My Donkerpoort 4x4 Weekend...

[Mad Manny]

We went to Donkerpoort4x4 this past weekend.

RynoB arranged the weekend - our buddy Ernie runs the Donkerpoort farm, near Gariep.
Those of you who attended the now defunct NGTG's on 4x4Community Forum at Gariep would have 4x4'ed there.

Tammy & I got up before 04:00 on Friday morning (! March), packed, hitched Gearless behind Fearless & hit the road.
Must say, it strikes me as strange that a National road isn't always a dual carriageway.

Anyhoo, we arrived at the farm Donkerpoort 6 hours later, unhitched Gearless & rushed to meet the gang.
We'd just started deflating when Ernie, Frans, Quack, Ryno & Desmond Malkoppie met us.
We then departed on 5 hours of 4x4'ing.
Watching Quack & Desmond doing doughnuts in the reeds dam was a hoot (videos on our FB page).

Tammy & Di then stole Fearless & spun it around in the dam a few times - I hate mud.

Then, emboldened, the girls stole Ryno's brand new V6 Amarok & got it stuck!

We then did a new route on Pine's farm Bankfontein, halfway, on top of the mountain, we had a lunch break, Ernie cooked up some lamb & wors...
Bankfontein is my 68th trail!
There is a nice dry river route on the farm, but shortage of time prevented us from doing it.

We then got back - set up camp & headed out to do a Bridgestone Challenge type obstacle points where we got scored.
Grips & his wife & two sons arrived & also immediately deflated & did the obstacle course.
The sun had set by the time we were done - so we went to an event at Forever Resorts, Gariep.

Ernie cooked up some awesome Lamb chops...

Quack was looking a bit worse for wear, having driven through the night & then 4x4'ed all day.

We headed back to Donkerpoort, showered & went to bed.

12 hours of driving in a 18 hour day... sleep...

[Mad Manny]

Saturday 2 March...

We got up early, The Grips family made Braai Broodtjies (Pannini based) & I had 3 cups of coffee.
Then we did the Donkerpoort Trail - I got myself into big trouble on one severe obstacle.

The video shows me ramp the top of this styeep incline & ram a pile of rocks & stop dead.
Immediately Grip's two son's charge up the hill to assist.
You cannot get stuck in mid air - but landing on rocks stops you dead.
Anyway, I got out... thanks to Ernie & the others.

At the halfway point Rynno & Ernie et Al had set up another Bridgestone Obstacle course - se we did that.
33*C & no shade...
Then we did the some of the rest of Donkerpoort & slowly headed back to the Farm.

We chilled & had a few cool drinks - Grips' sons were feeding me Tipo Tinto R&R's - Ice Cold. Very Refreshing.

We then had the prize giving - seems Desmond Malkoppie beat me on both obstacle courses!

We then had the Stafdoppe session, Grips was Strafdop Meister - so that meant Stroh Rum shooters - Eeewwww...

A few of is then finished a bottle of Grips' GlenMorangie, I would have fallen over had it not been for the most tender Skaapostertjies I have ever eaten - Ducking Feliscious...

Dinner was good, apparently, it was lamb...

I then staggered to the showers & headed to bed after misbehaving, I just recall Tammy saying 'Ja Dronkie' over & over...

[Mad Manny]

Sunday we packed up & left.
What an awesome weekend!
Thanks to:
Ernie & Mariska of Donkerpoort for hosting it.
Ryno & Diane for arranging it.
Quack for driving 990km to be there
Frans & Karlien & the kids
Desmond & Anne Marie & the kid
Grips, Karen & the boys, Christo & Ignus
and my Tammy - for being such an awesome partner!

If you are interested in going to Donkerpoort, contact Ernie, You need three or four days to do everything.
The one Coopers Dust Series event was held at Gariep & on Donkerpoort.
Andre Agterewenaarslot also featured Donkerpoort on one of his Safari 4x4 Routes Blad Skud episodes ...

[Quack]

All I want to say; 4kingawsum!

Good food
Good people
Good banter

The videos don’t do Manny’s getting stuck in thin air episode, any justice, some of us really got worried that he might roll it! I mean really, that would have messed up the whole day as we would have had to find another route around him

Ernie has some really good “bergroetes” that keeps you on your toes just enough!

Ryno’s Amarok is not virgin no more and Frans has become unstoppable with front lockers!

And the movement on Christo’s wheels is liken to the minute hand of a watch!

Poor Pine had to ride shotgun with me, (you guessed it, his wife took his fortuna to the mall!) it could not have all been bad as he went from Rookie to wanting to convert his whole farm to a 4x4 route in one morning!

A bonus was the interesting game we saw on his farm, amongst them a whole herd of letchwes, something I’ve never seen before!

Those that witnessed the budding bromance between malkoppie and malmanny, should secure my retirement in years to come! I’ve created a supporters group for the poor victims and planning years of counselling for them!


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[grips]

I think Manny did a great review of the weekend. Nice to have 4x4 fun with people that become sort of a family.
Ernie and Mariska are fabulous hosts. Ryno as always (and as said by Manny) did great in organizing the weekend. Ryno really knows how to stretch a penny.

My plan was to leave on Thursday and the kids would drive through on Friday as Christopher had to attend a function in the morning, but a Generator installation almost ruined my weekend. Christopher sold his beloved SFA Hilux to someone close to Gariep, this made me change my planning at the last minute and we decided to leave the 79 Cruiser behind. Sadly I missed most of Friday's fun.

Come Saturday and I was very excited to test the 76 Cruiser on the rocky trails. The 76 pleasantly surprised me with its Crawling ability. It can go almost anywhere crawling at idle speed.

As usual Manny never fails the ends of the outmost. Only the Mad Man could get stuck in mid air. The two Amarok guys again showed that Amaroks are no softies. Quack had a few very good launches up in mid air. I am sure he beat the first flying attempts of the Wright Brothers.

The Patrol manne Frans and Desmond just do what a Patrol needs to do. Pity Nissan`s marketing regarding the Patrols had always sucked. Patrols still stay one of my beloved type of 4x4.

Think one must not forget to mention Ernie in his D4D Hilux never to be underestimated. Must have done those trails hundreds of times with that 4x4.
Donkerpoort trail can lay down some real challenges and I think it is one of those trails that need to be on your bucket list.

Dankie Manne en Vroue dit was `n moerse 4x4 naweek. Well done

Quack still owes me an answer on the healing effects of Stroh

[RynoB]

Manny and Grips review actually summed up the whole weekend there is not much for me to add.
Dianne and myself woke up early on Thursday morning and with Skyleigh snuggled into her bed on the backseat of the Polo Bakkie we headed for Donkerpoort.
On arrival we were welcomed by the owner and close friends Ernie and Mariska, we unpacked and immediately went and build an obstacle course on the farm, from there we went to Aventura Gariep and set out another obstacle course. Thanks to the resorts management supplying us a TLB at no cost.
Thursday afternoon Ernie, Malkoppie and myself with our partners tried out the new route to enjoy a sundowner on the hill. That route is well planned out and something to take on very slowly and carefully, something Quack and Manny couldn’t master yet. The Polo Bakkie had to recover the Patrol that got stuck in a very tiny narrow ditch. The Polo Bakkie got its first love-bite on the rear bumper in that same ditch.
Back at the farmhouse we met up with Frans and his Family. We braai’ed our first skaap stertjies and everyone was off to bed early.

The rest was already well explained by Derick, Manny and Grips.

It was yet again an awesome weekend with people that became family, thanks everyone as usual it was a weekend to remember for a very long time to come.
There are more than 4 trails on Donkerpoort and should be on everyone’s to doshortlist, Ernie and Mariska are friendly and welcoming host’s and everyone can do with a skaap stertjie.
I will upload some phodies of the weekend during the day

[Mad Manny]

I did not appreciate the Van Vuuren boys sticking a large John Deer sticker on my bonnet.

But at least it was magnetic....

[RynoB]

[Malkoppi]

Thanks Ryno and Princess Diana for organizing such an awesome weekend, and bringing enough food to feed an army. My first time at Donkerpoort after wanting to go for a long time.
The best part was that we could be ourselves and just enjoy ourselves (while the whole time being called gay by Manfred, though he was speechless when I went to sit on his lap like a cowgirl) When people give you sh*t just give them what they want

Thumbs up for Ernie for always being willing to assist. He helped me to clean the Patrols radiator after Quack & I enjoyed ourselves a bit too much in the farm dams.

4x4
Laugh
Eat skaapstertjies
Laugh
Eat kaiings
Laugh
4x4
Laugh
Eat skaap tjoppies
Laugh
Sleep
Repeat....

[Quack]

To Grips, Stroh is very medicinal


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[Chris Stoffel]

Sounds like you people had too much fun. That is never a good thing.
I want to see you all in church on Sunday.
Gorrit?

[Mad Manny]

Frans Reichert is a certified Bona Fide Dominee - so we were well behaved... trust me!

[grips]

I did not appreciate the Van Vuuren boys sticking a large John Deer sticker on my bonnet.

But at least it was magnetic....

Bliksempies

[Oppies3800]

I did not appreciate the Van Vuuren boys sticking a large John Deer sticker on my bonnet.

But at least it was magnetic....

Will make sure they have a facebook group sticker for the next event

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[Quack]

Frans Reichert is a certified Bona Fide Dominee - so we were well behaved... trust me!

Daai dominee het vir my ‘n preek gegee wat wk nog nooit in enige kerk gehoor het nie!

Ek kon sweer hy het die poorte homself oop gemaak vir my!


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