A whirl of activity here at the moment. Buying desert kit and mechanical toolkits etc for this Ford Escape here in the UAE (and the Land Rover which will replace it, sooner rather than later I hope), but in the mean time ordering kit online for the trans-North America drive in a month’s time and getting it sent to a pal’s address in the US. Also rereading Thesiger’s ‘Arabian Sands’ to brush up on this part of the world.

Talking with several Land Rover clubs in the northern states about a route involving as much wilderness, offroading and wild camping as we can, and trying to get hold of route maps for offroad trails. I have a Rand McNally offroad atlas of the US that I bought years ago ‘because one day I will need it’ – well, that day is here, but it’s in a packing crate (which one? There are dozens) at my parents’ farm in Yorkshire, which is no bloody use! Also it dates from the 80s, and offroad driving in the US has mushroomed since then so to say it’s out of date is an understatement.

Finally, still thinking medium term about a return to Egypt and the deep deserts, so got hold of a 1930 RGS Journal with articles by Col. De Lancey-Forth, WJ Harding King and E A Johnson about explorations of the Gilf Kebir region.

Hey ho 🙂