Re: WEG:Deep sand/High Humidity

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

No, I would not say it's like Florida.  The sand is salty, the air is brisk
(always a breeze and often sand is blown in your face).  The Arabs have
planted thousands of palm trees, so it may LOOK like Florida.  The only
vegetation is some scrub except for what is cultivated. And, even in December
last year, it was HOT during the day (pleasant at night). It may not be "sea
level", but it is practically "Persian Gulf" level. You cannot see the
mountains from Dubai..only some small hills.  All of their water is
desalinated and all trees and plants must be irrigated.

You could not pay me to live there, but it is a wonderful place to visit.

Teddy

K S Swigart wrote:

> As a total aside (since I understand that the WEC is a 'flat' race), it is
> not accurate to assume that just because a country is coastal that it is
> at sea-level.
>
> Referring back to the Encyclopaedia Britanica about the United Arab
> Emirates:
>
> "...Along the eastern portion of the peninsula (where Dubai is), the
> northern extension of the al-Hajar mountains offers the only other major
> relief feature.  Steep on all sides, the mountains ride to 10,000 ft
> (3,000 meters) in some places."
>
> Since the pre-ride report I read says that the ride is pretty much flat, I
> assume that the ride doesn't go up into these mountains, but they are only
> ~30 miles (according to my atlas) from Dubai, and one doesn't have to get
> very far inland before sea-level becomes something more than that if you
> have to get to 10,000 feet in about 50 miles.
>
> My place is at 1,200 feet and the trails out climb to 3000 feet in about 2
> 1/2 miles, and when you get up there to the ridgeline you have a very nice
> ocean view (on a clear day it's as if you can reach out and touch Catalina
> Island).  The mountains outside of Malibu reach those same heights not 5
> miles from the Ocean.
>
> I am not saying that Dubai must be like Malibu, I'm just saying that it
> doesn't have to be like Florida just because it is coastal.
>
> My original question was?????
>
> Was the Lori Stewart pre-ride report wrong when she said that the ride was
> like the desert Southwest?
>
> And is the Encyclopaedia Britanica wrong when it describes the climate of
> UAE? (BTW:  _I_ don't describe average temperatures of 65 def F as "hot"
> either).
>
> Where did the idea come from that Dubai was like Florida?  Since _I_ can't
> find anything that suggests that?
>
> kat
> Orange County, Calif.