Cruise Captain Rob Big Dog, Karen, Goof and birthday girl Mel set off from Lyndoch bright and early on a cold but clear Sunday morning to meet other club members at the appointed rendezvous point, McConnells McDonalds at Gilles Plains. The Barossa roads were relatively dry but with the odd pool of water lying around, with eagle eye precision, bellowing "PUDDLE" and some fancy manoeuvres the Corvette remained clean and dry…. for about ten minutes. The closer to McConnells McDonalds we got the wetter and colder it seemed to get!

Brave starters included Peter & Lynda, Lyndsay & Karina, Tony & Faye, Dale & Barbara, Rudy & Kay, Alan and David. We head for the hills into pea soup thick fog and arrived at the Cudlee Creek Café for refreshments. Waiting to join us was Breck & Helen (in the Nissan, Corvette wanted to stay in the shed today!) Birthday girl Mel's morning tea came with a candle and we all sang "Happy Birthday".

Due to a rearrangement of arrangements, the club run didn't atually go to Blanchetown as previously promised, so the birthday girl and Goof left us and went on their own run to Blanchetown and the rest of us went through to Gumeracha, Birdwood, Mount Pleasant and on to Springton where we briefly visited the historic Herbig Tree, the ancestoral home of Karen's relatives back in the 1800's. A little disappointing for those who expected to see the ruins of some castle-like grand homestead!

By this time everyone had a little mud on their tyres from parking off-road at the tree! However, there was some sunshine and it was quite pleasant travelling. Breck and Helen even parked off the road in their Nissan!

On to Williamstown and Lyndoch and the weather, although still cold and sometimes sunny, Cruise Captain Big Dog Rob decided to take a vote to see if anyone was interested in a little bit of DIRT ROAD driving to one of the Valley's little secret lookouts! The whole convoy agreed and detoured from the Lyndoch-Tanunda road to the Steingarten. A quaint little area on top of the Barossa Ranges where Orlando planted vineyard in 1962. It has one of the best views of the valley, but was also very windy, cold, and oh no…puddles on the track, but there was no turning back! (Breck and Helen didn't care!) I think this is the first time I have actually seen little bits of mud splashed on Corvettes! Probably lucky for Cruise Captain Big Rob Dog that he wasn't walked off the boardwalk by chamois welding Corvette owners!

Back down the track again on our way to Tanunda to have lunch at The Club. Tony and Faye's Corvette must have enjoyed the view so much it decided to stay there for a little while longer and eventually after deciding it was ready, they too went back down the track, through the PUDDLE and joined us at Tanunda!

While we enjoyed our yummy meals at The Club, the heavens opened and thankfully washed most of the evidence from our adventure off our Corvettes (and the Nissan). Good run Pres Big Dog - it remains to be seen if you are ever allowed to arrange and rearrange another run!