Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

It’s been a long festive season and January. It’s Natalie's busiest time of the year at work and so subsequently I work through every year while most of my staff all take a break. On new year’s eve we were so bushed we had one drink, and went to bed at about 10 past 12. Now it’s already end of Jan, and we really need a break. Just a little time away from the city, work, cell phones and the like. Being DINK’s (Double Income, No Kids), we can decide to go away for a weekend as late as Saturday morning if we want to, although for this weekend we had decided a little more in advance.

Where to though, don’t really want to spend all day on the bike, don’t want to leave at the crack of dawn and don’t want to arrive there too late or in fact be late home on Sunday. Biedouw, Boegoeberg, Buffelspoort, Zevenfontein……….?

“I want to go to the Oasis” declared the wife. “I want one of those legendary T bone steaks and I want to be able to fall into the pool right next to my tent”. A decision had been made then.

Although Gerrit has always said if it’s just the two of us and we want to camp in our own tent, just pitch up, I wanted at least just to let him know we were coming, but the phones were not answered from  Thursday when I started trying to get hold of him, so I sent a mail. I finally got an answer just as I was leaving work on Friday. It said that we were most welcome as usual and the not to worry, the roads had been fixed. I must say this did not even register at the time. I took it to mean the roads had finally been graded or swept or something to that effect. How wrong I was.

Friday night I had a little challenge on the go; a bunch of youngsters at work had put together an action soccer team and needed extra players. When I said I’d help if need be I got told indirectly that at 44, I would never last. Well I did, and was the only player that didn’t need to be subbed due to exhaustion, saved a penalty when I was put in goals near the end, and was I thought still quite chipper after the match, which was 30 minutes long and not 20 as I had been told. It was hectic though and definitely tiring. A good fitness test.

We packed the bikes quickly Saturday morning and left Cape Town at about ten. All we took besides the usual tools, spares and gadgets was a bag of biltong, some Monster’s (my favorite energy drink), tent, sleeping bags and one change of clothes. We intended to as little possible on this trip and set the mood on the way to Ceres. I don’t think we went over 105kph at any point. We just dawdled along, the weather was perfect, we had no time deadlines and we could look around, admire the views, also at this speed there is practically nil buffeting from wind.

Our original “plan” was to stop for a meal in Ceres but as we were going over Bains Kloof Pass I started to think that it was just after payday and I imagined Ceres would be rather hectic. So I changed the plan and pulled in at the Calabash for a breakfast pizza. I haven’t done that in a long time I can tell you. As expected, Ceres was chaos, and thankfully we could tip in at the first garage we saw and then get out of town, although it seemed like town stretched all the way to Prince Alfred Hamlet. Loads of trucks and taxi’s and people.

 Once we cleared the Gido Pass I began to feel as if I was really on a trip as we saw less and less vehicles and people. The only problem going to the Oasis this way is that the dirt is so far away and the ride to the dirt can be a little boring at times, but on this day we just let the road come to us and enjoyed the ride.

Natalie on Blinkberg Pass

Oasis from Blinkberg Pass: Notice the small dam on left

Yes, it a tool bag: My mother made it for me

The dirt road to the Oasis from the Ceres side is usually one of the nicest around, but we kept coming upon warning chevrons where the road had obviously been worked on. It looked like someone had dug a huge hole only to fill it again. The road had also been graded nearer to the Oasis which isn’t nice for us bikers as until a number of vehicles have driven it, thereby making twee spoor for us to follow, it is covered in loose gravel which makes the bike move around a lot.

As we entered the valley near Mount Ceder we began to see that something big had happened here recently and it was water related. Parts of the road had clearly been washed away completely and rebuilt very recently, and now Gerrit’s words were beginning to make sense. We stopped at the top of the Blinkberg  Pass overlooking the Oasis in the distance. Right here one could see a large pool of water still standing. The ride down Gerrit’s side of the mountain was also a lot more slippery than it usually is due to grading and repairing but after telling Natalie to “point and squirt” she flew over the loose stones and sand on the way down.

The bridge near Mount Ceder: All this was under water

Damage to the Binkberg Pass

Part of the road down there

 I know now why it is called the Oasis. You’re usually hot and sweaty and thirsty when you arrive there and within seconds you can have a cold beer in your hand and be neck deep in the cool swimming pool. Really awesome. There were quite a few bikers there when we arrived but they all cleared off during the next hour and we had the place just about to ourselves save for a small group camped right at the bottom under the “groot boom”. We pitched tent in what Gerrit said was the first ever camp site he ever leveled and still the best, right under some trees near the main building. We went and told Chantelle we would be there for steaks that night and then spent most of the afternoon lounging in or next to the pool, besides an hour in the late afternoon when the call of the tent in the cool shade became too much and we took a well deserved nap before dinner.

Home for the night

Cape Union Mart 3 man Panorama Tent with vestibules: A 3 man tent gives you more than enough space

 Dinner was as always an excellent affair and afterwards we sat and chatted to Gerrit for a bit seeing as we were the only three people around. It was strange that we should have the place all to ourselves on such a perfect weather weekend. He told us that 77mm of rain had fallen in just 22 minutes on Wednesday. He said there were rivers everywhere and in fact the road was un-passable until Thursday when it was repaired. We in Cape Town were not even aware such a storm had hit the Cederberg. When Gerrit took his leave and went off too bed, we took his advice by lying on our sarong’s on the grass outside and spending about an hour watching the sky. No moon so the Milky Way was absolutely amazing to look at. Very relaxing activity.

Natalie at her wardrobe

Self portrait at fantastic dinner

DINKs relaxing with the whole place to ourselves

The other Stargazer

Sunday morning  we woke up at our leisure, had a very decent breakfast compliments of Chantelle once more then quickly packed and set off. If I thought the weather was perfect on Saturday, it was even better on Sunday with the slightest of cool breezes blowing which didn’t do anything to the bikes handling but did take the heat out of the morning.

Homeward bound

Good roads for the most part

And stunning scenary

Veiw from the Gido Pass above Ceres

Natalie would later say that although she was a bit stressed on Saturday riding in to the Oasis, she thoroughly enjoyed Sunday’s ride and was actually a little disappointed when we reached the tar road again. We carried on with the same leisurely pace down the Gido pass, through Ceres and onto Bainskloof where we stopped at a vantage point overlooking Wellington and drank our last tin of “Gummie Berry Juice”, before we carried on homewards.

Veiw from Bains Kloof Pass above Wellington

The second love of my life, my faithfull Dakkie

Natalie with the Gummie Berry Juice

Just before Durbanville there was a massive fire ranging on the one side of the road. The smoke was really thick and the flames were high and right next to the road. I didn’t get a photo as I was a bit weary of stopping with all the vehicles that were already there, but I can tell you it is quite different riding through smoke like this on a bike. Unlike a car it is instantly in your lungs and eyes and I was quite shocked how quickly it affected me really.

But then we were past and about 20 minutes later were at home, nice and early as well. These days our garage is free of gym equipment and we can just drive in and park so we don’t even have to unpack or do anything the same day we get home.

All in all, a brilliant weekend away with the love of my life riding the other love of my life.  I can once again recommend the Oasis for a quick getaway with a few gravel road options to get there and back, even though we only used the one. The food and hospitality is straight from the heart.

There are definitely more of these weekends on the cards in the near future.