Camp NL 2008 - Part IV

Some time after the teeter-totter we heard over the CB "Trailblazer - find some level dry ground ASAP and stop". What happened was that the rear Hotchkis anti-sway bar sheared either from hitting something or just from the stress of articulation (I didn't disconnect). So out came the grinder and it was cut off at the ends, leaving the 2 JKS disconnects connected. It was easier this way than to try and take the bushings out on the trail.

Just so you know, I wasn't the only casualty that day and therefore didn't make the TrailVoys look bad. We had a broken radiator mount from the deep water, an overheated engine, and 2 completely flat tires (on the same vehicle) right on the teeter-totter from slipping the beads (he was running 15 psi).

At the end of the day we came to the final water crossing. This one is notoriously deep and long but has a bypass, which I took. The bypass is on the right in the picture. Three vehicles tried the deep water with varying degrees of success ... but no one got stuck.

Overall a great experience, mainly because of the people and how well the TrailVoy handled itself. The guides were absolutely great as well as everybody else as we all pitched in and made the necessary trail repairs to keep us going.

Although this is not my primary mission, as I prefer "expedition-type" outings where the goal is a destination or point of interest (that's why I like the Peter Massey books so much), I would definitely do it again next year to gain further experience in driving over obstacles and adverse conditions.

The other part of the equation is the camaraderie present and the people you meet. I can't tell you how many good comments I got on the TrailVoy as the off-roaders I met were genuinely pleased to see people working on "non-standard" vehicles.