This is the trip report of our South African 10-day “Trip to anywhere”.
We capitalised on the many public holidays in the back end of April to take leave with little impact to working days.
April/May is the best time of year to tour in SA as the weather is great, rain season has not set in and the windy season has expired.
We had two destinations in mind. Boeogeberg dam (Groblershoop) on the Orange River and Komsberg Farm, also on the Orange river but in Namibia.
The expedition mounts:
'''Andy:'''
BMW 1150GSA 2004 with Garmin Zumo GPS receiver & Autocom coms unit intergrating with music, phone, GPS and 2-way radio.
Plus the tent, 2 spider chairs, cooking gear, tools, spares, recovery gear & 1st Aid kit.
'''Annie'''
BMW 650GS 2005 with Garmin Nuvi 500 GPS receiver &Autocom coms unit intergrating with music, phone, GPS and 2-way radio.
Plus all the food and water.
Radio coms via Motorola GP300 5-watt radios.
We planned a route for each leg and stored them in the GPS’ as Day 1, Day 2 etc
Day 0 Thursday 23rd April. Home to Chateau Lafite.
Day 1 Friday 24th April Home to 65 k's passed Sutherland.
Day 2 Saturday 25th April Sutherland to Boegoeberg via Rooidam marhses & Marydale.
Day 3 Sunday 26th April Boeogoeberg Dam - no travelling.
Day 4 Monday 27th April. FREEDOM DAY Boegoeberg Dam. No travelling
Day 5 Tuesday 28th April Namibia- Boegoeberg to Komsberg.
Day 6 Wednesday 29th April NAMIBIA Camping out on Komsberg
Day 7 Thursday 30th April NAMIBIA Camping out on Komsberg
Day 8 Friday 1st May (Annie’s birthday) NAMIBIA Komsberg back over the border at Onseepkans to Garies
Day 9 Saturday 2nd May Garies to Cederburg
Day 10 Sunday 3rd May (Andy’s birthday) Cederberg to home
===The trip brief===
We only had tentative bookings at Boegoeberg and Komsberg knew we were coming, but no bookings were made for any overnight stop as we never know where we will be when the darkness takes over. This is just how we like it- after all it’s about the journey not the destination.
Note: I reset tyre pressures and suspension dampers at least once a day, sometimes, more as the road surface (or lack of it) prescribed. Annie carried food for about 5 days and 7 litres of water each morning, refilling as we could.
To me the radios made the trip so much more interesting and having a selection of music is a must.
No injuries, major crisis or any teespoed other than a blown battery – which though only intermittently working after the Groot River, we took in our stride.
Annie was a star and a great companion. We had so much fun, laughed so much and the constant challenges thrown up by riding off to anywhere in adverse weather on really washed-out roads was a real blast.
===Day 0 Thursday 23rd April=== Home to Chateau Lafite. Rain and mist
We finished work at 16H00 and started packing, aiming to overnight at our batch in Bainskloof.: The hut - Chateau Lafite- in Bainskloof
The hut in the mist: Getting away in the rain at 19h00 in the dark, we arrived at in mist over the Bainskloof pass and immediately lit both the kaggel fire inside the hut and the braai fire on the stoep.
A restful warm evening, full bellies, lovely wine.
===Day 1 Friday 24th April=== Home to 65 k's passed Sutherland. Intermittent rain all day.
Getting started on the previous day was capital, as getting going from home is what always takes so long.
We left Bainskloof for our breakfast stop in SA’s most tourist-unfriendly town- CERES!
Upon arrival at the Ceres Wimpy (the only friendly place- when it is open) I noticed I had a deflating rear tyre- a legacy of accident debris on the Mitchell’s pass. (The 3rd time this has happened on the start of a trip on the same pass).
Farmers drooling over the loaded bikes asked us where our ‘buddy’ was. And where our back-up vvehicle was. I guess they were expecting us to have some strapping guy on the 650 to ride with.
They could not believe Annie was riding the second bike. They told us to re-route as intended roads had suffered severe flood damage.
At first they refused to 'do a bike tyre' so I started myself: Again they did not like our route. This advice was repeated at the fuel top-up garage and the spares shops.
Telling us the road was bad is like waving a red rag to a bull, off we went anyway on the R355 NE out of Ceres.
At the end of Tar an oncoming farmer in his muddied up 4x4 bakkie re-afirmed the advice and got quite cross when he saw we were going on.
Sure enough as the R356 branches right off the R355, barricades blocked the road with “Flood damage” signs.
Rain was falling and never far away
The Dooring river crosses 3 times and each time was fuller.
Tankwa was breaching its banks in a raging torrent
The fields along the Tankwa: Straying off the roads would have bogged you down.
Then came the Groot river.: I walked the river 1st, but crossing on the bike... just 6 inches off my path.... I fell into a hole
First the Ysterperd had to be "propped" against 1 of our faithful spider chairs: Then all the panniers and luggage were removed to a drier spot, where mud went over the ankles
The "dry" veld was somewhat waterlogged
Annie finds a dry line before towing me out
Finally the bike is back on land, and the panniers are attached again: This whole operation must have taken ½hour to ¾hour
Although the road looks grim, the veld and scenery around was stunning: If we weren't huffing and puffing from exertion, we were having our breath taken away by the views
Hole no. 2, waiting for Annie: who was flabbergasted when she heard I was in the same predicament over the radio
Rescue operation begins: This is where my battery was cooked
Ask me why two 45+yr olds would enjoy the exhaustive efforts of transiting a flooded karoo??!!
Not exhausted, the bikes did the work. We were having such a lekker time. The karoo is beautiful.
This road was DEFINITELY closed!: The Tankwa flowing freely without a bridge, 1-2metre high banks of mud
McGuiver comes up with Plan No. 14F: All panniers once again off-loaded; Annie must stand on the branch to keep it out of the way
Once the bikes were safely across (amazing bikes): we brought our panniers across
My 1.5metre webbing slings were used in many ways -
a towing line,
as convenient carry straps for pannniers,
as a harness around my shoulders alongside the bike to PULL, not push the bike in mud.
Entry point
Over the branch/tree: with Annie weighting it down
Up the stream over some rocks
Exit point: Deep, soft, slippery MUD
We decided to have a late lunch break, and at this point the rain started to come down.
Several amazing passes later: we finally decided to stop and put on rainsuits
Finally, we got to the tar road, late in the afternoon, with the rain bucketing down. Both of us nearly came off at 130km/hr with a surprise gravel washaway over the tar in the darkness of twilight.
Sutherland was closed up - as in the fuel pumps were locked, as well as the shops. We canned the idea of going another 65kms to camp and phoned around. Our friend Neil T was everhelpful, soon we were at Naomi Brink's "Kosmos", a lovely guest house. We hung our gear up as best we could and had hot baths and whiskey, topping it off with some pasta and sauce and more whiskey.
The TV showed us the preliminary election results, but our thoughts were elsewhere...the adventures of the day. What would tomorrow bring?
We had not met a single vehicle all day!
===Day 2 Saturday 25th April=== Sutherland to Oest intermittent rain all day
Leaving Surtherland on the R354 Northwards we hooked off right on a minor road heading to Williston.
Leaving Sutherland
Fork LH to Fraserburg, RH to Williston: but which one was closed?
On this leg I learned it frustrated both of us if I idled along keeping just ahead or behind Annie, so I rode off at 90 to 110kph for ten minutes, then sat in my spider chair until she came along, then off I went again.
Since mastering sand and mud on my last West Coast trip I’ve learned that there is technique and that you are safer above 48kph than slower.
I dunno you cannot believe this until you take the leap-of-faith and do it. Then once "over-the-hump" you never look back.
Although the terrain changed every moment, wash-aways abounded, rivers breached and what was shifting sand normally was now treacle or slush, I had found the sweet spot in my suspension settings and tyre pressures.
There is nothing more exhilarating than finding the right set-up & balance and soaring with the eagles. Rain then drizzle, then dry, then rain again.
I was in 7th heaven. I had several playlists to listen to and Annie would call on the radio if she needed me.
Daar gat jy!
One of the many ruins on farms we passed
Following the river
My trusty steed: I dared not switch the engine off for fear of another tow-start
This river was flowing at some speed
We checked a weir out: devouring a packet of biltong
The last bahhhh: Roadkill was quite abundant
It's raining it's pouring
We had to walk some of these in case of holes
We passed so many empty abandoned farm steads.
While waiting one time, in my chair a bakkie stopped to ask if I was ok, Abel Esterhuyse’s dad and wife Liezl. (Abel has a 1200GS &is a BMW club member).
Abel was not far behind so it was well met in the karoo rain. They were the only vehicles we saw that day!
Williston in the distance and the prospect of drying out with a cup of coffee
Williston is a jewel. As we dismounted at the Williston Mall, Peter & Elmarie came out and warmly welcomed us, Our hosts made us really welcome and it was impossible for a ‘quick-bite’. You simply have to kuier saam. 4 of the town's ladies came to check us out at the next table.
Levering ourselves away eventually we made a stupid judgment error in not topping-up fuel. After all Van Wyks Vlei was not too far off, well inside our range.
Leaving Williston: Marydale was probably another 250kms away
Oom Japie had noticed me sitting in a chair on an empty road and came to ask if I was ok.
That’s how we met. Me waiting for Annie, watching some rapters through binos.
There is something indomitable about the spirit of our Karoo farmers. We just 'clicked' - kindred spirits.
We chatted for ages and he is a good friend of Abel as well.
I will cherish this special experieince with me for ever. a snapshot of sublime content, one with the land and the master who farmed it.
I suddenly realised Annie was not coming so with his invitation to stop for koffie warm in my ears I tore off back….25 kilos to find Annie sitting astride her bike about to ride on surrounded by and interesting pyramid of sand, mud and small heaps of earth from off the road.
Annie's plot of land: An hour and a half had passed by....
She had fallen in mud with tyhe bike downhill on a negative camber - so it was all uphill deadweight she had to lift!!!
When she was done kakking my out for riding off out-of-range etc etc, she explained how she fell and that after stripping off panniers she lifted it a few mm, scraping sand unbderneather- like bulding the pyramids all over again.
For sure it was her anger at me and what she was all going to say that gave her the momentum it needed to gather sand and gradually raise her bike by building up a mound of Karoo under it each time she lifted a few mm’s.
I wisely kept my mouth shut, gave her a sterk trek at my hipflask and we left.
We met Oom Japie comiing to look for us. Genuinely worried we had more teespoed.
I find I strike a chord our farmers very easily and Oom Japie and Susan are no exception. We made friends fast and stayed over on the farm, sharing experiences and learning about each other. Japie mentioned Abel and was not surprised at all that we had met earlier.
Here we were, complete strangers passing through, and the Louws took to us, inviting us in and fitting into the family as if we were old friends.
We had a lovely evening and chatted late. The next morning we visited the interesting graves on the farm.
Kuiering with the Louws
Indeed, by the time we had left in the morning we were old friends. When Japie found that van Wyks Vlei fuel station would not open for us, he filled our tanks from his farm supply. We were totally un-phased that we got away well after 10H00. This was what made the trip after all- the wonderful people we meet on the way.
The farm Oest has some graves on the Tombstone Route
The Louw's cat and dog came along for the walk with us
The Louw family
===Day 3 Sunday 26th April Oest to Boeogoeberg Dam via Rooidam wetlands.=== No rain, warm sun
Leaving the Louws on Oest we travelled all day to Boeogoeberg by way of Van Wyks Vlei, Rooidam, Marydale and the N10.
This was by far our best day- no rain today. Lots of water, sometimes for 150 metres on the road or more, winding up and down hills, through secret kloofs, no cars at all on the gravel roads, blocked roads with locked gates,
I bought a farm in treacle mud on a twee-spoor at low speed.
I also had my front wheel jam up toally with mud. Mud built up between tyre and mud-guard, so thick the wheel jammed.
Mud built up between brake calipers and disc.
So thick it took 20 minutes with my tyre levers clearing the front wheel.
Long road, blue skies, stunning scenery: Not as much water on this section, we made up some time
Coming through a beautiful kloof: you have to ride through and along the river to cross
And again through the same river
And again through the river: I don't know if the road was the river or vice versa
Top box still on
Another kloof
What's wrong with this picture?: Oh yes, the topbox is missing!!
Top box retrieved in a riverbed. Mud had gotten into the lock, and Annie couldn't lock it down. I McGuivered it securely with some cable ties.
Our very 1st and probably only good stretch of road thus far
We ate up a bit of distance at 130km/hr
Stopping to change camera batteries: The road hereafter got progressively worse
The start of the wetlands (it shows on the GPS - water everywhere)
Here you get everything all at once: scenery, mud, sand, ruts, sinkplaat, water, rocks...
See what I mean?: Km after km after km
Ok, this is a little more serious
First, I walked it: ...just in case of hidden holes...
Annie decided to paddle as usual
See my reflection?
Van Wyksvlei was deserted: and we didn't hang around
The next bit of dirt was full of corrugations and unexpected potholes - deep ones - some ruts and water across the road from time to time.
Then we turned off on the GPS road towards Marydale - no signboard saying Marydale: GPS showed we were moving through wetlands again
The road got narrower and trickier, the mud got thicker and stickier: The shrubbery clawed at you and grabbed you if you got too close
Passing through Jacobsfontein farm, we got onto a tweespoor
I tried to chop of some of the mud at lunch stop
Lunchstop near a windmill with some sheep keeping us company
The road ahead got narrower, less tracks, longer grass - warning signs
My plot of wetland
Road definitely closed: Ammunition testing sight
We rode through another gate to the left and followed the fence through more gates till we finally got to another padlocked gate. So with heavy hearts we had to backtrack the whole of the tweespoor and treacle mud. More gates, past the windmill and bleating sheep...
Back onto the "main" road. Shadows lengthening, more water, corrugations. We took a right turn to Marydale, the road was initially good but gradually we learnt that any different colour in the red earth meant trouble.
Welcome to what?: Sign in the middle of nowhere
We stopped to put on inners on the last leg to Marydale
In the fading light we encountered sand, ruts and corrugations.
Arriving at Marydale we had to find the owner of the BP and get him to come and pump for us.
We arrived at Boeogeberg well after dark.
We slowed to 40 in the dark as there was so much water and mud it was foolish to chance any speed in that uncertain area. Often weaving around mud holes or walking water 1st befroe crossing. Many nodturnal animals surprised by our sudden appearance- BMW bikes are very silent.
We really felt great to have reached our isolated camp-site on the Orange and pitched tent, very happy with the adventures.
It took a few hours and the rest of our whiskey to download after a leeker day battling the challenges that we met.
It was so lekker to relive the day in each others renditions of the challenges and interesting sights.
Two jakkal packs had a late night conference call from either side of the river. Man it was wild. As in WILD. We slept very well. Very at peace with our lot in life.
===Day 4 Monday 27th April.===
FREEDOM DAY Boegoeberg Dam. No travelling
Spent the day on the river bank, In hindsight I would not have pitched camp any better had we arrived in daylight.
Cleaned the bike and as a precaution fitted a tube in my rear tyre as the Ceres puncture was slowly leaking.
I checked over both bikes to do preventative maintenance- but really, there was nothing to do.
Lazed in my hammock, read a book, ate, drank and washed clothes,
The bikes were never started.
We finally see our campsight
Breakfast with a book: Who could ask for more?
Boegoeberg Dam
Let the cleaning and tinkering begin
The mud was everywhere
Some Vervit monkeys continuously came to do an inspection. They climbed all over my clean bike, they got into the hammock. They didn't steal any food, though.
Monkey business: One even sat on my tank
Reading in my hammock with monkeys looking on
Washing day
Supper time
Bed time. After dark, the frogs start croaking, the fish flop and the jackals start howling...
===Day 5 Tuesday 28th April Boegoeberg to Komsberg, Namibia.===
Wake up to a spectacular sunrise with lazy coffee
We packed up slowly, waiting for the dew to dry off our flysheet.
Boegoeberg Dam weir
Packed and out by 09h00 we fuelled in Upington and headed for the Nakop border post.
The 2 hours in Upington and piss-poor service and lack of stock in shops had me in a bad mood and we couldn’t leave fast enough.
Road to Nakop/Ariamsvlei
Good dirt road down to Komsberg Farm
You drop off the plateau down a winding pass: after which the road stays wide but becomes looser and sandier
We arrived on Komsberg in the afternoon, the owner insisting we stay in the guest lapa on the river bank. This was welcome after 4 days of really hard riding. We showered, relaxed and had a wonderful respite on the deck above the rising river.
===Day 6 Wednesday 29th April===
NAMIBIA Ride out on Komsberg roughly 100kms
By morning the rocks were covered by rising water and the river was eerily silent as masses of water moved westward.
We stripped the bikes of gear and left for a day exploring the farm.
Annie was wonderful, negotiating long stretches of deep sand, then rocky paths, then sand, dry river beds and not faltering ever. She got her masters degree in bump starting and all terrain riding.
Somtimes my bike started fine, other times it needed a bump start. (I replaced the battery upo0n arriving home later in the week)
Good weather and scenery
Sandy valleys along the Orange River
Wide open spaces
Sandy ruts to get bogged down in
Water break with the river below
We go up into the hills and mountains: This is actually quite a steep entrance into the mountains
We find our campsite
25kms of road in the mountains: It snakes its way across little river beds, up and down and through valleys
Biltong break gives us a chance to admire the odd flowers
Lunch spot along the riverbed
I lit a fire and assembled the Dreamcatcher: Getting ready to braai the steaks we'd bought in Upington
A spot of tea and coffee: Who could ask for more?
Annie strutting her stuff
We track back
We finally found the entrance/exit to the old pass (almost like Die Hel), were tempted to tackle it. Farmers warned us it was very washed away. We thought we might walk some of it the next day to suss it out first, as my starting problems would have made it technically difficult.
You just have to stop and admire the scenery all the time
And down the steep little kloof, which the farmer had kindly cemented for us: From there we went straight across the "main" road and encountered lots of sand
My starting problem left us exhausted
First I got stuck in a aardvark hole, taking a shortcut. Then I stalled the bike and had to call Annie, who was herself bogged down in the sand. Finally she arrived and I put my straps around her chest - she pulled and I pushed. Avoiding more foxholes, we managed to get the bike onto the sandy road. We tow-started the bike after a long way. Then I bought a plot of land in thick sandy riverbed, stalling the bike again. Annie tried to avoid me and bought her own plot of land next to mine. Trying to start my bike again - near impossible with the 650 getting bogged in the sand with my weight - we ran out of road in the form of a fence across the road. So Annie towed me up a rocky hill and then towed me down again. First time the tow rope bounced off her footpeg and I lost momentum.
This was real hard work. It oscillated between marriage deastroying and team building.
I could see we were on a fine fine line here.
A wrong word could have evolved into a long walk!
Then, with long 4-letter words, some Jedi mind-tricks, she towed me up the rocky hill again - this time a little further up. Finally she towed my bike down again - the 650 bouncing over the rocks - VOILA! The bike started and I promised not to stall it again - I could see she'd had enough and her pot of swear words was growing... impressive stuff I'd not heard from her mouth before.
We returned to the lapa as the shadows were lengthening: I had some juice while she had some whiskey - I wonder why?
===Day 7 Thursday 30th April===
NAMIBIA Camping out on Komsberg
The river had risen even more overnight
A stork landed nearby
I read some more of my book, eat breakfast and shave
Leaving the lapa early we headed into the dune belt behind the riverine bush and made a campsite where we passed the day lazily reading, hiking, sleeping, in blissful harmony with the world.
Preparing our campsite
We have some lunch
These thorn trees must be hundreds of years old
The sun finally drops behind the hills
I watched a pair of Vereaux eagles riding the thermals and all day the fish eagle was our constant companion.
I started a fire with lots of dry wood around
We had some Indian Curry and Rice with whiskey and coffee and a game of chess. Finally we got too cold and the jackals started howling...
===Day 8 Friday 1st May (Annie’s birthday)=== NAMIBIA Komsberg back over the border to Gharies
We start the day with a round of fried eggs, followed by a round of scrambled eggs: Annie had somehow managed to ferry these without breaking from Upington
Today, after breaking camp and getting ready to go, my battery refused to run the motor. Not winning with jumper cables we tried tow-starting.The soft sand just bogged us down. Plus we were fully loaded.
Annie is very sceptical about the jumper lead thing working
Unfortunately the roll start didn't work: There is a sand trap at the bottom of this hill and I got firmly bogged down in it
So we pushed and pushed the bike to the top of the next sandy hill. Then I brought Annie's bike and we tried tow-starting, much to her disgust. Eventually I realised I'd burn her and her clutch out.
Then I tried jumping directly from her battery: You have to remove the side cover and centre piece. Alas, this also didn't work
So I rode of on Annie's bike, found the neighbouring farmer and he came and jumped my bike.
We had a lovely ride off the farm, down the D202 and out the border at Onseepkans. There is a plague of locusts in crawler phase, all 10 million of them walking North. Kilometre upon kilometer for 120km, the locusts were walking North.
View
Instead of water drifts we now had sand drifts
Onseepkans
SAPS in shorts are very thorough here
Then the 49 k’s to Pofadder on the very worst bit of road I have ever ever ridden on.
Bone shaking, bike breaking corrugations that jarred us every inch of the way.
Pofadder road has deflated my front tyre and I checked and rechecked for a puncture: See the strop ready for a tow start out of the garage
Once in Pofadder, we opted to stay on tar. We checked the "tarred" road (according to the locals in the restaurant) and discovered it was 265kms of gravel to Bitterfontein. We asked the garage attendant and he said it was in a shocking condition. "Iemand het laasweek dah gestehff!" So we inflated tyres and rode on to Garies via Springbok.
We made camp in the Garies caravan park and had a lovely dinner and slept well.
===Day 9 Saturday 2nd May===
Gharies to Kardoesie
We finally get to see our campsite in the daylight
It is right next to a sports field. The Garies rugby team had its practice session at 6am!
The two other caravaners moved off early and we took our time leaving, (R80.oo with a receipt, R40.oo without a receipt!) wanting to miss the BMW tour group coming through at noon (Ag, we just enjoyed being on our ownsome) we headed for Vanrhynsdorp and a legendary Phucifinos pizza.
Then back on the road for a really chilled n lazy ride to Citrusdal on the N7.
As we crossed the Olifants fiver I remarked on how the river is only 5m above sealevel with still over 100 kilos before it found the sea!
We took it easy as there were so many aggressive and bad drivers tearing around.
Setting up camp at 16h00 at Kardoesie up on the Piekenieerskloof pass we sat and drained our last whiskey, remarking at how wonderful the facilities were up there.
We studied the farming activity which continued until way after dark as farmers raced the clock to get there planting done.
Setting up camp in the daylight at Kardoesie
View from the top of Piekenierskloof pass - our campsite
The friendly farm staffie joined us for the spectacular sunset
===Day 10 Sunday 3rd May (Andy’s birthday)=== Cederberg to home.
We took the Porterville tar route home and enjoyed a chilled out day of only 245 kilos. We had lunch somewhere near Wellington and slowly made our way back home. It's nice to be home, but both of us could have had a night of rest and turned around and gone back on the road again....
===The End===