Women's Day - Mount Dyer - 9th August 2008 Relax, there's a woman behind the wheel. Trip: Women's Day Mount Dyer Fynbos 4x4 Trip organiser: Russell de Wet Group: 10 vehicles (1 Nissan, 1 Mitsubishi, 2 Isuzu, 2 Land Rover, 4 Toyota) So, my fiancé thought it a real treat to drag me out of bed at 4:45am for a 4x4 trip where I had to do the driving, to honour my semi goddess status on Women's Day. Turned out to be an excellent idea, and a wonderful day - although not apparent at 4:45 when the alarm went off. The official day started at 6:00am sharp. The meeting point was the N2 One Stop just before Somerset for hand shaking, indemnity forms, vehicle admiring and a much needed Wimpy coffee before we headed off for Gansbaai to meet up with Kobus and Mariaan from Mount Dyer Fynbos 4x4. A short dirt road trip took us into the wondrous Platbos where we were trouped off into the forest for some sight seeing and lecturing. Mariaan shared interesting information with us about the forest, the route, as well as the plants we will find along the route. Usually they accompany groups on the trail, but Kobus and Mariaan had their son's wedding on that same afternoon, so Mariaan crammed all the info she usually would share in a full day, into a marathon session in the forest, before setting us off on our own to explore Mount Dyer. The route was just what us ladies ordered. A gentle start, building slowly into a thrilling climax, a steady continuation of concentration, followed by a slow downhill into a quiet haven where food was served. It also included frequent sightseeing stops and an encounter you could choose to engage with, or avoid. Some 'obstacles' were: a pretty steep downhill, a mud hole and some steady and exciting rocky climbs and descents. The most notable though, was a rocky 'gateway' with serious scratch damage potential. The ladies had to be navigated through this section by their male crew, which made for interesting viewing for those of us in the vehicles awaiting our turn. Mount Dyer Fynbos 4x4 offers a wonderful experience. The combination of forest, fynbos and mountain offered the Woman's Day group interesting information, lovely plant life and spectacular views as far as Danger Point Lighthouse. There was also entertainment for children on the trip with alien messages and fairy gardens to go hunting for. The trip was well organised by Russell, allowing enough time for travel, chit chat and 'loo breaks'. He even got the weather perfectly right. The day drew to a close in 'Annie se bos' for lunch, which the gents had to take care of for a change. The unanimous decision was that the ladies did very well, and that a great day was had by all. And I learnt 3 things on my first official 4x4 trip: 1) 4x4 are wonderful and amazing things 2) our men must really love us to allow us to drive them on trials with no previous experience 3) Every day is Women's Day Submitted by: Louisa Craig