The week that was.....

* Tourism breathes again

* Back to driving school

* Focus on Ladybrand

* Pass of the Week

* Silly questions

Tourism is slowly resuscitating

In a nutshell, the Boks won the rugby series, the hysteria around the riots in KZN has mostly disappeared from the mainstream media, Covid continues to be the main (depressing) topic, the wild flower explosion is happening in Namaqualand, Cederberg and the West Coast; it's still unseasonably cold; most dams are full in the winter rainfall regions and tourism has breathed another gasp of fresh air as we slowly ease out of season 3 - the Delta variant.

Back to School

A few basic 4x4 tips for beginners and intermediates:

• If you're unsure of an obstacle, exit your vehicle and read the terrain.
• Choose the path of least resistance.
• Drive as slowly as possible, and as fast as necessary.
• Maintain momentum − resist the urge to make sudden throttle inputs.
• Engage 4WD on loose gravel roads − it's safer, as you'll have more traction.

As SUV and bakkie ownership has increased, so has the amount of off-highway recreation. There is no special license required to drive off-road, even though there are many different techniques and practices involved. There does exist an often unspoken etiquette that is practised by old-school four-wheelers, which developed not just so that everyone can get along on the trail, but primarily for safety considerations.

With the availability of trail-ready 4x4’s, both in the traditional 4x4 mould and outside of it, the slow and steady progression of four-wheeling initiation through involvement and camaraderie has been bypassed. The honour-by-association process misses the chance to be taught by the enthusiastic guy who just bought his first real 4x4.

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