Desert Recovery

The weather has taken a fantastic turn in Dubai now with the days reaching about 35c and a very pleasant 28c in the evening. This has now opened up the desert for a little bit of dune bashing and we made our first trip this weekend to the old favourite "Fossil Rock" scene of my maiden off road adventure just over a year ago.

Over the summer I had picked up a couple more accessories to my recovery kit

1. A couple of high quality shackles - making it much quicker to attach the tow ropes
2. A high quality tow rope
3. A "Super Max Air" type compressor - we timed it re-inflating one of the Hummer tires from 14PSI to 30PSI in about 80 seconds which was excellent

All of which got used on our first trip out. I thought I might pre-empt the stuck the hummer was going to make by poking a little fun at myself and making a small modification to my spare tyre cover:



However as the trip proceeded it was not the Hummer to get stuck - quite the opposite in fact.

We had a couple of first timers with us and myself and Duncan gave the safety driver briefing beforehand. Duncan led the trip which saw taking in some nice dunes to begin with, however it was not long before Celia in her shiny new Wrangler got stuck. I was some distance away - but we could easily see plumes of sand billowing into the air. This was perhaps a sign that it might take some time to get them out - and when they came back - the wrangler had gotten a nice two tone body colour:





As it was Celia's first time in the sand I let Matt drive the Hummer and I jumped into the Wrangler to provide a little tuition and to re-instil some confidence back into her.

After some quick instructions about how to safely descend a dune and advice when to get on the power, Celia was into the swing of it. She went from "I think this is terrifying" to "I really enjoyed that" by the end of the day. I was pleased, as I remember clearly that having a good co-driver to offer advice and also scream in sympathy is a valuable learning aid.

I really like the Hummer as a day to day car - off road on rocks and dirt trails it is fantastic. However I have always longed for more power under the hood as instant on power can really help out in the dunes. On this trip we had along a big Durango with a huge 5.7 litre HEMI engine. I was keen to see how it would get on. Sadly on this day it did not fare to well getting in two serious stucks, complicated by the fact we could locate no rear recovery point.

On both occasions we had to perform up hill tows which was not ideal and involved a lot of digging of sand and numerous attempts at towing. At one point we had about six guys scrumming down behind the Durango to get some momentum into the tow.

The last stuck for the Durango initially had Duncan using the Pathfinder to drag it out - however a gut-sickening wrenching noise came from his car. He then called in the Hummer to help in the recovery - firstly because we had no idea what the noise was and secondly the weight of a bigger car would help.

I spun the Hummer around and two sharp jerks later the Durango was free from the sand. Here we are setting up the tow:



Sadly this day we did not make it down to Fossil Rock as after the recoveries and a late lunch the light was failing. So instead we had some fun on the dunes. Rupert got a great shot of Duncan and Matt getting some serious air:



Again a really fun day - sure we might not have made it over to Fossil Rock, or driven as many dunes as we all might have liked. We still enjoyed a fun day out, teamed together in recovering the vehicles and a number of us enjoyed fruity cocktails later that night at the Roof Top Terrace bar at the Royal Mirage. It offers an amazing vista of the Palm Jumeriah where we re-told our desert tales and whiled away another balmy evening in Dubai.

I want one of those

Knowing a number of journalists in Dubai is often a good thing as I sometimes get to experience the fun of their "fringe" benefits. It was a pleasant surprise the other day when my friend turned up to take us down to the pub in the new BMW X5 rather than her normal Suzuki Jimny run around. Here it is parked outside the villa I stay at:



I have always had a hankering for the X5 though when I test drove one in the UK it did not really do anything for me. The new model is a marked improvement. The lavish interior seems lifted directly from the seven series and the smooth 4.8L engine never missed a tick through the rigors of Dubai traffic. As you might have guessed I liked it, I liked it a lot. Getting back into the H3 suddenly made me realize the quality that goes into the BMW marque. However at nearly twice the price and probably giving a reduced off-road experience I will be holding onto the Hummer (for now at least)

Overall 8/10 - Comfortable, powerful and safe. The new Jumeriah Jane favourite? I think so.

Into The Empty Quarter

One of the nice things about working with a number of rugged South African colleagues is that they all like camping. Every time I talk to them about vacations in Africa I am often told about their time in Mozambique out in the wilderness with nothing but the stars for company. It seems that they often yearn for this type of wilderness and so there are often trips organized to the far reaches of Oman and the UAE.

Last weekend saw us take a trip Liwa also known as the Empty Quarter home of the largest sand desert on the planet. The directions from Dubai are straightforward. Drive to Abu Dhabi then bear left and then drive 200km into the desert (if you reach the Saudi border you have gone too far)

Liwa is the home of some mighty 200-300m sand dunes and as a good friend puts it “Liwa is the proper desert” and as such requires the right amount of respect and safety precautions. Before setting off – I checked I had all my recovery gear, my GPS was working, walkie talkies were charged and I had a car charger for my cell phone. I was also careful to ensure keep my vehicle fueled up at every opportunity. After a long drive (nicely broken up by a trip to the car museum) we arrived at Moreeb Hill.

Moreeb Hill is the home to annual hill climb challenge and on seeing it I can see why people turn up with 1000BHP vehicles. Apparently the hill climb record is 12 seconds. I would love to see that – but have my doubts about being in the vehicle! Here Carol has a go in her Nissan Patrol:



I did not even bother trying it in the Hummer as I had the worlds amount of camping gear in the car – and it is not the most powerful vehicle, even unencumbered. After Carol had finished playing on the hill, we aired down our tires, then drove into the dunes searching for a suitable camping spot. After 30 minutes of the trickiest dune driving I have yet to encounter, we found a fairly flat spot and proceeded to set up camp:


There was no escaping the fact we were in the desert as the sun beat down hard upon us. The temperature was registering 42c with precious little shade available to offer us protection. While setting up I heard a noise that I could only describe as a helicopter. However what crested a dune was something much more impressive. It was a Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 – it sports an EIGHT point one liter engine and with no muffler the awesome engine and exhaust notes echo off the dunes giving an attack helicopter like sound. The Avalanche is owned by a very jovial gentleman called Jamal who is a committee member of the Dubai 4x4 forums. Carol was pleased he arrived as he was able to lead our afternoon drive through the dunes of Liwa.

I had taken one look at the dunes and made the decision that I was not going to drive this time. I felt I still do not possess the desert driving skills yet and the Hummer is not the ideal vehicle for some of the climbs that are required. Also perhaps the more compelling reason was I could get to ride along in the Avalanche!

Once camp was done we set off in seven car convoy. We drove through some very tricky dunes and bowls. The avalanche was so powerful it just ate up steep inclines with ease. However it was challenged by not only its huge weight and long wheel base but the the transfer case would not engage into four wheel drive. Jamal's twenty plus year of desert driving experience soon put pay to these hindrances however we still had a few “stucks”:



Shaukie (another long time Dubai 4x4 member) who drove a heavily modified red wrangler was the recovery vehicle “par excellence” - these guys simply do not hang around. Shaukie shoots up to the scene of the stuck, the recovery rope was out and shackled up. A quick beep of the horn, the tow was engaged and the vehicle was recovered. Average time was probably less than five minutes. One recovery was not quite as smooth:


On one particularly tricky bowl Craig in his diesel turbo Land Cruiser had a nasty stuck with the vehicle in danger of tipping over:


Shuakie and Jamal got on the walkie talkies in a flash and instantly started issuing safety instructions. Four guys provided counterbalance by standing on the running rails of the Land Cruiser while Shaukie towed out the car. Here is the recovery in progress:



Some of the standout moments during the four hour desert drive was descending several 200m tall slip faces:


Seeing a real camel train snaking its way through the desert. A truly memorable site:


A land based oil rig burning off the natural gas in the still of the night:


Once we got back to camp we fired up the barbecue and recounted tales of the day until long into the night. I am no real fan of camping but the stars you can see late at night and the seemingly endless sea of sand dunes that presents itself in the morning makes the discomfort worthwhile.

I was a little disappointed not to be with Chris and the drive through Area 53 – but the pull of seeing Liwa before the summer sets in making it too hot camp was irresistible. Liwa was an unforgettable experience, but it made me realize I am not really a die hard outdoor type – however once a year I will go back and remind myself of the beauty of the desert.

Costa Del Hatta

The UAE never ceases to amaze me with the variety of natural beauty spots it has to offer. Far more than the big city and rolling sand dunes most people think about it. Yesterday a group of us drove up to Hatta for a day trip. After a relaxed start to the day we stopped off at the Hatta Fort hotel for some lunch. Whilst the food was nothing to write home about we enjoyed the deliciously kitsch seventies decor of the restaurant and splendid scenery afforded by Hajar mountains.



After thirty minutes of completely failing to follow the very detailed instructions on how to get to the Hatta rock pools we finally got on the right track and the Hummer again proved it is really at home on the trails transporting our party in relative comfort over the rough road. At one point just before a steep descent there was a spectacular vista which begged to be photographed:



We parked up alongside numerous 4x4's and even some regular saloon cars - however I am sure that their undercarriage would have taken some knocks. We grabbed our gear and took the short hike down to the pools. When we first went down I could only see some very shallow pools and was initially a little disappointed:



However on climbing down a little more there was a sort of "rocky beach" which was the entrance to the Hatta Pools proper. A couple of regulars to visit here were surprised by the number of people visiting that day - it certainly had a beach holiday feel to it:



We all took the plunge and swam the length of the pools which were quite deep at times. It was really invigorating and made a pleasurable change to be in water that was not salty and not full of chlorine. The Hatta pools are more of a "Hatta Channel" and it was very picturesque:




We took a little walk along the wadi above the pools when Matt decided he wanted to take a leap across what can only be described as a chasm. It was a little scary for both of us as on his first jump it was a little further than he expected and when I heard a cry of "S@$!" I could only respond with another expletive! He made it though...definitely not one for those who have not spent most of their lives bouncing across rocks like human spring.



Below gives you an idea of the chasm Matt leapt across:



It was a really fun day and definitely a must do to anyone who has the time to get out of Dubai and see a little more of what the rugged UAE countryside has to offer. I am looking forward to taking my next slew of visitors there.

H3 getting more grunt

The major criticism in the press of the current H3 is that it is a little shy of power. On paper 3.5L (now 3.7) and 210BHP seems reasonable, but when you are pulling 2.1 tonnes an extra bit of power is always welcome sic. blasting up sand dunes with four large British chaps on board. To this end H3 owners go to lengths such as adding in a K&N air filter or even a super charger for the V5 VORTEC engine, jut to get more "beans" out of the engine.

It seems that Hummer/GM have been listening and have just released plans for a V8 5.3L developing 295BHP version of the H3 in 2008. Personally I think this sounds fantastic for flying around the dunes. However probably not so great for my carbon footprint....(I wonder when Liberty will be taking pre-orders)

Rock and Wadi

Two hours after arriving back from Dresden I was back in the Hummer. This time it was loaded up with camping gear and Eddy and Kinda from the office. I headed up to the traditional staging point at the Dragonmart Eppco-I was pleased that I was able to rendezvous with the rest of the party and we convoyed to Al Ghail where we picked up the mountain bikes.

The route Duncan had planned was to cycle along Wadi Assimah then Wadi Tayyibah followed by a short drive down to Dibba beach where we would make camp for the evening. You can see the route here:



There were nearly 30 people in the group and 10 4x4's and we created a bit of a stir at Al Ghail with the local residents wondering what was going on. Certainly some of the younger folk of the town impressed us with their "burnouts" and loud music in vehicles that had seen better days. After a little administration, the obligatory team photo and distribution of bikes we headed out. Here are the rather nice "Scott" mountain bikes and at 160AED for the days rental proved good value:



The first part of Wadi Assimah proved quite challenging for both cyclist and motorist. The cyclists were having to contend with heat of about 35C and a trail surface that was particularly unforgiving. Water breaks were the order of the day with the 4x4s staying close to support the cyclists:




Once we entered the wadi proper there was an interesting (read nerve wrecking) piece of driving we had to take the 4x4s through. Duncan summed it up nicely in an email prior to the trip:

"Incidentally- the very start of the Wadi Assimah, where we start the ride, involves some quite technical 4x4 driving over a dry river bed, with lots of potholes and water filled (depends if it’s been raining) trenches, so there is a possibility that the 4x4 drivers might get a little held up, or even have to go via road to the end of wadi assimah and come back up to meet the cyclists. Hopefully though all of the cars will get through and they can catch up the bikes."

Chris had been a little more direct with me and doubted the Hummer would squeeze through one particular turn. When I saw it - I understood what he meant. Here Matt stands in the gap - not a whole lot of room to drive through (notice the large boulder on the left of the trail) and turn:



With a sharp intake of breath and good directions from both Matt and Chris and an inch at a time the Hummer made it without a scratch. There could have only been an inch of two spare though!

Following this there was a few pools and rock climbs to navigate. After having got the through the tight turn I was pleased and the Hummer confidently went through these:



Here you can probably see me smiling at the fun I was having driving:




Following Wadi Assimah there was a short tarmac section before we reached Wadi Tayyibah. This was to prove much better for the cyclists with a more compact surface and a lot more downhill sections. There was also some interesting rock crawling sections that tested the Hummers wheel and suspension articulation well. When locked in low-range and at a dead slow speed the grip it is able to generate is impressive.

At about 5.00pm we dropped the bikes off and headed down to Dibba beach where we made camp for the evening. A a number of people refreshed themselves in the Indian ocean after a long day in the sun:





It was a nice spot to camp with and reasonably popular with at least four other large groups of expats enjoying the spring weather. It was a very relaxed evening fuelled by barbecues, some tasty beverages and some gentle guitar music (I can't comment on the singing!) Here Duncan plays the blues next to the camp fire:



It was my first camping experience in a long time, let alone in the UAE. My usual idea of camping is checking out of the Hilton and checking into the Sheraton. However what it is all about is having a great time with you friends. The rest of the trip photos are here. I hope to go again before it starts to get really hot.

Wadi Bih Good

I had been hankering to take the drive up to Wadi Bid for sometime - but for one reason or another (usually as I was traveling) I missed a number of the trips. The opportunity came up last weekend to go on an office outing I was quick to sign up.

The drive toward Dibba and though Ras Al Khaima up towards the entry point for Wadi Bih is pleasant. I always get a great feeling of calm once I leave the hustle and bustle of Dubai.

We had a convoy of seven cars with almost as many children along for the ride. This made it a very family oriented day which was a great diversion from the usual madness that is dune driving. It was also nice to see a fellow Hummer drive come along:




As the trail through the Wadi was in really good shape - despite being rather dusty - Kinda was keen to pilot the Hummer and she did an excellent job:




The UAE Off-Road explorer describes Wadi Bih as "The UAE's answer to the Grand Canyon". I have to agree with that assessment. The vistas were spectacular and easily as good as the North Rim vistas in the Grand Canyon:





Here is the view from well over 1000m above sea level:




Just after we got to the peak - we spotted a nice diversion off the trail with a shaded area which proved to be an excellent spot to break for a picnic and some relaxation. I was amazed at how well prepared some people are - Gary appeared to not only pull his lounge and dining room from out of his Tahoe but his kitchen as well:



It was a really fun day spent in great company and I want to thank Carol for doing a great job organizing everything and using her charm at the various border crossings. I will certainly be going back, as to witness such scenery only a couple of hours out of Dubai is too good an opportunity to miss. However, I had to get the Hummer a good valet after as it was really dusty on the trail:




The day was tinged with a little bit of sadness as I realized it would probably be the last time I would get to spend time with my colleague John Foster in Dubai. I have been working on and off with John for over five years and had the pleasure of working with him directly in Dubai for the last eight months. He is an old hand in the region and was a real mentor to me - showing me patience, knowledge and appreciation of the local culture and practices, without which I am sure I would not have gotten half as much out of my current position. I wish him well as he starts a new challenge in Singapore. Here is a nice photo of John and his daughter Jasmine having fun on our Wadi Bih trip.

Trail Blazing

I have to admit I have not yet mastered the art of converging GPS waypoints and Google Earth but Chris has got this down to a science. His research led him to believe that up near Big Red on the Hatta road were some interesting points with intriguing titles such as "Big Dunes", "Encampment" and "Big Dunes2" areas. Chris has been driving around Big Red for a number of years and was fairly excited about trying some new areas so I signed up to come along. Below you can see the planned route:



It was good to be in the desert again and this time I remembered to switch of the all important Stabilsys system in the Hummer. While this a good thing to have in the wet, has the less than desirable effect of braking the car when the car slides around in the sand. With this off and the tires down to 13PSI the Hummer faired well in the "Big Dunes2" area which presented the most challenging terrain I have yet to drive over.

After about an hour or so of some fairly exhilarating driving I came down a slip face and had to make sharp left turn to avoid driving into some bushes when I heard the sound. It was a flapping rattle and the near side dipped down. I instinctively knew I had lost a tire.

I stopped quickly and found that the tire had come off the wheel. This was caused by a low tire pressure (13PSI) and turning quickly at the bottom of the dune when the tire is heavily compressed. I was initially quite shocked upon seeing it:



I have changed a few tires in my time - but never in the desert. Chris had the benefit of experience and decided that a wheel change would not be needed. All we had to do was "just inflate it and it will pop back on" - sounded simple!

First we loosened up the wheel nuts then used some sand ladders as a base for the car jack. While digging around for the jack - I discovered the Hummer comes well equipped with a hazard triangle, fire extinguisher, tool kit, first aid kit and even a space blanket (glad I didn't need to use that this time). Once the car was jacked up - we started up the engine, connected the air compressor and held the inside of the tire against the rim as it started to inflate. Below you can see Chris (in the yellow) and Javier (in Blue/White) helping out and holding the tire as Chris oversees the tire inflation:



After less than a minute - sure enough there was a resounding pop - and the tire was back on. We tightened up the nuts and set both front tires to 14 PSI. We also had a close inspection and could see no damage. We were back up and driving in about 30 minutes. Everyone pitched in to help and the teamwork of the whole thing was probably the most enjoyable aspect of the day.

After a spot of lunch we drove around "Big Dunes2" some more - however at the very highest points, the sand was way too soft for the Hummer. Here I learned to use the momentum of the car to avoid it getting stuck. We found an awesome sand bowl there required some tricky maneuvering to escape out of and I also found myself going down a couple of long slip faces which certainly got the adrenaline running. It was a really good day out and I continue to learn and improve - but still there is plenty more I need to know before I head out somewhere advanced like Liwa.

Every time I head out to Big Red where we have started a number of 4x4 trips I am always rubber-necking an unsual desert vehicle of some description. Yesterday's award goes to the ultimate BMW E30 desert vehicle:



The chap in this car gave us a friendly wave when we pulled in to get a photo. Looked like they were going to have a lot of fun. Just like our group had had.

Sundown on an Arabian Adventure

With my friend Charlie visiting for a long weekend and my usual 4x4 buddies not around, I decided it might be time to try out a desert safari. It is not hard to notice the whole host of tour branded Land Cruisers around Dubai - I had always wondered if these would be any good. Certainly you occasionally encounter a number of them around Big Red - usually coming down a steep dune at an unusual angle - so I guess they must know what they are doing.

I chose the popular "Sundowner" Desert Safari with Arabian Adventures based on a few recommendations. They are certainly well organised with a safety briefing to start out with, plenty of water on hand, military like timing and a good sense of fun throughout. I was impressed by the size of the tour and the day we went, there were over 40 vehicles in the convoy.

The ride in the sand dunes took place in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve which was about a 50 minute drive out of Dubai. I am glad we went there as I would have been disappointed to go on a trail I had all ready been on. Here we are just outside the conserve about to air down:




After a fairly moderate bit of off road (which was really more based on fun than any particularly challenging terrain) - we stopped to check out a camel farm then moved to another spot to watch the sunset. Charlie did her best to try and catch a sun beam:



There was plenty of opportunity to stop during the desert safari, get out of the car and take some pictures. This gave me a good time to test my newly acquired crocs in the sand. The end result is that not only are they very comfortable for general mooching around in but I declare them also to be desert grade (at least while the sand is not super-heated)

Here are said crocs - enjoying the sunset:



After sunset we were taken to a camp for the rest of the evening. Here you can go on a camel ride, smoke shisha or even have a henna tatoo:



Once they had served dinner then came the entertainment in the form of a very excitable belly dancer who got people up gyrating frantically to an eclectic mix of music. She was very difficult to refuse as she literally yanked me off my comfortable cushion:



Overall - I really enjoyed the day. At 279Dhs which included the evening meal, beverages (surprisingly alcohol as well), the camel riding, henna and shisha it has not to give it 10/10 for value. The best bit of the day though was meeting some really nice people with whom I shared a laughter filled evening. Highly recommended.

Revenge of the Hummer Recovery Vehicle

On my recent trip to Cape Town I spotted a nice modified Wrangler:




Now I have written a number of times that Chris's Wrangler is often recovering the Hummer from "stucks" in the sand and probably has the T-Shirt for doing it so often. Though I should get him the sticker as well:

Wheels

Following the recent Hummer HUB trip I went on, Wheels magazine in the UAE ran a feature on it. I was a little surprised when I picked up a copy of the this magazine to see a little reference to my good self as well as making an appearance in one of the numerous photos:

" We congregated in a rocky valley and stopped for lunch at mid-afternoon. This was the point of the event, when Hummer owners exchanged experiences, stories and accessorisation advice. A fellow H3 owner called Aaron White shared his moment of glory with me as he recounted rescuing a Toyota Land Cruiser from certain death by thirst and starvation, which was stranded in the dunes near Big Red.

As Aaron told his story with a wicked glee, I pitied the owner of the Land Cruiser, who is now forced to live a life of shame — he will no doubt regret accepting cheeky Aaron’s assistance for the rest of his days. Aaron went on to chastise the Land Cruiser owner for being ill-equipped as he proceeded to show me his snatch rope, travel air compressor, air gauge and gloves.

He’s the sort of man you could do with on a deserted island (that is, until you ate him)."

The full article can be seen here. I want to thank Mark for taking the time to listen to my ramblings and I would urge people with the slightest interest in this to pick up a copy of Wheels magazine at a modest 2 Dirhams.

Just to prove I was not making it all up - here is the video of the Hummer performing its first recovery, which happened to be Paul and his Land Cruiser. Probably best with the sound down as there is quite a lot of wind noise:

HUB

While lazing around the Sandy Beach Motel last week I received an intriguing phone call inviting me to a Hummer off-road event. I thought nothing more of it until I received the Fedex package containing an official invite on expensive stationary this gave me the feeling it could well be worth turning up.

This morning I arrived at the Courtyard Marriot to be greeted by a large number of Hummers and a very well organized event:



It was also really nice to get some goodies on arriving:



In fact the best gift was a Hummer tire cover - something that I had been looking for since I purchased the car.

HUB or Hummer Base is the name of the Hummers owners club with "chapters" across the Middle East. This gathering was the inaugural meeting of the Dubai Chapter. The attendance was good with in total 25 Hummers participating in the drive - 6 H2s and 19 H3s. The demographic of drivers was very wide - from local Emaritis to European Families. It was nice to get to meet everyone and discuss Hummers and off-road driving.

After a short presentation on HUB, the route and safety we set off for the journey to a rocky trail. Sadly with a 25 vehicle convoy and a lot of industrial traffic we got separated in no time and spent 20 minutes waiting to reform.



After about an hour we arrived at the rock trail which started just south of Al Dhaid and finished just shy of Hatta Fort. The drive was rated a a novice trail and required no deflation or use of Hi or Lo 4WD lock.

Hummers forming up for the start of the 40km rock trail:



During the break for lunch the convoy leader took his H3 on some slightly more extreme terrain for some photos. I doubt I will be doing this with my car anytime soon...at least not on purpose:



As we moved out from lunch - one of the H2s took a poor line over a rocky patch and needed to be dragged out:



The drive was without any real incident but fun nonetheless. The major difficulty was the limited visibility created by leading cars kicking up large amounts of fine sand. It was a fun day and it was great to see a lot of Hummers all in one place together. I will certainly attempt to make future HUB events.





While the H2 is a large car - we had a ride along which made them seem more a normal size. I have no clue what this is - other than it is was huge! Answers on a postcard please...