Although a little later than anticipated, I arrived at Gingers to find Herpatrol, Luckybugger, AlmostDun, OE & RobsGQ ready and raring to go so, after feeding the kids and settling in to the co-pilots seat we were soon heading north and about an hour later were pulling into the farm at Mogumber.
After meeting Andrew at the gate we were escorted to a very well prepared camp ground, consisting of a lean-to/camp kitchen area, a couple of long drops, plenty of shade and a man made track/obstacle course, a real credit to the club who uses the area regularly and have been for a number of years. With TheFlyingBadger, Doc Evil and SPN WRC already on site and settled, the new arrivals mingled for a bit while waiting for the drizzle to clear before setting up their swags and tents for the evening.
Once this was out of the way, the kids were rounded up for an egg and spoon race, 4WD style. Each driver had to navigate the course while the kids held a spoon out the window, trying to avoid dropping the golf ball. First place was tied with a single drop each although these were technically “big kids”. All the kids and drivers put in an excellent effort and all deserve congratulations
With all the kids now happy & hyper from a lolly induced sugar rush, we headed across the road to check out some of the tracks in the area used for WestOz Challenge 2010 with a couple of steep and off camber climbs and descents, nothing too serious but enjoyable all the same. While out and about, 2ShortGQ had arrived at camp, bringing not only a weather report but the weather itself.
Upon our arrival back at the camp site, we were surprised to see just how sloppy the relatively small amount of rain had made the obstacle course and, true to form, some members couldn’t resist the opportunity. With RobsGQ & AlmostDun driving easily through one of the deeper puddles, a certain member who shall remain nameless yet shameless had failed to engage the hubs or the stubby lever and became the first statistic. After trying to drag a couple of cars into the hole for company, sufficient anchorage was gained and an extraction completed. A few others continued to play around, while others watched on or started preparing the evening meal.
After a brief visit from TheEvilTwin, the majority headed out for the planned night run while I decided to hang around camp due to a lack of sleep the previous night. Apparently they found a real challenging hill which left a permanent imprint on some memories although the word on their return was that only 2 recoveries were required. The rest of the evening was spent swapping stories and around the fire and SPN WRC performing some trick photography before retiring to bed at around 1am. So much for that early night!
Although a couple of members had to leave early due to other commitments, the morning was very relaxed with everyone pottering about happily, despite having to share breakfast with an overzealous fly population and the majority packing up at a leisurely pace. With pack up complete we headed out for a bit more of a drive around the property, redoing some of the tracks from the previous day with the odd diversion thrown in to keep it interesting, saying our goodbyes and making our way home.
On behalf of the WPC and members in attendance, I’d like to again thank L300 for organising the weekend, a top effort mate, well done, Herpatrols parents for allowing us access to, and the use of, the property and the 4WD of WA for the use of the shelter/kitchen and facilities at the camp grounds
XLR8
