Expecting the Unexpected

[Sand-Yeti]

I’d planned to post the following story last Saturday but server migration and a little travelling fro work has delayed the following post.

 

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I’m sure that everybody has had days when everything seemed to go wrong. Occasionally, but in far fewer cases there are days when things go better than expected. Last Friday, was one of those days. The wind forecast had been looking poor all last week & I’d resigned myself to staying at home and doing long overdue household fixing jobs.

 

Around 11 a.m. Giorgio, called asking what are we going to do?

I checked the weather forecast as I was sitting at my PC & it was still poor except for a 16 knot breeze that was promised for 4 p.m.

“I guess we might get in about an hour’s buggying if we are lucky”, I said.

Just after 3 p.m. we met at the ghaf tree and the wind was blowing in an ENE direction, which is very unusual. It was coming in wicked sudden blasts followed by kite dropping lulls.

 

Giorgio who was geared up before me set off & I followed about a km behind not knowing that I was about to have the most exciting ride of 2010. I started zig-zagging upwind when a sudden blast caught me on a turn and I went roaring off at 65 kph until the sudden blast rapidly dropped off.

 

After 18 kms of zig-zagging upwind, we stopped for a chat and suck on some water. It wasn’t so hot at 43º C but I still sat in a pool of sweat and needed to drink a lot.

 

“It’s all down hill to the ghaf with the wind behind us”, said Giorgio.

Setting my GPS directly for the Ghaf meant running the whole way through dunes and that’s when the magic started.

 

I had my 4.9m Blade IV set with the AAA on the low setting and had to stop soon after we hit the larger dunes to slacken my brake lines a little. Giorgio was flying his 5.0m Blurr. The buggying was fantastic. I kept heading for the largest dunes rather than making a bee line for the ghaf. It was like riding a huge roller coaster except I was the driver. We ran the ridges, skirted the bowls & screamed down high sand walls and lots more.

 

The rippled sand sounded like a purring cat as we rolled over it. In order to keep the lines tight when running the ridges with the wind from right behind, I would drop my buggy’s axle on to the ridge, which would throw up a huge shower of sand.

Later, Giorgio commented on this phenomenon because he had been doing the same. These occasional sand showers rained down on top of us but we didn’t care & just kept rolling forwards.

We wear ski goggles to keep sand out of our eyes. Mine are tinted dark grey, which is fine but Giorgio’s are tinted orange that makes it much more difficult for him to see the ridges & dips as the sand is much the same colour.

When the sun is directly overhead, there are no shadows and I sometimes get caught out not seeing the undulating terrain so well.

 

No OBE’s to report but did have a cracking sound on my lower left rib as I was slightly lifted & then jerked into the buggy’s side rail. With the adrenalin running high, I didn’t feel too much pain although I feel it today when I breathe deeply. I’m one of those guys that sleeps on his side but haven’t slept on my left side last since last Friday because it hurts too much. It’s no big deal because I just sleep on my right side instead.

 

I never wanted the ride in the dunes to end but all too soon I saw the glint of a car windscreen by the Ghaf tree.

Giorgio & I arrived back at the ghaf together and as he pulled off his helmet, I saw a boyish grin that said it all.

But! He then exclaimed it was his best buggying day ever.

I must admit that it was one of my better days as well. It was a good job we decided to get out. I just think of the guys that missed all the fun.

 

Some pics from last Friday taken by Brig who followed us in her Razor.

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/GiD03.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/GiD01.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/GiD04.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/Gi02.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/Da02.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/Gi03.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/Sand-Yeti/Buggying%20pics/Gi04.jpg

[festa]

hey man it only takes one good un to remind you what its all about and to rekindle any lost love due to lack of wind

[Batz]

not jealous at all. MUCH!

[Tiki]

WOW...what a beach

[smackay116]

WOW...what a beach

 

desert mate:cool:

[popeyethewelder]

Lol...sounds like we could all do with a day like that Dave, I love the last photo, looks like Giorgio just had to get to the top of that dune...brilliant