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The trip begins with a full tank and a new Heidenau rear tyre.
With a full tank and a new Heidenau rear tyre things start o happen again. Can't wait to get on the bush side of the world again.By taking gravel roads as far as possible, this family visit in different parts of the country turned out to be a nice adventure.
I always try to learn some lessons when looking back at what I did, and I think this one is:
"Adventure is not something which happens to you, it is something you create. Therefore you determine how many adventures you have in life."
Wow, this fits perfectly with the following philosophy: "Life is about Relationships and Experiences". Both depends on your self:-)
I needed to visit family in Kakamas and Bloemfontein and decided to do it on my old trusted Africa Twin.
(Lesson) Your transport choice determines a lot about your trip. If it happens to be a motorcycle in stead of a car it it changes everything except your destination, or at least what you planned as a destination.
The planning for the trip was to drive from East London to Kakamas on gravel roads as far as possible. The rest of the plan was to plan the next steps as the trip progressed.
I had two days to get to Kakamas and decided that the gravel would start after King
Sandile Dam
One of the favourite stops on the back road to Hogsback. Williams Town and the first night would be spent in Middelburg (Cape Province).
From Dimbaza to Hogsback was familiar terrain, but the rest was new to me and the fun started shortly after Hogsback on the Mitchels Pass. Most of the pass is no problem, but at one specific spot the road condition is the determining factor for the type of vehicles which can use this road. The Bike was heavy and had a high centre of gravity and I had serious doubts if I would manage to get through. After a minute of planning and getting the focus levels up the challenge was completed successfully. The adrenalin levels and jubilation was so high that I did not stop to take a picture.
The next Town was Seymore. The view from Mitchel's Pass overlooking Seymore in the direction of Katberg was something to admire and will always stay beautiful. Seymore was a stark reminder of the degradation of many rural towns in South Africa. Katberg Golf Estate followed soon after this and the contrast to Seymore was noticeable to say the least. Then came Katberg Pass.
Not knowing what to expect, my senses was sharpened, expecting the
The church
They say the Europeans brought two things to Africa. The one was the Bible. worst at any moment. In stead I was rewarded with a beautiful indigenous forest and pleasurable road at the bottom part. The forest became so dense that the GPS lost all satellites. This soon gave way to a steeper climb on loose rocky gravel and the trees gave way too open mountain sides covered mainly with grass and beautiful views.
At the top I turned left to Tarkastad and the road started to change to something closer resembling a "2 spoor" road but all in good condition.
No further passes was planned and suddenly I realised that the activities of the last few hours, combined with the scenic surroundings did the trick again. All stress and worries seemed to have never existed and paled into significance. Life had real meaning and the people close to me was more important than any work related topics.
The blissful state of mind was suddenly interrupted by a bundle of "doring draad" on the one side of the road. This happened a number of times, but without incident. The road condition suddenly changed, but no alarm bells rang until I hit what looked like a well maintained stretch. The bike started
Mitchels Pass
Deceivingly beautiful, depending on your transport medium.
swerving heavily and lost speed. SAND or something loose with car tracks all over the place! At about 80km/h I grabbed the opportunity to test all the theories and lessons from the past, geared down a gear or two, stood up and opened up. When the bike was no longer going where I thought it should, I violently shook the handle bars a couple of degrees and it would obeyed again. What a great feeling!! The road stayed like this for about 3 or more km's and gave me the chance to practice. The sense of achievement was all I needed and the rest of the day was just a bonus.
I reached Tarkastad and the roads became the typical long, with few curves, well maintained Karoo stuff. You can relax, but not dream. You stay busy all the time, reading the road, making choices and moving your body around to let the bike do what you want. If you look far ahead and the road is straight, it gives you the chance to notice and enjoy the surrounding scenery.
At Middelburg I found a place to sleep, close to one of the two restaurants which are open
Seymore
Once upon a time this was a nice town. at night. Nothing special and slightly overpriced for what it offered. At the bar next to the hotel, which is the same place as the restaurant, I met two guys working for MTN and we watched a rugby game together, had a couple of beers and ordered some standard steakhouse food.
The next morning I left at about sunrise. The air had a distinct chill, indicating that winter was closing in, but the air was dry and clean. You smell the Karoo. The sun was behind me and the long straight flat road was stretched out ahead of me, looking like it does not have an end. The landscape was open and the shadow of the bike was projected ahead of me on the light gravel road surface. It was like being on another planet or a place where different rules apply. It felt like a honest world where the harshness does not allow for deviations from doing things the right way.
I had 600 km's to cover for the day and most of it on unknown roads. Filling up the bike and my stomach happened at Richmond on the N1. No I did not take the N1,
Katberg ahead.
With all of this around and ahead of you, why drive on tar? I just crossed it. I had to take some time to ensure the chain was well maintained, making this a long stop.
The plan was to take the shortest gravel roads to Vosburg, passing by Vanwyksvlei, filling up in Kenhard and then to Kakamas. The execution was almost exactly as planned with the exception that I decided to stick to the tar because it was dark by this time and there was a big storm in the area.
The biggest deviation was in the time it took. The planned route passed Britstown on the south, making use of a short stretch of tar on the N12. Next to the road was a neat (typical to this part of the country) rest stop where I decided to stretch my legs. When I tried to start the bike, it was clear that I had a problem. Long story short, a helpful farmer stopped and we tow-started the bike. At the next turn-off to gravel I switched the lights on again and the bike immediately died. Now I realised that my bike does not run without a battery, it was Sunday and I was in the middle of the Karoo. Thanks
to technology my cellphone (supercomputer:-) gave me the telephone number of a garage in Britstown which sells batteries. Ja sure, find an open garage on a Sunday in these parts! The answering machine gave me five options of which one was a takeaway shop. I dialled this and got through to what at the time sounded like an angel voice of a real live person. She aske me to phone back in 10 minutes. In the mean time I removed the battery, measure the size and was ready for the follow-up call. About an hour later, the bike was running and the guys who brought the battery were following me to the garage where I had to pay the bill.
LESSON: Change your battery every two years (bikes only). It is a lot cheaper than having to pay for a call-out, mileage for delivering the battery as well as the battery. My experience was three times the price the price of the battery, but then again, if want want a story to tell ....what the heck.
The roads change all the time, but you somehow get into a rithm and by the time you realise you are now
having a lot of fun, you can decide to look at the speed you are doing, or just keep on having fun.
While lying in bed that evening and looking back at the last two days, it was once again clear to me that LIFE IS GOOD.
Lots happened between arriving in Kakamas and leaving for Bloemfontein and this ensured that the Bloemfontein trip was "a new trip" with all its own challenges and without comparison to the previous trip. It started off interesting with me getting a little "lost" between irrigation farms close to Kakamas, but refusing to make a u-turn in the hope of feeling like an explorer. Once again I tried to stick to gravel, but in a desolate, or rather flat and low populated area, gravel is not always in abundance. Roads are long and straight and the economy requires good infrastructure to survive. After reaching Upington I decided to cut my losses and get my mind-set right for sticking to tar. The Free State surprised me with its beauty. I have forgotten what it can look like. The ploughed fields had a rich red colour with lush looking green fields next to them
in places.
Two days after reaching Bloemfontein I left for Lesotho, targeting Malealea as the spot to camp for the night. It was the last Saturday of the month and in all my wisdom I decided that I will draw some cash at Ladybrand, close to the Maseru Border post. Hahaha, you should have seen the queues at all the ATM's. All was not lost because I could draw money at Spar and they had a Spar, but unfortunately they did not have the facility. The next option was Shoprite. They did have the facility and I only needed to stand in a queue of approximately 5 people in stead of 50. a Friendly local gent called Hennie offered to look after the bike and luggage while I was in the shop.
When last did some local guy offer to look after your packed car just because he cares? Bikes are different. They are like babies, almost inviting people to have a chat with you.
At the Lesotho border there were long queues of trucks, but not too many cars. I felt my back was cold from the sweat built up in Ladybrand and could not wait
to get through the border. It is always exciting for some reason. When I stopped to get the stamp the women told me that there was something leaking. I stopped on the other side, a few km's away from the border and all its opportunists and found that the hydration bag in my backpack was leaking. I drank some water from it to lower the level and it seemed to help.
The road to Malealea was without incident and the mountains did not disappoint. I was pushed for time because of the delay in getting money and this changed the approach as well as the experience. Do not be deterred by this non-descriptive story of this part of the trip. It is a great ride and I will do it many more times if possible, but next time with a lot more time to do it.
Malealea was like a oasis in the desert. You drive through the gate and enter familiar territory where you do not have to make plans on how you are going to do things next. Things like "where will I sleep tonight, where and what will I eat, a beer would be nice
The wonderful Karoo
The roads may be straight, but the bike lives under you and you are forced to stay awake. Because there is little traffic there is a lot more wild life. etc. The people next to where I wanted to pitch my tent immediately invited me for a coffee with honey. Later I went up to the bar and there was a quire singing to some tourists. I had a Maluti or two or three and met people from Cape Town with whom I had a great time and conversation. Supper was two packets of peanuts and an energy bar.
The next mornings breakfast was two energy bars and some energy drink mix. It was another perfect day and I felt spoiled by all of it.
The hydration pack had its days and I thought to buy cool drinks along the way. The place I stopped had something like "Bar and Restuarant" written above the entrance, but they only sold alcoholic stuff. I therefore had a beer.
The exit from Lesotho was at Tele Bridge border post. Although this was pushing it, I decided to take the Lundins Neck road. How often do you get the chance and I was in the area. The road surface for much of the distance was not fun. Either very rocky, the bumpy type of rocky, or thos loose rocks which are
strewn all over the place and makes the road surface very slippery. The views compensate for the frustrations caused by the road. This is some of the best scenic stuff in the Easter Cape.
I hate to admit it but was happy to be on tar again after this road. From there it was just heading home, tired and well rested at the same time.
The last stretch going home is always like a low. Partially because your body is tired and partially because it is known territory and tar. The excitement is over, but your batteries are charged again.
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Jannie Boshoff
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LEKKER MAN LEKKER
Baie geniet om jou storie te lees!!net jaloers dat ek dit nie saam kon gedoen het nie. Ons sal maar n trip moet reel en die beach buggy die bagasie en die kos moet saam ry......