Re: SE picnic in the mud/woods REVIEW.. 6th december 2009

[2much]

i dont think i have ever laffed soooo much in my life. is it really possible to get stuck on a perfectly flat pice of ground? yep!!!

great bbq at the day out, poor sal' with the sniffles hopefully we can cure that next week with large coke & red wine??!!

i would really like to thank everyone who attended for making this a great day and and i wholeheartly encourage anyone from further afield to make the trip next year to this venue.

shame you couldnt make today kel' and lets hope you work out the correct venue for next week, will be good to see you again.

big up greg an sal for the best sunday ever - greg will even cut down trees to make sure you dont get stuck!

and jammywagonwheel has some new tyres in case any one had missed it! but what a chef, he is available at reasonable rates for weddings, funerals and barmitzvahs all with a 45 gallon bbq!

and true to my word, i left and went for a few beers - lets hope tommorow starts later than normal...

mud is great.....Ste

[Retro Pedro]

Another good day at the site - once again a big cheers to Greg and Sal for organising. Good to see some new faces, sorry lads, missed to intros at the car park meet because I was late, and didn't ask your names when we had a chat at the bar-be-que, but all the same hope you enjoyed your first day at the site. Also thanks to John and Jimbo on cooking skills, bacon sarnnies for bruch and bar-be for dinner.
Site has different demands now and some places are definate no no's in my book. I suppose we can say it's the changing of the seasons. Couple of weeks ago the car was full of dead leaves. Today it's full of mud, mind you how long as it been raining now? Doesn't detract from it though, just different areas come into play. So here we go with a few piccies that I took.
John on his inaugarol run through the challenging bomb hole now full of mud


Steve giving it his best shot one of the middle to hard slopes on a dry day. Apart from Greg, none of the steeper slopes were doable today

Greg claiming his king of the hills trophy

Louie in his now slightly damage Range Rover Vogue

This piccie gives you an idea how slippery it was on the hill climbs. Can't remember if you made it on this slope Greg.

Yep, you did, remember now

Lesson in recovery being had by all. Side slope dramas, in the end recovery out was achieved by chaining the rear of the car to a tree, and giving in a pull up the slope with use of trees. The rear end then was swung up the slope by the attached chain.

Greg doing the pulling (in a proper off-roader when the Range Rover couldn't do it). Mind you, we're not mentioning the order of the day dumper tyres

This was entertaining. Lloyd in the Rangiey Tray Back had been trying to prove the quart into a pint pot theory, and finally realised it doesn't fit. He had been trying to get his motor through a gap between trees 6" narrowing than his motor. He did attempt moding it in the process by altering the shape of the wings but then give up. So he finally reverses out and got stuck. Chained is motor to Louie's Rangey and they both ending up crunching their motors against the trees. Tommy in his Daihatsu kept out of the way on this one. He needed to drive his motor home afterwards.

Steve on his final toboggan run. On a dry day this slope is a middle category climb. Today it was a slide all the way down and hoping for this best when you got to the bottom.

And final piccie. Somebody had to get a war wound.

[gregster]

Wotcha Foggers....

Well....we wanted mud....and we got mud!!!

Blinding day, thanks to everyone who came and made it a success...I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did...



The day started with rain, and wind and more rain...

We constructed a shelteryfing first so we had somewhere dry...but sods law applied itself and we got soaked putting it up and pretty much no sooner did we complete it the rain eased up and within an hour or so we had sunshine!!
Thanks to everyone for your help doing this...would have been a real struggle with just (sally) and I, but now it is done, and the mountings located on the trees, it will only take minutes to erect next time....smart move who ever it was with the furling system, wouldnt have thought of that myself

Spent most of today helping people get unstuck...nearly got stuck myself a couple of times...but managed to drive out after a few attempts...



the mob today....(in no particular order!)

Me and (Sally)...(sally's) name is in brackets throughout this post to try and contain some of her germs...bless her...she did well today, stinking cold, but still faced the rain and mud and had a smile for everyone (except me... )...one in a million is my (sally)...we brought the l'ill white leafer and chevybravafing down today...

Retro pedro...his trusty 2.8 swb didnt miss a beat again, the tyres on his motor doing a triffic job...my dumpers have more heavy throttle traction, but petes work much better on the side slopes...

Wilberforce...had both his fronties there...but had traction troubles with both tyres and FEET!!(gutted I missed it...tis normally me that slips over!)...BBQ guru 1of2...went for a trundle towards the end with Jim in the Li'll white leafer...Jim kept saying "lets try this hill...as no-one has tried it!"...as one of our guests I felt I should oblige, and Jim placed the brain of Gregster safely in the glovebox!

Gibbo...Great to see phil again, with Susan...brave man tackled the journey down and a days playing with no power steering!! Got a lump of tree stuck in the bead of one his tyres at the start, which needed the tyre delflating to remove as wasnt holding air...His big fat Maxxis had clogging issues today...and the trees scored a mirror and headlight...

2much...Didnt stop all day I dont think...steve did blindingly on colway mt's with a combination of skill and dogged determination...

Jammywagonwheel...with his shiny new tyres if you didnt already know!!...had fun...and a demon on the BBQ....BBQ guru 2of2...

Bushwacker and Mob...Great to have another new visitor to the woods...Faced the challenge of all challenges on A/T's up there today...need muddies next time matey...did well though against all the odds...car has a few reminders of the day I fear!

Louis...The rangerover vogue destroyer...he loves it though...at the start of the day the bottom pulley on his V8 munched a hole in the tranny fluid pipe that leads to the cooler...he bodged the ruptured pipe with a bit of seatbelt and a jubilee clip...and ran the autobox on engine oil...had issues later on where it would only go backwards...but perseverance made it go forwards again...

LLoyd...with the bobtail pickup rangey...well its a bit narrower still now...and shorter...many tree moments...

Louis and lloyds old man...Came down in his shiny Paj...couldnt believe where the li'll white leafer went on its dumpers...
I think I scared him a bit at times when the brain was in the glovebox His trials biking mate came down with his vitara to see what it was all about!

Tommy...with his 2.8 dai-laughing swb...was a bit lighter when it went home than when it arrived! Did some impressive self extractions...he was running Kuhmo m'ts and they worked pretty well today...


Well that was the mud loving posse for today...

Bit of a manic one today...bloody knackered now...charging around all day, towing motors, getting bits for repairs from the workshop, tearing around the countryside to find breadrolls when we realised that we hadnt got any...

And next time anyone says I should clear the cr4p out of the workshop...that camping stove that I bought at a boot fair 5 years ago and have never used came in handy today!!! will just be cold up the workshop now as I nicked the regulator off my heater so you guys could have hot tea!!

Blinding day though...really enjoyed it, go back to work for a rest 2moz!

Thanks again to everyone for coming and your help today....hope none of you got (sally's) germs...

Laters

Greg n (Sally)

Some pickies...not many I am afraid...these are the ones (Sally) took...I didnt get a chance today I am afraid...


The FOGBQ...





Some group shots...








Jimbo and I pondering as to whether Tyreweld would fix the valve that I had split on the innertube in the dumpers...



Jimbo, Pete and I watching the Tyreweld do its thing...Cheers Jim I owe you a can...did the job, saying that the ply rating on dumpers is such that it would probably support the weight of the li'll shorty with no air...


Odd picky...but I am left wondering if Jim followed through...

[Road Hog]

Another storming success there,well done guys Gregster please send (Sal) my best wishes & sympathy I also have the "hour at a time" cough

[gregster]

Another storming success there,well done guys Gregster please send (Sal) my best wishes & sympathy I also have the "hour at a time" cough

Will do mate...but she's gone to bed now...
...so will pass on your regards in the morning, just after she shouts at me telling me I needed to get up half an hour ago..

[Road Hog]

Silly bugger sorry for the lack of ( ) but I thought by shortening the name I shortened the risk

[bushwacker]

hi all what acracking day yesterday, a very big thank you to gregster and sall for organising a brilliant day and john for letting me get his fronty stuck , glad i did not scratch it like my, john should go in for bbq chef of the year well don that man, itried to get round the course on at tyres , got stuck a few times mainly side slides in to trees, thanks to gregster in his white fronty with dumper tyres , and the lads in the range rover whats left of it and every one involved for towing me out , bought me camera but forgot to get new batteris tim my son took a few on his phone will try and get them up on here, thanks all again pete, paul, and tim

[gregster]

hi all what acracking day yesterday, a very big thank you to gregster and sall for organising a brilliant day and john for letting me get his fronty stuck , glad i did not scratch it like my, john should go in for bbq chef of the year well don that man, itried to get round the course on at tyres , got stuck a few times mainly side slides in to trees, thanks to gregster in his white fronty with dumper tyres , and the lads in the range rover whats left of it and every one involved for towing me out , bought me camera but forgot to get new batteris tim my son took a few on his phone will try and get them up on here, thanks all again pete, paul, and tim

Glad you enjoyed it guys...always nice to have foggers come down who are new to what we have been up to!!
Look forwards to seeing you again...with some muddies this time!

[jammywagonwheel]

Hi All!
Another great day in the woods! thats 2 out of 2 for me with a big thumbs up!

Mud and carnage everywhere! wouldnt have missed it, new wellies properly christened!

2much summed it up - "I havn't laughed so much" and as for getting stuck on flat bits... no explaination - I went through the bomb hole with 4 people in the car - no problems.. next time on my own - STUCK, next time with Wilberforce - Stuck.. - oops!

The rain had loosened the top couple of inches of soil and the cleats got clogged - making for some 'entertaining' decents - eyes like saucers on some of them! but the magical "heffin an' a geogffin ell" prayer seemed to work (i wasnt the only one using this magical spellword I can assure you!) still - sometimes they were not always entirely under control - and going up some of the climbs was otherwise impossible - except if you have Gregsters magic tyres, special lead wellies and the now infamous yet bespoke full glovebox in the white shorty.

Company as always was very friendly, Bacon Butties & BBQ - if I do say so myself - were very welcome and tasty and many thanks to Greg for the mercy mission to the local co-op for some bread rolls, and the trip to the workshop for a cooker (see - it did come in handy!) and Jim for helping with the BBQ - team effort!

I have a couple of pics and a vid or 2 - when I get a free minute (work getting in the way of skving - again!) I'll post them up.

Many thanks to all (even Bushwacker who managed to get my car right royally stuck after a 5 minute lend - but with Gregs guidence - and a few others help - it escaped unscathed.

Jim (Wilberforce) had the classic faux pas - after a "perfectly controlled"-ahem decent into a tree and several very obviously deliberate attempts to get himself properly stuck (just to make recovering it a bit more entertaining you understand), he jumped out the car, stepped onto the ground... did the cartoon 'making big circles with arms' and a bit of Michael Flatley fancy footwork before Gravity won the argument - result - 1 pair of muddy jeans, an empty coffee cup and a huge sheepish grin - but the hat stayed on... !

Gibbo came to the rescue with a winch and a tree strop.. Lara (or was it Holley) saved with her Dignity intact. My highlight of the day!

Gibbo - nice to meet and chat, but even after your headlight harpooning, AND being recovered by a Fronty AND adding to the box of broken bits in your 90 - you still had a grin

Weather held off which was a bonus after the morning deluge (and the drive home in the pouring rain that washed most of my mud off... grrrrr..) where poor Sal got properly drenched - but like a real trooper - smiled her way through the rest of the day (after borrowing a dry coat) and the pink kettle won plenty of friends - Good on you Sal.

Thanks again to everyone, I'll post the pics when I get 5 mins (and remember to bring my camera into work).

Looking forward to the next one..

John