Yesterday we went on a 4×4 driving course. Maarten gave this to my (Renske) birthday. We were expected in Almere at 8 am, so it was an early morning (6.15 am), with the advantage that it was not that hot yet as the expected temperatures were above 33 degrees Celsius.
At the location, they had a circuit with steep hills, mud, and challenges where the car would hang sideways. It was a lot of fun, and also quite educational.
The trainer tried to give as many tips as possible for our expedition as well. He advised us to always have enough food and water with us if we get stuck. And we should not forget the needed fluids for the car as well. Oils, petrol… However, all an electric car needs is electricity and windshield washer fluid. An advantage for us!
He also explained some tricks to prevent getting stuck, and how to get loose when stuck. His main tip; creativity wins! There are no standard solutions, as every situation is different. Be creative with the surroundings and the tools you have available, and a lot is possible.
Some tips we noted for our expedition:
- Use a spare tire as an anchor to pull yourself out
- Use the car jack to lift the wheel out of a hole
- When in loose sand use sand tracks and attach them with a rope to the car. This way, once lose you can keep driving. As if you stop to pick them up, you will get stuck again!
- And last but not least he gave guiding tips to assist the driver outside the car without words. With fewer and easy gestures, you are more clear.
You should know that we both just could not stop smiling this entire course. We loved it so much… We just can not wait to do all this with our car for the expedition. As of course, we won’t choose these challenging roads. But still, it will be just amazing!
Of course, there was no option to do this course with an electric car. So we will have to prepare ourselves for the differences this brings to challenges… Do you have tips or ideas? Do let us know!
