{"id":32533,"date":"2016-10-21T06:49:37","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T06:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=32533"},"modified":"2016-10-21T07:04:28","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T07:04:28","slug":"a-nuts-bolts-2016-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/a-nuts-bolts-2016-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"A Nuts & Bolts 2016 Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first saw the Nuts & Bolts<\/strong><\/a> logo with its strapline, \u201cYou gonna do what?\u201d I didn\u2019t really give it much thought. Now that Thirsty, Greg and I are back from the four-day rally I can safely say, I get it. We\u2019ve done a lot of road trips with Thirsty during the filming of Beer Country but nothing, I repeat, nothing even comes close to the Nuts & Bolts rally. It was seriously rough, hectically tough and absolutely epic.

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At its core, the rally is a fundraiser for the Love Your Nuts Foundation<\/a><\/strong>, but there\u2019s more to the journey than just a road trip. The rally is designed to draw a parallel with the tough road of beating testicular cancer. As Pieter the Nuts & Bolts founder described, \u201cIt\u2019s all about the ups, downs and challenges, and some days are easier than others\u201d. When times got tough on the rally they were pretty brutal. The environment while being incredibly beautiful was relentlessly unfriendly.<\/p>\n

As we crossed the Tankwa National Park, the Karoo tested the cars and passengers to the limit. If you\u2019ve ever driven on corrugated dirt road, you will know how horrible it is. It creates enough rattling to loosen teeth and we drove over it for almost an entire day. From there we hit the Ou Berg mountain pass which scoffed at the convoy as we tried to traverse its heights. At one point there were about six cars backed up with their hoods open trying to cool the radiators down \u2013 and this was on the first hill of the mountain pass. \u00a0\u00a0

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Cars had mechanical problems in their dozens but it was incredible to see the comradery of the men and woman on the trip. Cars were falling apart and still they kept on going with a little help and enough cable tying. One car’s engine eventually fell out onto the road and still the spirits were high. Another car\u2019s petrol tank fell off in the middle of the Karoo and after a little bush mechanics they kept going. One of the car\u2019s even finished the rally on the back of a trailer. This is what the rally is about. The journey, the struggle, and the fight to get to the end.

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If you\u2019re looking to challenge yourself in 2017, I\u2019d highly recommend the Nuts & Bolts rally. It\u2019s four days of dirt roads, wide open spaces, braais, gees\u00a0<\/i>and adventure. We\u2019d like to thank Pieter of Nuts & Bolts, Torsten of Love Your Nuts, and Cape Brewing Company for sponsoring Thirsty on this epic journey. We\u2019d also like to thank Roverland<\/a><\/strong>, other than a windscreen wiper issue, Thirsty was bulletproof. And lastly thanks to TJ\u2019s Lekker Braai<\/a><\/strong> for all the wood and charcoal for the many, many braais. Until next year, cheers and #LovetheJourney.\u00a0

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\nWe\u2019ve put together a little video of the adventure because pictures, 1000 words and all that. Check it out!<\/span><\/p>\n