I arrived early at the Total Garage at Rondeberg. Amazing how well heated grips work - but the rest of the body goes into a bit of a death-grip, going faster and faster to escape the cold sooner. From the South to the garage in 30 minutes...
First to arrive after me was Andrew - and I realized immediately from the see-through tank on his KTM that this was Renette's sand mentor, Kamanye on Wilddogs.
Checking permits
By 07h30 we were at the gate - practically woke up the guard and the sun was not yet up.
The dreaded entrance
The entrance to Atlantis is a bit daunting - you are still not yet into the sand-riding for the day, a bit rusty and stiff, and are faced with a rutted, soft, windy uphill to the dunes proper. Renette became the first victim here.
Getting going uphill
Andrew rode Renette's bike out up the hill as it proved difficult to get going uphill.
Andrew shows Renette's bike how
The dual-purpose tyres on her bike don't help much.
Wynand
Since we all stopped to help Renette or take photos, we all had the fun of getting going again on that uphill. Andrew pushed most of us out.
Pete da Man
Tristan is quick
Tristan was last, and did the usual 'make-it-to-the-top-then-relax-cos-its-easy-then-fall-down' routine. Despite riding the adventure, he had it up and ready to go before I could whip out the camera and capture the embarrassment.
Dunescape
We rode to a central dune, not far into the sand. Andrew was waiting, and I told him that Renette had gone down again, close to the entrance. He asked me to stay on the dune as a marker while he went back to help.
She had had a nasty fall that damaged her new helmet. After all our euphoria about the good deal she had gotten, I felt really bad for her.
Pete, Tristan, Freak
On my way to meet the others playing a bit further on, I hit some very soft sand. The bike stopped dead. But I was on the downhill side of a dune and out of site of the others. I had to dig the bike out before I could lay it on its pot and manipulate it out of the hole.
But this was not enough. I then had to dig a path through the soft sand to the bottom of the hill, and it was a good 30 minutes before I was mobile again.
At one stage, I walked to the top of the dune to call for help, but the others could not see me, and I saw Andrew pillioning Renette back to the entrance. Wynand rode her bike out - she had also hit soft sand that catapulted her over the handlebars and she hurt her shoulder.
Playground
Finally I rejoined the group and we played on some big soft dunes.
In his Freakament
Andrew
Where's Wally
When we had had enough, Andrew offered to take us for a ride to the most North-western corner, then back to the entrance.
The Northwest Corner
Tristan having fun
Andrew leads the charge
The exit for me was spectacular evidence of how the Advanced Sand Course paid off:
# I hit the now very rutted and soft road without stopping to worry and fret.
# I rode in a deep landrover rut for some of the way, but when I broke out of it I was not concerned and I did not give up and fall.
# I made the turns in thick soft sand, gunning around as required.
# When I nearly went over, I opened up and righted the bike (pretty sure I left an imprint of my right pot in the sand there too).
We met in the parking lot and said our goodbyes. I noticed how my arms were cramping up and my fingers and toes scrunching into little welwitshias. Awesome fun.