the open links and you can search if you further interested.

Ghaf Tree:
https://www.ddcr.org/florafauna/Detail. ... ree&Id=238
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_cineraria
Samur Tree (1):
https://www.ddcr.org/FloraFauna/Detail. ... ees&Id=239
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_tortilis
Samur Tree (2):
https://www.ddcr.org/florafauna/Detail. ... ees&Id=240
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_flava
Sidr Tree:
https://www.ddcr.org/florafauna/Detail. ... ees&Id=243
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_spina-christi
Desert Squash:
https://www.ddcr.org/florafauna/Detail. ... rbs&Id=203
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrullus_colocynthis

Finishing the report, here are a few pictures from the drive.

[Phoenix]

on behalf of @osman

[presa]

Dear Almosters, i couldn't join this trip but got much love on so many amazing trip reports!
Amazing job and thank you for putting effort on writing down your experience so everyone can get it.