Paradise at Last

It was just six months ago when I discovered an ATV track behind my duplex in Brimfield, Ohio. With ten foot drops, jumps, and tight corners, it was a dream come true for the owner of a bright green 94’ Geo Tracker named Eh Steve. That’s the car’s name, not the owner… his name is Jon. Thus the sport of Eh-Steving was born, and good times were had by all.

But, nothing could have prepared me for the off-roading trip I experienced today. Not only is the bleak sandy country side of Qatar impressively more beautiful than Ohio, but those 10 foot bumps are a world away from 150-foot sand dunes, literally. Flogging a Nissan Pathfinder through the dunes over 50 miles an hour up, over, through, and around them is like nothing I’ve experienced before. Because the sand is so soft, the vehicles can take ridiculous banks and turns with little risk of rolling. The sand gives way before the top of the vehicle does. This equals one crazy ride.

After an hour of holding on for our lives, we came across a strange scene in the desert: water, the Persian Gulf. The enormous sand dunes ended just a few hundred feet from the sea. Surrounded by one dune was a group of umbrella-covered tables where we’d eat a quite delicious Arabic meal.

I took a swim of course, and relaxed in the Gulf for a while, impressed by the crystal clear water. Swimming never holds my attention span long though. When I’m at a beach I always have this urge to play in the sand.

Yeah, that’s me jumping off of a sand dune. I’m such a nerd. I also dug a hole in the side of the dune and buried myself in it. Unfortunately the guys burying me decided to sculpt me a very anatomically-correct female body on top of the sand, so I’m afraid those pictures will be unavailable to the Internet.

I had more fun today than I’ve had in ages. For once I can thank the Army for a good time. Unfortunately, 500 miles to the north, in two days, there’s a war to go back to.