The first few  minutes of Beyond Sunset comprised of straight cresting over small dunes that were scattered with small outcrops of grass.

This made for a very slow and bumpy ride. A little further on the dunes got higher and had fewer  grassy outcrops, but they were stacked very close together and had to be navigated with extreme care. The approach and departure slopes in this area were very steep, with narrow V-shaped landings between dunes. The convoy intuitively adjusted following distance and we crossed this area without incident.

After taking a short break to attend to the delicate feet of an aging member of the convoy, we proceeded to scale some rather irregular shaped dunes.  We were almost done in this area when Marko requested Zoubeir to lead the convoy to the next waypoint.

The segment of the drive that Zoubeir led was exceptionally technical, even for an experienced lead. Nevertheless, he took it in his stride, and not only succeeded in getting the convoy to the selected waypoint safely, but managed to make that leg of the trip interesting, by using the surrounding landscape to his advantage.

With the convoy handed  back, we made a beeline for Qudra. As the dunes got larger and more spread out, the pace of the convoy really picked up. We left tire tracks on every dune in sight, while side sloping at 60km/h.

The drive ended atop a balcony that provided the perfect view of an otherwise ordinary sunset that was made special by the company of the Fellas on this trip.  We sat around chatting, sharing snacks and drinks for a while, before finally exiting the desert under the cover of darkness – the perfect end to hectic week.

Thanks Marko, Zoubeir, Marco and Julie for joining this fun drive