Another weekend camping trip. This trip was a 6 hour drive to a location South East of the capital Riyadh. Total trip distance was 1100 kilometers round trip.

The Najd region of Saudi Arabia, which is most of the Riyadh Area was underwater from 20 to 70 Million years ago. The water that recessed during the period left abundant remnants of the marine life that lived during the period.

The trip planning started with GPS coordinates of fossil sites on google maps. There are no roads to these sites. Using satellite imagery a route was planned that avoided major sand dunes or jebbels (small mountains). Two planning dinners were conducted to set the route and make sure the correct gear was obtained between the 3 cars making the trip. The most experienced navigator and chief equipment guy was unable to make the trip. The 6 adults making the trip were a notch above newbies. Tire repair kits, shovels, car jack, tools, air compressors, tow straps and walkie talkies were some of the equipment packed. Maps have to be saved on phones and apps that work without cell phone service are also required. These areas have no phone service and directions using google maps doesn’t work.

Trip started with 4 hour drive West with requisite stop at McDonald’s. All cars were topped off with Fuel before turning South into the off-road portion of trip.

After driving for a period of time, we run into a tall fence with signs saying this is a military facility. We proceed to follow the road along the fence line. After an hour of driving we basically circled around the fenced in area until we got to the other side. The restricted area was so large there was never anything visible inside the fence line. Google maps had no indication that a military base was here. But it definitely was a military base because this low flying black hawk helicopter came to check out our 3 car caravan.

A few pictures to show the vastness and emptiness of the desert.

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Pictures of the fossils and Gastropods found on the trip.

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Coolest finds were the pieces of petrified wood which were easily found in large deposits.

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There were plenty of petrified wood jokes.

Day ended with setting up camp with dinner cooked over a fire

Quick stop at a cultural village.

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I like the English translations. This shop requires a mask and doesn’t want to hear anyone complain about it.

Second day was a boat tour of the islands and mangroves. Saw dolphins and many birds.

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Two people brought drones on the boats to get aerial pictures of the mangroves. The drones were launched and landed off the front of the boat.

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The drones are pretty amazing. They are carried in back packs, are quickly assembled and your phone is used to fly them. These are pictures from the drones looking down on the boats in the mangroves. A drone is on my wish list.

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Took a weekend trip to the Farasan Islands on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The Farasan Islands are a group of 260 islands in the Red Sea. We flew from our house in Dammam to the city of Jizan, then took a ferry over to the islands.

The flight was on a super budget airline where you got only one bag to either check or carry on. Maurice ended up plastic wrapping his two bags together to make it a single bag to check. Good trick to keep in mind for future flights.

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Jizan is a much more conservative area of the country. Male and female separation was actively enforced. This was a surprise to our travel group who have been living in areas where the practice of separation no longer exists. On the ferry our travel group grabbed seats together, then were approached by security because we were on the single man side of the ferry. Married men plus all women had to move to the other side of the boat. Single men had to stay. Front of the ferry was reserved for women only. Women had to wear long pants and long sleeves and abaya on the ferry trip. After exiting the ferry, the group changed clothes into bathing suits and short sleeves ready to explore the beaches and islands.

Day 1 was spent snorkeling with lunch at a camp set up on a beach on one of the islands. Water was cool, clear and a great turquoise color. Temperature was in the 80’s

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These are some pictures of the beach camp where we had grilled fish for lunch. Afternoon was spent looking for shells and exploring the island.

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Charlotte collected a platter of shells that look good enough to eat.

Second off road camping trip was to a place called the Devils Thumb. This is a large stone outcropping that the locals believe is haunted. This area is pretty remote. If you break down in this area, it’s called the Devils Middle finger.

6 vehicles traveled together. Safety in numbers. Plus there is no cell phone service in the area. Second stop was to see some caverns.

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Third stop was a Wadi which is the Arabic word for a dried river bed canyon. This Wadi was the width of a car. Perfect spot to get a picture of the Jeep.

After a full day of driving. A camp spot was selected in the middle of no where.

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These pictures give an idea of how remote this area is. There is not a hint of civilization in any direction. Sunsets are bright reds and oranges. Mars and Tatooine from Star Wars are great analogies for the terrain.

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Dinner was cooked over a fire. After dinner is hours of storytelling. This group was from Australia, Canada, Russia, South Africa, and Great Britain. I was the only American. The complete darkness and clear skies in this area at night allows for great star gazing.

On the trip home, we ran into a herd of camels which surrounded the Jeep. The camels were extremely curious.

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Will be doing more of these trips as I get the chance. I will have to force Charlotte to go next time. For those suffering the cold in Texas, I was warned repeatedly to bring hat, gloves and extra clothes because at night temperature drops into the 40’s.

This is was my second desert trek. Asfar lake is an hour and a half drive away. There is an Oasis in the town of Al Hasa. There is too much water coming from the aquifer so the water is channeled away through culverts forming the lake. Water is scarce in Saudi Arabia so it was unbelievable to see so much flowing water.

Three vehicles took the trip. Kerry was the leader. He has satellite navigation and sets the route through the desert. Majority of the trip was without marked roads or cell phone coverage or any sign of civilization.

This is a picture of the terrain with part of the lake visible in the distance.

Large distances are kept between vehicles while traveling through the desert. The lead vehicle is setting the route and doesn’t know the terrain. In case lead gets stuck, other cars need to be far enough back to be able to rescue stuck cars. Of course you come across camels in the desert.

Helping a local with a flat tire. One of the tricks of traveling through sand is to deflate the tires down to 15 psi. Everybody carries air compressors in the cars to re inflate the tires.

The goal of the trip was to make it to the top of the sand dune in the distance which overlooks the lake.

This is the view from the top of the dune.

At the top of the dune I met the local Jeep club. I exchanged information with them so I can become a member of the Pro Jeepers club. I need to get a giant flag to put on my Jeep. Our group was having a hard time finding a route to the top of this dune until we saw these flags, then continued to follow these Jeeps up to the top.

At the top we set up for a picnic lunch to enjoy the view before heading home.

I paid the price of admission for Charlotte to stay another year in Saudi Arabia. I’m required to pay a dependent fee each year for Charlotte.

The one month admission fee in Saudi Arabia costs the same as 1 day at Disney World. Dollar per dollar there’s way more excitement in Saudi Arabia than Disney World.

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year already. Now to pay the next most important fee: yearly golf membership.

This is my best sunset picture. This shows the beauty of the desert and one of the main draws for camping overnight in the desert. No filters or alterations were used. The sun was a red neon color.

The weather has cooled off enough so the days are comfortably warm with nights require only long sleeves or a hoodie. This is the season for desert camping. There are no fences or private property so you are able to drive for hundreds of miles into the desert to explore. The destination chosen for this trip was an ancient ocean millions of years ago. There is a special spot that is filled with shark teeth and other fossils. Searching through the gravel, you can find shark teeth, quartz, coral and other fossils.

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There is no phone reception in these parts. No google maps. To find these locations our group leader used a GPS with the coordinates. A compass is also used for navigation. In this area, we were told to drive South if lost because you will eventually intersect the main highway.

After searching fossils, we continued further into the desert in search of a campsite.

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There are no roads or paths. Our leader is making his own path through unknown terrain. This inevitably leads to getting stuck which is part of the adventure and a reason to travel with multiple vehicles. The Jeep was able to pull out the Land Cruiser. A new route was picked and we continued on.

This was our chosen campsite. Dune on one side. Cars circled on the other end creating a windshield.

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Another lesson for desert camping is never leave your shoes outside the tent. Also, always keep your tent completely zipped closed. With a black light at night, you can spot these scorpions. Scorpions are much harder to spot inside your shoe.

Charlotte and I adopted a desert dog named Lily. Desert dog is kind of a breed in Saudi Arabia. Desert dogs are tan or tan/white with a bushy tail. They have a slender build like a greyhound and have the speed and quickness of a greyhound.

Lily loves sand including digging up our courtyard to create a spot to lie in.

Lily also loves sun which is key in Saudi Arabia.

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I have been taking Lily hiking and climbing which she loves. Having owned bulldogs for many years, I’m not used to the agility and speed of Lily.

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Charlotte takes Lily to the dog park almost every evening. She is friends with several desert dogs, a Malamute, a pug and a wiener dog. Lily hates all Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. She has to be separated from those breeds at al times.

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No dogs on the couch lasted 3 months which is a record for us.

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I took the Jeep out for the first time to do some dune bashing. Dune bashing is climbing big sand dunes. A group of 7 cars met out in the desert. Two of the drivers were experienced drivers and conducted training for the other 5 drivers. There is a ton of technique and car settings required to be successful. Getting stuck is expected, but good technique keeps you from burying the car thus making rescue easier. The standard joke for newbies. Teacher: What kind of car do you drive? Me: Jeep Wrangler. Teacher: I’ll bring a tow strap and a shovel.

In a side note. I was the only American Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain were the other nationalities. All were following the US election very closely.

Four wheel drive is a must. Tire pressure is reduced to 15 psi so the tires flatten out to give more surface area to keep the tires on top of the sand. Traction control has to be turned off. I used low gears and nearly every setting on the Jeep to climb the dunes. High clearance is not always required, but highly recommended.

Below is me getting stuck. I turned too sharp without enough momentum and sunk in the sand. A little shoveling and 4 guys pushing got me out.

The Dodge Rebel had a ton of horsepower and 4 wheel drive, but was not optimal in the sand.

Eventually I mastered this dune. Super steep going down the backside.

The last dune of the day was the steepest. It was recommended for only “Robust” vehicles. Jeep Wangler, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Dodge Ram Rebel and Nissan Pajero completed the climb. A guy in a Hyundai Tucson was wavering on whether to try the dune. The Tucson did surprisingly well on other dunes. Finally the Aussie called him a pussy and the Tucson driver made an attempt.

The Tucson speeds up and and as it starts acceding the dune , car parts start falling off the Tucson. Halfway up the car gets stuck and has to back down the hill. You can see a piece of the car at the top of the hill.

When the car gets to the bottom, the wheel wells are gone, the bottom of the bumper is crushed and panels under the car are torn off. To make the car drivable, the remains of the panels had to be removed. Ground clearance is important. This car was less than a year old.

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This was a super fun day. I will be going out in the future for more dune bashing.

There are maybe 5 golf courses in Saudi Arabia. One of them is in the community where I live. I became a member in July and have been golfing 2-3 times a week.

The front nine holes of the course are lighted making it very easy to play after work. One of the course rules is that hitting a light is a do-over. I have had one do- over so far.

Last week I played in the club championship tournament. I made the cut in the bottom bracket. I tied for 47th, second to last. This is a picture of my typical shots.

Losing balls is very costly. There are no golf stores in the country. Dubai is the closest place to buy equipment, but with COVID that is not an option. A 3 pack of golf balls is $20 usd.

There are also Chupacabra that frequent the golf course. I think this is an urban myth spread by golfers to scare away other golfers so better tee times are available. These are actually desert foxes, but I don’t take any chances.

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