Day Trip to Oman

We were invited by friends of ours to join them for a day trip to Wadi Madbah, just a few hours away in neighboring Oman. We knew it would be hot, but jumping into cool swimming holes fed by a mountain stream was way too tempting to turn down, so off we went.

Hannah took this nice photo of beautiful flowers against the rugged mountains of Oman.

After about 5 kilometers of driving on a very rocky road, we reached the start of a short hike to the wadis.


Goats do roam, on the way to the wadi.


The lower wadi was small, but deep enough to jump into.


More jumping...


Our friend Tim, jumping in.

There was another wadi a few minutes up the trail. This one was just deep enough for wading, but we saw lots of fish and a nice row of frogs keeping cool in the shade. A small water fall fed the wadi, but the cliff surrounding the fall was too steep to climb, so we turned around and headed back to the cars.

At the last minute we decided to drive around the cliffs to check out the upper wadi. This was the best wadi yet. The pool was bigger and deeper and had lots of options for jumping. The canyon got so narrow at the far end that there was only room for swimming. If you stretched your arms out, you could touch both walls of the canyon.

We jumped from higher and higher cliffs.

The view from the plateau at the top of the cliff.

We picnicked nearby, at a place called Wonder Wall.

Wonder Wall is known for rock climbing. We didn't have ropes, but some of our group still had the energy, even in the heat, to hike up to some shallow caves.

The view from the caves.

A cool striated mountain next to Wonder Wall.

Hannah had so much fun at the wadi that she wanted to go back again, with a few friends, to celebrate an early birthday party. And so we did. Just this past weekend. More on that later.

Aston Martin Driving Experience

"Keep your foot on the brake an push that button." The V8 erupted to life with a loud brap and settled into a cackling, sputtering, uneasy idle. I was strapped in a GT4 spec Aston Martin V8 Vantage getting ready to take off on the first of two ten minute lapping sessions at Yas Marina Circuit with a driving instructor strapped in next to me. The first three cars left the pit lane and then I was next waiting for the marshal to give me the go ahead. Heart rate up, palms a bit sweaty and throat dry...I got the go and took off.  The sound of the car was intoxicating.

The car is a race ready Aston Martin with a stripped out interior, full roll cage and race suspension. It is noisy, cramped, unfamiliar and wonderful. This night has been about two months in the making and the anticipation had reached a fevered pitch by the time we showed up at the track. There was a session in progress when we arrived and we got to watch and listen from the lounge on the second floor which only served to heighten the already intense anticipation. We attended a briefing and then it was down to the pit lane to wait for the beginning of our session.

There were five cars total and by the time I left the pits, the first car was already running at full song down the long straight. There was a series of tight turns and then the very long straight where I buried the throttle and ran up through the gears - immense sound, tach racing through the rev range and violent upshifts. The stands blurring by on either side and the pools of light increasing their cadence across the car as we accelerate all the way to the braking zone. 

I ran a bit cautious to get a feel for the track and the car but consistently shortened my braking zones and upped my cornering speed as we progressed. In the end we were going way faster than I thought they would allow...we were hauling ass for someone (me) who could not afford to buy a crashed Aston Martin. We stayed on the track and I had a very memorable experience - one that I will repeat in the near future.

Before we got strapped in.

The beginning of the long straight.

Coming down a fast sweeper to a 90 degree left hander - hard braking and banging downshifts.

The car is raised on integral jacks. I can't remember if they changed the tires as my instructor was giving me lots of pointers.

Yes....I was fired up when it was all over.

Still getting pointers when it was all done.

A great evening and an awesome experience.
I'll still take a ZR-1.