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Published: August 24th 2013
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There are only two things about travelling with Pam that give rise to any anxiety. One is a general tendency to be "relaxed" about schedules and the other is packing. Nothing major (I am also not brilliant at timekeeping), nothing to write home about (or blog), but on a motorcycling trip these two characteristics come together in a fresh and exciting way.
So as we awake in our room at 6 on the morning of the first day's biking , we know we have to rationalise the stuff we are taking in our overnight bags. And its the first time Pam has worn her kit. And when John says , "breakfast at eight, leave at nine" he means it! Somehow we manage to force the (far too much) clothing into the 50L Ortlieb bags, leaving a bunch of other stuff we will have to carry in the top box. Not an inch of space remains. We are ready.
Quick snack at breakfast, helmet intercoms fitted and working and its time to rid out. Waving us off from the Victoria and Alfred is an old friend, Jos Cochrane, who I bumped into last night. Hadn't seen her in fourteen years
and then we meet in a hotel lobby in Cape Town - we only live 10 miles from each other in England for heaven's sake! Email addresses exchanged, we are off.
I love the big old BMW 1200. Feels responsive, even two up, and a really relaxing ride. Now with suspension adjustable by a handlebar control, ABS and traction control, all is goodness. Except the blasted indicators. Dedicating three massive switches to this function is a pointless, stubborn anachronism. "Left" is under the left handlebar grip, "Right" under the throttle, "Cancel" above the "Right" and below the throttle. Indicating right or cancelling means using the thumb that is gripping the throttle. In which parallel universe could this ever be considered ergonomic, sensible or safe? It comes straight from the Harley Davidson school of design aesthetics and does BMW no credit at all.
Despite this rant, I have somehow managed to master this ludicrous switchgear within about 15 seconds. This probably shows that I am a particularly adept and adaptable rider. Probably.
Anyway, in glorious 2 way comms with Pam thanks to our Uclear intercom, we head out on a brilliant spring morning, cool and bright, to take
the coast roads down to the Cape of Good Hope. The cape scenery is spectacular, somehow managing to convey a completely different feel to say the Pacific coast of the USA. The mountains rise severely from the few houses at their feet and rapidly become wild and exotic looking. Yet here I am on a 2 lane freeway in a built up city environment.
First stop is a township where Charley spent a night during his last TV series, Extreme Frontiers. We were shown around the place by Mandy, who lives in a shack in this highly structured society. Very enlightening and touching, especially as we round a corner to the sound of "Charley! Charley!" emanating from an infant school building. The nippers proceed to sing Happy Birthday to Charley (because it was) followed by a rendition of the National Anthem of SA. Dogs basking in the sun, folk going about their business, whiff of exotic weeds burning for personal relaxation. We take coffee and donuts at a street vendor and make our way back to the bikes.
Then on to the Cape itself. Fabulous sensation, being at the end of the continent, knowing that all there is
south of you is Antarctica. What strikes me most as I look out to the coastlines, misty mountains ringing the horizon, is the lack of pleasure craft. No yachts, liners, merchant vessels, only one or two fishing boats and some whales. The vastness of the ocean seems so much more obvious without the usual evidence of man messing about in boats.
Then off down to Simons Town and the Penguins at Boulder and on to Strand (45 years ago I used to live here on the beach - couldn't resist a drive down the shoreline). A very late lunch at a bikers stop out of Gordon's Bay and a great gravel ride through winelands as we turn north and head inland to Franschhoek. As dusk settles in, we descend the tarmac pass into town and get to the hotel pretty chilly but exhilarated.
A brilliantly diverse first day on the bike.
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Looking good !
I know said I wouldn't read it but I actually found it quite interesting. Might even read another one as it appears you right quite well......who would have thought! (We went on a river cruise yesterday) :-)