Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

OK, so here are a few thoughts about a most amazing weekend. This is not exactly a ride report, which was truly great, but more a couple of outstanding memories. And actually this is also a big thank you post to everyone involved. And I mean everyone! Thanks to Geoff our fearless and knowledgeable leader, who is a great story teller and amazingly didn’t look a year older after his birthday on the first night. Thanks to Neels and Anna-Marie for the back up, catering, organizing and everything else they did. The set-up was so professional and the meals just brilliant. Thanks to the 6.5 foot good-natured croc-fanning Wayne for Sweeping most of the weekend, and thanks to Daniel as well for doing it on Monday. Thanks to everybody else for been such great company. It’s always nice to meet new people, and to greet familiar faces, and start feeling part of a good company of people. Since this is a BMW Forum let me tell you a bit about the route and the ride. …. …. Um… can’t really tell you about the route. I had no idea where Anysberg was. I just followed everybody else. The ride was great. There were 2 memorable firsts. It was the first time I ever hit 160km/h. Ever! And the first time I ever enjoyed riding a twisty mountain pass. Not at the same time though. The scenery was spectacular…. But I can’t tell you anything about that either. I was too busy concentrating on the road. Anysberg Reserve is also very beautiful… but I wont tell you about that either. Go see it for yourself. The first night’s braai was great. The food excellent, and the stars! The stars out there are unbelievable. We all watched what could have been a satellite or falling star or aliens move slowly across the sky, when suddenly there was a flash of pink on the horizon! Everybody looked out across the darkened reserve to where we’d seen the flash of pink. Which moment’s later was followed by a distant headlight, and then the soft sound of a motor. Is it a star? Is it a plane? No, it’s Niel Terryyyyyyyyy. He’s a good guy. Lot’s of stories to tell, down to earth, and unlike most men is not afraid of a little pink in his life. And speaking of stars, here’s a match made in heaven for you. Daniel Nelson: The Wine Maker and Corne Kloppers: The Wine Drinker. These two guys were fire-making maniacs, but I do recall the Wine Maker drinking Smirnoff Spin. Weird! These two pyromaniacs were like the energizer bunny, non-stop action. They probably burned 2 weeks supply of wood in a matter of hours. It did keep us warm though. Saturday’s ride was thrilling, exhilarating, scary, and hairy and an absolute blast. I dropped my bike twice, once in the soft sand, and again shortly after somewhere else. The falls left me a bit shaken, and out of breathe from lifting the bike, and sweating in my gear. Like an idiot I had my liner still in my jacket. I must thank Neil, for offering to lend a hand… by standing back and offering advice. He helped me prove I could still lift the bike with the wind knocked out of me. Geoff lead us all over the reserve and into Laingsberg on an awesome ride filled with anecdotes and little pieces of history that made the places we stopped at all seem very special. Monday’s ride back to CT was probably even better than the ride there. I loved the small farm roads that snaked all over the landscape between little dwellings and fields. These are definitely my favourite types of road to ride. The road through Touwsrivier Reserve was equally brilliant. And the long dust highway to Montagu was just spectacular. All in all, it was a brilliant weekend. good riding, good food, good company - and that's all you need.