AnswerID: 4024 Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002 at 00:00
Ruth
replied:
Colin, I was out there on Friday/Saturday just gone.
Weather was wonderful but surprised how badly corrugated dunes and interdunal claypans were. Dunes not just corrugated but deep holes gouged by high tyre pressures and too much speed. I was in High Range - using 3rd, 2nd and 1st gears, in a 100 Series with 20 in front and 22 in back, but not much weight. The gouged holes are not even so right front in move forward and then left front in etc. - as I see no need for speed in the Desert it wasn't a problem for my
suspension. I did pull off to one side to allow 10 vehicles in convoy to pass - they were going to West to East. I was quite taken aback at the speed they were told to travel at and not at all surprised when one vehicle gouged into the dune I was on (spectacular photo opportunity - the sand was the same colour as the vehicle and sprayed up wonderfully) but a few sandhills on the convoy needed to pull up as one of the vehicles had lost his towbar, then found he had driven over it and then found that he had holed his fuel tank.
On the way back the next day I was just starting up a small dune which was quite badly holed when two bikes came flying over the top - I pulled to the left (hindered by a small tree) and as they stopped to tell me something (obviously about a following vehicle) the said Troopie came airborne over the top of the dune and headed straight for me - I could see that the Troopie was fighting to miss me but was not at all sure about the empty large bike trailerwhich was swung around towards the driver's side of the vehicle. This guy didn't even pull up and was maintaining total radio silence. The bike ramps flapping in the back of the trailer will have fallen out by now and be creating a traffic
hazard somewhere on the QAA - they wouldn't have made it to the Corner.
One of the bikes was still off to the side and I suggested he might get the driver to slow his speed - I was told to 'Grow up and .... off'.
Back to the original point - if everyone lowered their tyre pressure and drove gently and I was covering the dunes at about 15 - 20 klm with up to 3,000 rpm (the very tops are quite loose sand)- I didn't have to back up on any dune not even
Big Red - which is quite tough at the moment and getting covered in lots of chicken runs - it would be helpful and more pleasant for other people - certainly a lot safer. I don't usually frighten easily but that episode left me with the shakes for a while and then, very very angry at stupidity. It was over in such a quick time that I didn't have a chance to get his registration number. As we kept going east his track was easy to follow - the trailer track - couldn't complain about the damage it did because it only
hit the track every 20 feet.
Colin, the French Line is worse than the QAA Line at the moment. The QAA has deteoriated very quickly. Other than that the trip will still be wonderful as the
weather is glorious, just give yourself a bit more time.
I also know I'm whistling in the wind.
Reply 5 of 8
