Picnic in the Woods ****REVIEW**** 15th August 2010

Hiya foggers...

Hope you all had a good day...

Please post your pickies, vids and comments here!

soz to shoot off fellows had to do a few things cheers pete for takeing us round

Last edited by mapracing on Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

another great day nice and damp for a bit of sliding
or in some casses getting stuck
can't resize so had to remove :shock:

Has Stevie 2stuck been at the boot polish :shock:

I thought that too Kel :lol:

Great pics but could your resize them to the forum max please 640x480 :wink:

Hey guys!! Just got back and cleaned up after another brilliant day in the woods!

Sticky conditions made for some interesting handling issues!! Although managed to get the old girl round without too many more organic modifications!! Did finally bend one of my chrome rock-sliders though! :evil:

Doh!!

Also spent suprisingly short amounts of time on the tow rope :dance:

!! Thanks to all those who found themselves in the right location at the right time to extract me!

! 3 1/2 wheel drive and one mud tyre triumphs again! Had to show Gregster how to get round a couple of places properly, proving it is possible to get a LWB round that bit, god knows how though!!

Was great to meet some new faces! (Some newbies and some who have been before but I hadn't met before).

Havn't got any photos this time, was having too much fun playing to get the camera out!!

Looking forward to the weekender already!!

Big thanks to Greg & Sally as usual for organising today.
Site was a bit wet and sticky with very little traction to start the day with (but we like that :lol:

), which left the hill climbs only for the most daring (or stupid), so the bomb holes and other smaller obstacles were the order of the morning, but once the site started drying out most of the climbs were doable.

I personally had one of my best days there spending most of my day driving rather than being extracted :lol:

although I did get stuck once, it was more a case of lack of traction than stuck and I was quickly pulled to where I had grip by Pete, Steve, and Paul (thank you again).
I also joined the dented door club today after taking the wrong line on a flat bit of ground. God only knows how I did that.

Nice to meet a new member to the woods, Robertmillsav. Hope you enjoyed yourself and hope to 'That Video :dance:

' on here soon

Roll on the Weekender!!!!

Cheers again to Greg and Sal for getting this picnic organised. Really enjoyed it today and was nice to meet some new faces (Rob, Sheldon (sorry mate if I've got it wrong) and Kelly. Also good to see the rest of us regulars and to see Mum on the mend.
What a difference a week of a few heavy showers does to our play ground. To think that it was only 2 weeks ago that we had the wedding guest in all their finest being driven around and not even as much of a light dusting to spoil the attire.
Today we had our surface mud back, and what a difference - motors having to fight to get up the hills and getting stuck in the process

As Paul said, drying out more for the afternoon runs, but we still had our sliding moments - but more comfortable this time.
Even found a few more holes where I reckon Louie had been snuckin down there with his digger. That meant the removed soil had to go somewhere, but personally, the less said about that the better.
I got caught with dead batteries for the camera and small vid camera :oops:

but cheers to Paul, was able to ponce a couple of AA's for the still camera, so here's the results that Kelly and me took.

sooooooooo :mrgreen:

Instead of having fun in the woods, I have been sat in the woods on the JPG estate all day bored stiff

Wotcha Foggers....

Well what a blinding day....the torrential showers over the last few days have turned the dust in thick guey tyre clogging mud!!!!

And that made for some great fun!...and more stucks than in the testing department of an araldite factory!

But getting stuck is what it is all about, and the fun of the team effort to get unstuck!

Gotta say guys there was some superb driving today...and some blunders...but the quality driving outweighed the blunders by far!

As usual we met at Notcutts, amoungst a group of classic cars that had the same idea for a meeting place...

Then off to the workshop to grab the essentials and then off down to the woods....

Was met with some slippy slidey stuff on the 2.8lwb's road tyres going in to the clearing...it was goey all right...had 265 75 16's when I came in...by the time I parked they were 33-12.50 16's!!!

Then we all unloaded and set up camp for the day...and then the safety chat and driver briefing...

Then off into the muddy brown yonder!for much fun, valve and tree bouncing, and sillyness!

Todays rabble were....(in no particular order just copied from the list!)

Paul aka BadBoy
Campaigned his 2.8 shorty with avengance for the first time I think, certainly the first time in the mud!...and it did well, and Paul didnt break anything, other than a door if that counts!
Got stuck once I think...Cheers for the marking tape mate...

Davetherave and Ange
Dave wasnt playing today but came down to say hello with the misses...
Nice to see ya both, Ange's first time to the woods and we have got mud not glorious sunshine like the past few meets...

Random Ross
What can I say...Ross defied gravity and all the other laws of physics in his 2.4lwb today...with 3 a/t's and a bald m/t he tackled and conquered everything he tried once it dryed out a tadge...but still damn wet mind...
He somehow gets his truck places unscathed that shorties collect carnage...I thought he truck might have an Lsd...but his option plate is somewhat G80 less...Stunned mate...and impressed, was great fun playing follow my leader!

Jim aka Wilberforce
Jim's winch got more excerise than its ever had today...Lara had a rest today, so Holly could stretch her much longer legs...Jim and the bus did well and managed a significant stuck (which I didnt see

)...Gotta say them new BFG muddies work well...I do like them, a bit like BFG crawlers...Jim extracted Pete from the first stuck of the day (you will never live that down Pete...AGAIN!!) by dragging him through the piles of dirt that Louis made...making it drivable sooner than the easy route of 6ft backwards...then winched stevey 2stuck to freedom from his stuck...well done fella!
Jim also was chef for the day...top man and lovely food mate!

John aka Jammywagonwheel
arrived nursing a hangover from the beer festival...with 2 of his mates (sorry guys didnt catch your names)...John was out and about in his shorty...Didnt see john stuck...but that doesnt mean he wasnt...but his car was full of grins all day! John can you thank your mates for their help with some of todays extractions

Louis 2wd
still 2wd in the dielaughing....but did that stop him....NO...I dont really know how but he managed to get around most of the woods once it dryed out a bit with rwd and a/t tyres! Combination of not caring, much momentum, and loads of gas and some pretty damn good driving I reckon...
Got a bit hot at one point...very hot in fact...see below
Fell for a "greg special" practical joke, when he borrowed my 12v compressor to pump up one of the back tyres!
I suggested that he move the truck forwards about a foot so that the valve was at the bottom directly over the flat bit as it would inflate it quicker as blowing up straight into the flat bit....Louis leaned in let off the handbrake and rolled the truck forwards and then commenced inflation...then he realised how silly he had just been!
11/10 for entertainment value mate...and glad to see the bullbar is "working"...

Lloyd
Lloyd and the strangerover did there usual combination of offroading and carnage...New recovery technique for his bro louis...stunting...but cost him a rad...helped steve to drag out the 3wd li'll white leafer when it got pretty stuck!
Top man who fixed a missing breather plug in his rad with a correctly toleranced STICK!!!! Classic!

Steve aka 2much(2stuck!)and son
Steve arrived in his shorts to show of his David Dickinson glow!! Conceeded a close 2nd to Pete for most stuck in the shortest time...
Kinda stuck on a sideslope mm's from a tree on his lower side, and nowhere to go....The li'll white leafer beat a new track to get into position to drag the back round, but with no traction to 3 of the wheels when reversing to pull steve, the one wheel with grip snapped one of the leafers front drive shafts, leaving it with just 3wd and no hope of pulling the back round...Jim came to the rescue with a snatched pull with his winch from the bottom of the hill, while the leafer played anchor to the rear to keep it away from the tree...after some pushing, sliding and shoving steve was free and drove out...I then got stuck following him, 3wd was not enough to get up the hill and I ended up wedged firmly with a tree against the tailgate wedged between the hinge and spare wheel...
Steve kindly returned the favour with Lloyds assistance and a double truck to extract the wedged li'll white leafer...

Retro Pedro
What can I say Pete....first stuck of the day (AGAIN!) and not surprising really seeing as you forgot to put in 4wd!!!
I was amazed that you made it up the hill, but you did get very sideways (the drift boys would be sooo jealous!)
Then into louis' newly created challenges, which had been undriven, so were about 10x 2tonne piles of earth arranged into an axle twister! In 2wd it just werent gonna happen was it and pete got bellied out between the first couple of piles! Jim to the rescue with his winch on Holly, and dragged pete the long way through the rest of the obstacle to make it driveable for everyone else...
Cheers for taking Selby and Kelly out, they loved it...

Robertmillsav
Nice to meet Rob and his shiny B, with lift and nice new muddies....a newbie to woods who came to see what it was all about...and enjoyed it I thinks...
Took him out in the li'll white leafer to start (probably not the best idea to relax someone into the idea of our antics in the woods!)...
Rob was a great help and encouraged me to do really silly things! We had great fun though!
Trucks looking great mate, and looking forwards to a few beers at the weekender! and seeing some dirt on the shiny!!!

Paul aka mapracing
My partner in crime when it comes to welded front diffs had fixed his busted shaft and was strutting his locked up leafer...
See from the pickies above that Paul had a stuck or maybe 2...but I was else where in the woods so missed the opportunity to laugh!
Paul managed to preserve his drivetrain and entertained his daughters all day!Didnt see that much of Paul today...he was too busy having fun I reckon!

Tom and Steph, with Tazzman and family
Nice to see you all again, came down with OJ and Tazzmans LWB...glad Steph is feeling better...
Thanks Tom for the oil lamps and wings for the chevy (they got battered on a Houndog extraction on a workday many months ago) and Steph for helping Sally in the galley...
Tom and tazzman and family went out with a couple of the guys in the mud and had fun I thinks...
Like the RC car tom....might have to build an RC rockcrawl down there!

Selby and Kelly
Came up for the day to see what I get up to on my day-offs...good friends of Sals and mine for years who are now looking for a 4x4!!!
Bitten by the bug I thinks! Cheers everyone for making them feel so welcome and ensuring they had a great day!!

Sally and me
Had a great day...both pleased that the weather held out!
Sally managed basecamp all day and did all the stuff that I cant be trusted to, and I went playing, extracting, getting extracted, breaking stuff, denting stuff, and having bloody good fun in the mud!
The li'll white leafer did well....it got a welded front diff yesterday, as it was smashed...and it was doing awesome until a shaft let go...
Didnt stop us though, still had 3wd with the locker up front, so we slithered around till it dryed out, getting very sideways all over as the single wheel with drive up front dragged us all over the place, apart from where we wanted to go...Had a moment at the top bomb holes when I still had 4wd when having a go after pete had been winched through...too much momentum (needed though as my truck has no lift!) and collected a tree into the osf, but Rob loved it! Then had fun in the big bomb hole with 3wd, somehow sliding round 180 degrees and emerging from the exit backwards, much to everyone watchings amusement...
Then had a battle almightly with one of the climbs down the far end, and got stuck in the one of the new holes we dug last digger day...got it out with 2nd gear rev limiter! and collected a tree when it gripped!

Blinding day and thanks to everyone who came and took part....

Special thanks go out to those who helped clear up and the digger fuel donations for when we get the digger again this week!!!!

Gonna put loads of new stuff in the flatter bits, so much more to play (get stuck) on when the winter comes and the hills are toooo slippy!

Cant wait and see you there if you are coming down thursday/friday...if not will see you all at the next workday and/or WEEKENDER!!! :dance:

Some pickies of todays fun!

Pete...first stuck of the day!and jimbo extraction! :oh yer:

Steve2stuck and his stuck! :oh yer:

One hot dielaughing!

In the clearing

Robs B

Li'll white leafers new carnage after playing silly buggers with clogged tyres and 3wd and brain in glovebox a plenty and headlights on! :oops:

Hmm my bull bar is a different shape to Petes I think...must be cos his is a coiler! :wink:

but at least mine isnt this bent!

Wicked day thanks again everyone who came and made it a success...cant wait till the next one "THE WEEKENDER-Take2"

Laters

Greg n Sally

hiya its kelly. well what can i say i had a fantastic day. it was really nice to meet all of you, you all made us feel really welcome. i have the bug now and would love to do it again, thank you for such a great day loved it loved it loved it!!!!! photos are great

Cheers Robert! :twisted:

Glad you enjoyed yourself, look forwards to seeing you again! :wink:

always known her as mum....oopsey...very sorry! Where did I get sheilla from?????? :oh yer:

Was late... :wink:

will edit it now! :wink:

Reckon you've got into Oz mode m8

Also - Oye - total misjustice. Didn't forget to put it into 4 wheel drive, just didn't put it in properly :butt:

Ask Shelby and Kelly if I didn't stop to lock the hubs.
Mind you, if that's the reason why it went up the first hill kicking out from side to side, then it certainly adds to the fun

And there's me thinking the mud was back with a vengence.

thanks to everyone, especially the first rescue, think everyone had to help out and it looks so mild in the pics :oops:

sorrt to delay jimbo on the bbq run! looks like i'll have to do some xtra cooking on the weekender to make amends :wink:

i must confess that after coming down to the site for quite a while i still enjoy myself soo much every time, made all the better for the people that attend, thanks again to old and new.

my new mod' to nearside sill looks rather tidy but not sure i'll be able to leave this unrepaired - need some support from ya greg!

also greg any chance you can add a tenner to the digger fund fuel and i'll paypal ya asap - didnt have anything at all with me except the rubbish from the previous days mini festy :oops:

take care y'all