't was another great weekend away at Mooi River. We arrived at the farm on Thursday early evening and quickly pitched the tent using a torch and lantern. Then popped a Castle and the weekend was on. Saturday morning the rest of the 4 x 4 mad bunch arrived and we went for a drive around one of the neighbouring farms, into some quarries, holes, wash aways and then returned to the Hidden Valley farm where we met up with DP and family.

We gathered up some steam DP joined me as co-pilot and went out for a second drive through a mud hole and then through little bush on the farm. The tracks took us trough a river and up a little bank to join up with the dirt road going back to the camp. Me being a little over enthusiastic to get up the bank and I stripped the spider gears on my Landcruiser's back diff. We limped back to the camp.

Rory, Kevin helped and quickly we had the gears stripped out. So it was off to Pinetown to pick up spares from Rory's private collection and arrived back at Hidden Valley at 22:00.

Saturday morning early Rory and Kevin helped me assemble the diff. Then Rory went to Mooi River to escort more visitors and Mike Lauterbach to the camp site. We quickly said hello to all the "new comers" stocked up the cooler boxes with supplies and we were off to a trail on the farm.
This trail consisted of a good few axle twisters and hill climbs. It was great to watch DP negotiate his 79 series Land Cruiser through all the twisters, gulleys and dongas, albeit me getting a bit of motion sickness driving behind him. Mike drove through all the obstacles with ease in his L@ndr0ver, making it look easier than it really was.

We made our way up the mountain and the leaders of the convoy found a serious rocky pass going straight up the mountain. Of course some of us had to drive up there which provided for some good spectator value while we chatted and bonded in the "bushveld" for and hour or so. Jacho with my vehicle got up this pass 3/4 of the way and was then advised to reverse back down the hill as the rocks just got bigger and more difficult to climb.

We all made our way down the mountain and some of us went for some more driving in a dry river bed on the farm. We returned back to the camp late afternoon were we saw Mike off leaving for home. Then settled down for another memorable evening next to the fire. We got some lessons from DP on how to call for the stars and also had to have some "Chilli Tequila" (Mike was this one of the bottles you produced?) I'm sure this stuff would fire up a rocket as well.

We had a great evening with plenty of laughs with on and off some rain.
I was woken up by DP's rush in the early hours of the morning as he saved his Gazebo from blowing away.

We rose Sunday morning and started packing lazily and having some left overs of the braai for breakfast. Rory, Kevin and some of the other guys went for another drive on one of the neighbouring farms. We were all packed by 12:00 and said our good bye's. DP went confluence hunting and I made my way back to Toti towing ("A" frame) the Landcruiser with my Hilux. We stopped at one of the Engen One Stops on the N3 for a bite to eat and arrived home at around 16:30. Tired, dirty and satisfied that we had a great weekend away.