Getting Acquainted with the Dunes

At the end of February, we participated in a 4-day long driving and navigation course with Nena Barlow. This course was a “Rebelle-inspired” course that focused on learning how to drive the sand dunes as well as some classroom time learning navigation skills. Up to this point, sand dunes have been something that Marie and I have known we’ll have to tackle during the Rebelle; however, it’s the one thing that has made us the most nervous. It seems like people either absolutely LOVE sand dunes or really dislike them. This training was really great for us (mostly Marie because I made her do all the driving, hehehhe) because it forced us to face our fear of the dunes and get a little more comfortable with them. In all honesty, I can’t say I completely overcame our fear of them during the training; however, I definitely feel like we’re not as nervous around the dunes as we were on day 1 of the course which is progress! Another exciting part about this training was that it was our first time bringing Bernard out! For Rebelle U last year, we borrowed John’s Disco, so this was as much a learning experience for us as it was for Bernard!

Day 1

The first day of training was out near the Cargo Muchacho Mountains in Imperial County. We focused on driving on the trails, learning what it felt like to activate ABS on rougher terrain, practicing accuracy with cones, and hill climbing. I was in the passenger seat for all these exercises and really enjoyed watching Marie getting to practice and learn with Bernard. All of these exercises were useful for getting to know your vehicle and also learning that your vehicle is much more capable than you think!

After a day out on the trails, we returned back to base camp and set up our camp that we’d be staying at for the next couple days. I tested out some new gear including a Coleman pop-up tent and a new Exped sleeping pad. Both were great! I’ve never used a pop-up style tent before and it was amazing how quickly I was able to set up camp. I literally just undid the bands holding the tent together and voila, I had a tent fully ready to go that I just had to stake down. Putting the tent away was a little tricker just because I had never done it before, but after I figured out the right way to fold it on itself (with Marie’s much needed help), it was really easy. I think this will be a great tent to bring to the Rebelle because of how easy it is to set up and take down. After a grueling 10-hour day of driving and navigating, I’m sure the last thing I’ll want to do is fiddle around trying to put a tent together. The Exped sleeping pad was also great. It’s quite an investment, but I really wanted a comfortable sleeping pad that would insulate me and last me a long time. I think I’ll invest in an Exped motorized pump just for convenience during the Rebelle. The hand pump was fine and easy to use, but I think I’ll appreciate having the motorized pump at the end of each day so I can just walk away and let it inflate.

Day 2

On day 2, we focused on getting more comfortable in the dunes. We spent the majority of the day in the Imperial Sand Dunes near Gordon’s Well. We did a few exercises including intentionally getting stuck so that we could learn how to get “unstuck", driving in a bowl in different gears, sand dune donuts, follow the leader throughout the dunes, driving up/over crests, and reading sand dunes. The point of all these exercises was to learn our vehicle on a different type of terrain (driving on the dunes feels way different than driving on packed dirt) and to get more comfortable with the feeling of driving on sand. This was really good practice for us and though many parts were scary, Marie did an amazing job conquering every nerve and completing all the exercises. As a team, we have a few extra hurdles we’re overcoming which are 1) we have very minimal experience with off-roading and 2) we have an older and underpowered vehicle compared to many of the other teams. This really forces us to focus on our technique and figure out what works best for Bernard. There were many hills we had to reverse on and keep trying over and over to get over simply because he just needs a little more runway than the other vehicles. This was a great takeaway for us! Just because the other vehicles were taking a specific line or doing something a specific way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right way for us and I think with every trip with Bernard, we’ll learn more and more about his needs and how to navigate the terrain with success.

*Marie and Bernard enjoying the sunset at Gordon’s Well*

Day 3

Day 3 was spent entirely out in the Buttercup Sand Dunes. These dunes were SO big and beautiful and also not gonna lie, very scary!! It was incredible to watch Nena, Nick, and Mandy drive in these giant dunes with such ease and see their tiny vehicle from afar being towered over by the huge dunes. The day started out with some light navigation where we learned how to read the terrain and very quickly learned how much the terrain can differ from what’s printed on a map. We then moved onto the dunes where we did a lot of follow the leader and practiced how to get out of a bowl, going over crests, reading the dunes, and navigating through multiple sand dunes. This was definitely the most challenging day because it was the culmination of everything we’ve learned/practiced up until that point, and also because we experienced our first need for recovery! Towards the end of the day we got stuck in a bowl and could NOT get out for the life of us. We had Nick, one of the amazing instructors drive Bernard to see if he could get Bernard out, but the sand was so soft and chopped up and the bowl was on the smaller side, so it was really difficult to generate enough momentum to get ourselves out. We continued airing down to see if that would help; however, I think we may have aired down a little too much because Bernard ended up getting a flat tire that had to be swapped with our spare. We are SO thankful for Nick and Mandy who helped us get out of this pickle. It was definitely a learning experience and even though it was a tough spot to be, we all remained in good spirits and Nick was able to successfully reverse straight out of the bowl after the tire got swapped. After the day was finally over, we made our way over to Yuma to check into our hotel where our navigation class was being held.

*Practicing some light navigation to start the day*

*Following the leader through Buttercup*

Please watch Nick straight up reverse out of this devil of a bowl like the boss he is

*This navigator a pickle girlie through and through as demonstrated by this unplanned colorway*

Day 4

Day 4 was a complete change of pace and scenery. We spent the day in a classroom setting where we learned about the basics of navigation and enduros. This was a nice review of everything we learned in Rebelle U last year and we even got to pick up some new tips and tricks. Everyone has their own way of doing things and it’s really cool to be able to learn about the different methods people like because ultimately, there are many different means to an end and it’s all up to personal preference. In class, we plotted coordinates and did some enduro math.

Takeaways

This training was great for the team. It allowed us to get more comfortable with the sand dunes, practice more navigation skills, and most importantly, get acquainted with Bernard. This was Bernard’s first time off-roading, so it was a learning experience for all of us. We got to test his limits, learn more about his needs, and also get an idea of what kind of work needs to be done in between now and the Rebelle.

Getting Acquainted with the Dunes

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Takeaways

Reflecting on Training with FigJam

The B3 Rebelles are Born