Hilux 4x4 Forum

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/hotel?view ... %20Reserve

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... /direc.pdf

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... 202015.pdf

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... /accom.pdf

Hi Guys, the links above will give all the relevant info. A tentative booking has already been made for Saturday 21st Nov.

Arrive 9.00 - 9.30am Sat and check in
Gather at 10.00am and spend the day game viewing and 4x4 trails. A packed lunch will be necessary.
Return to camp in the afternoon and get settled with an evening braai and refreshments around the campfire.

Sunday morning breakfast at leisure - departure 10.00 / 10.30am. Some might like to 'stick around' and visit the historical town of Bathurst close by - it sports the oldest pub in SA.

There are no more platform accommodations available but there are still about 10 camp sites that can be booked. We will do a group booking, (a 50% deposit is required) so lets see who's in .....

Andy & Sheridene (Mud Dog)
Edge & Viviene (Haboob)
Tony & Annemarie (FirstGeer)

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the invite but we are busy packing. Will be moving to Durbanville on the 02 December 2015.

Mud Dog wrote:http://www.riverhotels.co.za/hotel?view ... %20Reserve

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... /direc.pdf

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... 202015.pdf

http://www.riverhotels.co.za/applicatio ... /accom.pdf

Hi Guys, the links above will give all the relevant info. A tentative booking has already been made for Saturday 21st Nov.

Arrive 9.00 - 9.30am Sat and check in
Gather at 10.00am and spend the day game viewing and 4x4 trails. A packed lunch will be necessary.
Return to camp in the afternoon and get settled with an evening braai and refreshments around the campfire.

Sunday morning breakfast at leisure - departure 10.00 / 10.30am. Some might like to 'stick around' and visit the historical town of Bathurst close by - it sports the oldest pub in SA.

There are no more platform accommodations available but there are still about 10 camp sites that can be booked. We will do a group booking, (a 50% deposit is required) so lets see who's in .....

Andy & Sheridene (Mud Dog)
Edge & Viviene (Haboob)
Tony & Annemarie (FirstGeer)

Thought that was at your place

No chance of that Neil! .... not even Eric qualifies (bless his soul).

Ja, the "Pig and Whistle" was established in 1832 (just a little before Eric was born) ....... http://www.pigandwhistle.co.za/

Mud Dog wrote: No chance of that Neil! .... not even Eric qualifies (bless his soul).

Ja, the "Pig and Whistle" was established in 1832 (just a little before Eric was born) ....... http://www.pigandwhistle.co.za/

I'm sure he cut the ribbon with the opening

Mud Dog wrote: No chance of that Neil! .... not even Eric qualifies (bless his soul).

Ja, the "Pig and Whistle" was established in 1832 (just a little before Eric was born) ....... http://www.pigandwhistle.co.za/

Can you prove that?


-F_D

The old man wrote: Can you prove that?

Certainly not - we weren't around as witnesses, but we just take you on your word.

You overlooked the fact that I am completely senile and therefore lied to you about my age.

I am only 21.


-F_D

Andy & Sheridene (Mud Dog)
Edge & Viviene (Haboob)
Tony & Annemarie (FirstGeer)
Wade & Donne' (4thGeer)

Andy,
Spoke to wade who confirmed.

Whisky wrote:Hi Andy,

Thanks for the invite but we are busy packing. Will be moving to Durbanville on the 02 December 2015.

Hi Ben, is your Passport stamped??

Hilux 1 wrote: Hi Ben, is your Passport stamped??

Tertius, My wife and I have both our Passports, they have been checked, stamped and signed . Entry to the Western Cape has been approved that's why we are so happy . Will be joining you guys one of these days, let us just settle in .

Lovely stuff

Andy & Sheridene (Mud Dog)
Edge & Viviene (Haboob)
Tony & Annemarie (FirstGeer)
Wade & Donne' (4thGeer)
Jurgen & Fam. (JVT172)

Andy & Sheridene (Mud Dog)
Edge & Viviene (Haboob)
Tony & Annemarie (FirstGeer)
Wade & Donne' (4thGeer)
Jurgen & Fam. (JVT172)
Dylan, Delia & boys (AM Racing)
Mark Greene and partner (Guest)

Guys, please be advised that bookings will be finalised on Monday night ( 16th Nov. ) so add your name to the list before then if you would like to join us.

Thanks.

Bookings finalised and venue pre-paid. If there are any late additions we will have to try make a plan.

Have fun guys, strange how all the GTG's have followed each other , three weekends in a row.
Makes for great reading Monday mornings.

True Neil. Would have been great if the KZN guys had something arranged for next weekend as well.

(I only mention it because it has been in the back of my mind for a couple of days now and I've been meaning to ask).

Thanks guys for a really great, fun-filled outing despite the bad weather conditions. Dylan and Jurgen, we understand the last minute cancellation due to having young kids in an extremely muddy environment, probably just as well .... no-one even dared pitch a tent but slept in their vehicles.

That said, it was still fun for the 'adults' that didn't mind playing in the mud and driving rain .... I might have to replace the carpets in the "Dog"!

Cameras and rain don't go together well so not too many pics were taken by myself or the others. I will try to gather what was taken amongst us and then compile a TR, so please be patient. (I'm not trying to pull a 'Shubert' on you! )

I'll start it off by saying that early in the week the weather forecast predicted rain for the Friday night, clearing from Saturday morning. This would have been ideal, with challenging slippery trails in fair weather conditions, but by Friday morning that forecast had changed and indicated rain with a fair amount of precipitation expected from Friday afternoon through to Sunday morning. That prediction was spot on.

Watch this space .............

Mark, Wade and Tony didn't have cameras with them and Viv's pics are apparently also few and of lousy quality. Will have to go with what I got.

Early Saturday morning we hooked up with Mark Greene and left East London in the rain which continued unabated throughout the trip to Port Alfred. What is usually a 1¼ hour trip took us almost 2 hours because of visibility and wet road conditions.

When we go to Port Alfred the KWT guys were already there waiting for us and after a quick stop in at a local supermarket we were all on our way to Mansfield Game Park. The rain had abated a bit when we arrived there to check in, but continued sporadically as we made our way down to the camp site in the valley.

We were warned that a number of the steeper trails were washed out with the rain and were not recommended, particularly with the slippery, muddy conditions. We were also warned of an over-friendly giraffe that loved to hang out around the fenced off camp site and that we should not let him in at the gate.

The challenging trail conditions is what we were there for, but the giraffe was our real obstacle. As we arrived at the camp site area we could see his head sticking out from nearby bushes.
As we stopped to take a pic, he wasted no time in coming out to greet us. The clever bugger positioned himself between myself and the following vehicles (I had already moved on enough by the time he reached us), and followed me along the road to the gate. So doing he kept all the other vehicles behind him.
We made it through the gate in time to close it behind us but he wouldn't let the other vehicles in, wanting to come into the campsite himself.
Checking me out ....
..... and decided that I was friendly.
After being petted, he just didn't want to leave me alone and kept trying to lick me.
"Whaddaya mean, 'try get him to follow you away from the gate' " ......
Trying to get him away from the gate, he wouldn't follow me away from the gate by more than 5 or 6 metres.
Fortunately there were some park staff on hand to assist and got him to move away after a lot of coaxing.

Checking out the mushy campsites, we decided to leave our kit in the vehicles and set up camp after driving the trails.

The trails proved to be fairly moderate, even with the rain and muddy conditions - that included the sections that we were warned against. I suppose they were just trying to protect themselves in the event of any mishaps. Wade's Jeep CRD was slightly limited only in ground clearance, but by choosing his lines and with front / rear diff-lock, his vehicle was probably more capable than our lux'es.

One benefit of the rain was that it kept our vehicles relatively clean, washing off a lot of the mud before it could really pack itself on, but the game was all taking shelter and we didn't get to see too much. There were a few black eagles and a couple of blesbok that we saw, but didn't manage to get any pics. We never saw any of the wildebeest, kudu, bushbuck or zebra.

We had lunch in the rain after making our way down to the valley floor.
One of the steep sections, but fortunately it was shale and not muddy, giving us enough traction.

We also encountered a small bachelor herd of Impala and a few more giraffe.
There were some great views of the Kowie River valley from the ridges.
This was coming down into the camping area, besides camp sites for tents and the like, they have these 'platforms' built on the slope of one side. We stayed in one of those while the rest 'camped' in their vehicles.
The camp setting is really nice and their sites are basic with a light post at each site. Lights are on a generator that runs from dusk to 10pm, thereafter you rely on your own lighting if you have not yet retired. The platforms have light and a power point over the same period, but you can request additional times at a cost. The platforms also have hot water (gas) with shower, hand basin and toilet, they sleep up to 10 persons in bunk-beds with mattresses and are 'walled off' on three sides with 80% shade cloth and dropper poles - the front has roll-up 'blinds', also of 80% shade cloth (could be cold in winter). Camping ablutions are separate toilets / basins and showers with hot / cold water. There is also a separate lapa with sinks for dish washing and food preparation. We made ourselves comfortable in the main lapa - some of the ladies wasted no time getting in there and out of the rain.
After a lekker braai and 'kuier', we retired somewhere close to midnight.

The next morning we awoke to clear, sunny skies and could more appreciate the beauty of the camp / conference venue setting on the banks of the Kowie.
Our 'platform' and the view from it ...
The camp area was still very soggy and we looked for a place to cook our breakfast out of the wind that had sprung up. We found a fairly suitable place near the conference lapa but decided that we would still be having a cold breakfast because of the wind. That and the fact that Tony had to leave early to get back and attend to an emergency breakdown at one of his clients, the remaining four couples decided to just pack up and have breakfast at the Wimpy in Port Alfred.
After a lekker 'geselige' breakkie we said our goodbyes and departed on our separate ways. (We decided to still go through to Bathurst to visit the Sunday morning art & craft markets).

Despite the rain it was all in all a truely enjoyable outing with awesome company. Thanks guys!

Looks awesome

Looks very lekka, Andy! That giraffe is certainly something to talk about


-F_D

Family_Dog wrote:Looks very lekka, Andy! That giraffe is certainly something to talk about


-F_D

He was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, quite a character, reportedly always seeking out humans rather than the other giraffes in the park. Apparently he was hand reared when his mother died shortly after his birth, and although very tame and affectionate, we were warned that he likes his own way and had kicked the owner of the park for being too assertive.

It was only the next morning when the sun had come out and we explored the conference facilities that we came upon this sign.

Yeah right! How do you avoid 'touching' him when he keeps seeking you out for human contact and petting.

Very nice TR. Love the views you guys had.

Mooi fotos met die landskappe. Af en toe om in die reen te wees kan 'n mens net goed doen. Bly julle het dit geniet.

in dry weather would a 2x4 with diff lock be able to ride on this trail you lot went on.

I added a couple more pics in my last TR post above.

Hunter26 wrote:in dry weather would a 2x4 with diff lock be able to ride on this trail you lot went on.

Hi Craig, in my opinion, yes. Without low range there are a few places where you might have to ride the clutch a bit but you could opt to avoid those sections.

The tranquillity, setting, game trails, prolific bird life (we watched a couple of Knysna Louries close to our platform), friendly and helpful staff along with the more than reasonable rates make it a great weekend outing. They also have an option for day only visitors.

That looks awesome Andy.

Many thanks,sorry I could not make it but was on standby. Hopefully next time out.

Sent from my D2403 using Tapatalk

Yeah, there were a couple of guys that were unable to attend, so what I thought is that we could perhaps arrange another one in the next month or so, even if it's just a social. I'm not sure if you got the e-mail shot I put out (I know I sent one to the mail address we have on file for you), but what you can do is to subscribe to the E/Cape events calendar and you will be notified of any postings there.

Hi to Andy & 4x4 direct, (I think you mean to say "Thanks to the Club and 4x4Direct for the gift vouchers". )
Thanks for the most enjoyable week-end for those that took the effort to join us. It was really enjoyable & myself, Tony & Wade have indicated that we would return to this venue, but this time we would take along our rods to do a little fishing in the Kowie River. Wade indicated that he would bring his boat next time we go there as it was also not too far, so maybe early in the new year Andy.
When we were ready for bed after the braai, Sherry & Andy kept us up until nearly midnight. When we last saw Wade he was still laughing at the stuck Ranger, where Andy afterwards did a three point turn in the same area with the Hilux and then still parked in the ditch, so that Sherry did not have too far to walk to the party venue. The other campers did not even want to join us for the party, even though we even set up tables... and dried them for the evening festivities.
Sour grapes, but thanks again Andy & fellow hiluxers for a most enjoyable week-end.
Viv apologises for the lack of photo's, but failed to charge the camera's batteries & only has a few snaps of Gambit the giraffe on her cell.
Thanks again to all, the weather could have been better, but not the company...

Hehehe! There was nothing wrong with that Ranger (well at least not before that Saturday! ).

I think our friend was just a novice and it won't take him long to learn that the vehicle is just a tool, regardless of the brand, and that you can't just 'point and shoot' because you have a 4x4 with diff-lock.

A note for the next outing .... if you want to get to bed before midnight, don't let anyone feed me Irish coffees! ..... and make sure that there are enough life-jackets in that boat!

I cannot help but agree fully with your sentiments on the weather and the company!

Andy, just by looking at the pics, would it be safe to say that Gambit "stuck out his neck for you"

I guess you could say that .... there is no way that he was lowering his head in reverence!

so quiet in the EC

Yep, it's been a topsey-turvy year for most of us here in the E/Cape, but there is something in the pipeline, so don't go away.

Hi Andy,
Have been meaning to come & see you guys, but Viv had to have an urgent neck operation, so is feeling very sorry for herself.
Will be out of action from 4 to 6 weeks.
Every day is a bit better and improving, but tonight there is a lot of discomfort and pain again, so we are hoping that nothing is going wrong again.
Don't know if you heard about Tony's wife had an accident with his 4x4?
Fortunately her and her friend are fine and the camper is just about 100% again.
Everything else is ok.
How is Sherry?

We're OK Edge, so sorry to hear of Viv and Annamarie / Tony's woes. Hope that there is dramatic improvement soon.

I've been tempted to take a drive through to see you guys, but somehow it just doesn't seem to materialise. We want to organise a 'social' at Dylan's small holding soon to intro some new faces, hope you guys will be able to come thru for that. Will let you know when.

I wrote:Yep, it's been a topsey-turvy year for most of us here in the E/Cape, but there is something in the pipeline, so don't go away.

See here .... viewtopic.php?f=49&t=41987" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

See you there!