Pure Sands

[orlantsev]

Hello all,

It was a bit unusual to drive from Hameem area so early in season, but it was great to jump to the opportunity to join since it is relatively near for me.

When we all met @alshamsi_m explained that it was going to be a 240 km exploration drive. Itinerary was from near Hameem to Milky Way, turn and drive along Razeen road for maybe 15 km, then on a highway, turn into a dirt road and a bit of highway to Khatim, get into the sands again and drive until Tilal. It is a proper overland drive and as you would expect there was not much mad cresting due to the distance we had to cover and time available in the day.

I came into the drive after regearing Patrol and was keen to try the new set up in the relatively mind conditions.

I had a bit of a situation coming to the meeting point. As usual, I brought 2 metal jerry cans which I fitted on the roof rack. The entrance gate was a bit bumpy and as soon as I crossed, I heard a bang on the roof. One of the straps disconnected and the stopper also moved out of the track. The jerry can slided from the roof along the windshield to the bonnet. Luckily, it was just two small dents on the bonnet, and I was extremely lucky to avoid cracked windshield.

It was really an endurance drive since we did not even stop for lunch. Some cars left early, and we finished just 4 cars in total. All in all, there were few stucks, two pop outs, but nothing dangerous. About 30 km to the exit my odometer stopped to work. When I eventually sell the car, I warn you that the mileage is about 30 km off. It got fixed in an unusual way. At almost the last dune I had a lapse of focus (after 8 hours of driving) and got stuck on an innocent crest. Odometer was back to work after the mild pull. In summary, totally different experience than an advance drive week earlier, but that is what I like with this club – a variety of drives in different conditions.

[Mghoneim]

Dear Almosters ,

Excitement rose when I saw that the drive will be in Hameem as this location is very special to me in the Liwa chapter.

Action started for me a bit early when one of my cooper decided to blow out on the highway. After all the tires we changed during the drives, I came to know that I am now capable of changing my tires in F1 pitstop manner. Arrived to the last petrol station to see everyone fueling and snacking up.

Arrived to the meeting point and we all gathered up to hear out the plan for this long exploration drive. We got to know that the drive is 240KM long and that it will finish in Telal Sweihan. This is the first time for me to start the drive in LIWA and end up in AL AIN.

I was assigned a 2nd lead following our founder@alshamsi_m , followed by @Vika @AhmadHasan @osman @Moustafa19 & our advanced support sweeping @orlantsev .

Kicking off the drive with beautiful scenery of dunes in Hameem, it is just mesmerizing to watch to beautiful dunes and the shades of red & yellow sand along the way. It reminded me of being on a diet where you see a lot of tasty food but you get to taste only a few of it . We played with a few climbs here and there , but we had to be disciplined enough to finish up our planned track.

After a while we crossed razin road , and then followed two consecutive gatch roads at 120-140km per hour then we arrived at Al Khatim.

Unfortunately I had to leave at this time to a serve an emergency call.

Overall I enjoyed the scenery and the drive, its a good introduction to the liwa season ahead.

Till the next liwa drive.

[osman]

Hello Everyone,

@alshamsi_m made a very nice surprise and posted this drive early in the week with immediate enrolment, no need to set any alarm. I was very lucky to check the app that random time and become one of the earliest member to enroll, even without reading the rest of the details.

I planned to arrive at least half an hour before the meeting time so I can have a bit of a rest after driving 2.5 hours on the boring road. But, while I was listening a podcast without paying attention to the GPS and the signs, I took a wrong turn and missed the Hameem Rd. It took me 4-5Km or so to realize the environment was not right, then GPS showed me I would arrive to the last petrol station even after the meeting time - possibly never as my tank had a bit more than enough fuel to reach if I was on the right road. Since I was back on E11, I had to drive a lot to make a U turn. That costed me a min 40-45Km plus my relaxation time. Eventually I reached the petrol station along with @AhmadHasan & @Moustafa19 with the fuel light on. @orlantsev was already at the pump and shortly after @Vika and @alshamsi_m arrived with his passenger @Spyda. But the meeting point is still 40Km away.

We started somewhere 30Km north of Hameem and our finishing point was Sweihan, we would be driving North-NorthEst direction for 240Kms as told in our briefing. It is meant to be safari / cross country type of drive, and if someone wanted to leave there would be options along the planned track.

We started to dive close to 9AM on somehow familiar area where our camping spots are not too far (but now they are not reachable easily from the road). This first part of the drive was on a beautiful Liwa scenery, including herds of camels, running gazelles, rabbits (for the front part). I was the 6th car, just in front of advanced sweeper @orlantsev. We also passed some oil exploration drills, posed for a photo on water tank for the rallies in the area.

Whenever @alshamsi_m saw nice climbs and arches he spiced-up the the long track with the opportunities to enjoy. We also trained and entertained ourselves with a pop-out and a recovery or two. We drove about 75Kms in 4 hours and reached the gatch road, which was close to the Milky Way area. Then drove a little bit less than 10Km on the gatch road, then back on the sand again for another 10+ Km to reach Al Quaa Road at 2PM. This is where we inflated back to ~30PSI, really not knowing what to come....

We drove on Al Quaa Rd on 10Km, then turned to a very wide gatch road. This was a totally new experience I had, driving with almost fully inflated tyres at 120-140KM speed. Holding the steering wheel was itself a challenge in a huge dust created by the cars front due to the uneven irregular surface. We drove a bit more than 50Km, passing the GPS challenge area on left (west), then finally reached E40.

Next part is driving on asphalt around 40Km, passing through Khaznah where @AhmadHasan and @Moustafa19 left for home, we continued to southwest of Sweihan. Now we were ready for the afternoon off-roading part. Finished deflating but then @msghoneim said he also had to leave.

At 3:40 PM, we already completed 200Km, and ready for the last part with 4 cars. This part of the drive was much more technical with some flat and bushy sections. Again, @alshamsi_m took the opportunities for some smaller arches, side crests and ridge driving to create more fun.

We finished at the petrol station, just 15Km west of Sweihan at 5:30 only a few KMs short of doing 250Km. Refreshed ourselves with running water and said goodbye until next time.

Thank you founder for the excellent and very enjoyable day, and my dear friends having another memorable day to remember for a lifetime....

[alshamsi_m]

Hello Everyone

The drive of pure sand was not pure sand it was a cross-country drive which is rare but I wanted to make it a surprise although I gave a hint that we were driving more than 200 km which indicates, Bring Fuel


The track was diverse with colors and shapes so we were not doing crazy stuff but still, it is an endurance game and it needed focus. The intermediates felt the pressure when I pushed them to drive RALLY STYLE for more than 50km with a high-speed 4X4 which was a new experience for some

The drive finished 30 min before the sun set as planned and it was another successful event for us.

Thanks for all who joined and looking forward to see you in LIWA drives by the end of November.

Cheers
Shamsi

[alshamsi_m]

Good morning everyone.

I uploaded a large video for Pure Sands Liwa drive to the link https://we.tl/t-2rIYsowJFz . It is more like capturing the beauty of the desert along the drive & memory recollection for the future rather than short actions. Excuse for the windscreen reflections, they are a bit of a nuisance. Please try to filter them in your brain.


all for credite @osman