Op die Plaas, short trip report and thank you's (even more pictures added).
If someone said to me, sum up this weekend in twenty words or less, I would say:
Brilliant company, awesome weather, stunning scenery, fantastic routes, warm hospitality, excellent venue, delicious food, plenty water, many crashes, home safe.
This is by no means the official trip report, if you want to still write a proper trip report, be my guest. But if you have pictures and don’t feel like writing a report, please just add them to this post. Megan, Adie, I am talking to you.
Kevin’s pictures can be found here; once again he has captured some fantastic images.
Well, the weather websites had me a bit nervous in the days preceding this trip, but by Friday night, packing the bikes with the rain pouring down outside, I decided to just trust the two I prefer, and the trust was rewarded, overall we had splendid weather the whole weekend.
We left Cape Town in sort of mixed conditions and although there were signs along the N1 that it had rained very recently, we did not get wet once (from the top). And it soon cleared to lovely winter weather. Sunny and fresh.
I did however cut an early piece of dirt out the itinerary as riding along just past Rawsonville, the fields were still very wet and I assumed the road I had in mind would be fairly slippery.
So, on to Montagu and a quick refuel where we were also lucky enough to bump into Tiaan, who is now a Montagu’er. Some fellow in a car at the garage also told me the roads are very bad, very wet and muddy, but he must have been on them two weeks ago because he was in fact wrong.
As we hit the dirt outside of Montagu, the first couple of hundred meters had plenty of mud patches, not bad, just plenty, but soon the road dried out completely and then it was only the drif’s that were wet, and some of them were quite deep as well. But they wouldn’t pose any problem for anyone, on the way up at least. But some folks did get quite wet, that happens when you go through the water a bit too fast.
We soon reached the gates to the Anysberg. What an awesome piece of road and a beautiful area to be able to ride through. It was however a little rough in places and very muddy and wet in one particular place. They are probably now going to have to sub divide as suddenly the BMW Club saw the potential in the land and four or five plots were bought in quick succession.
We had lunch in the Anysberg and afterwards everyone got out without further incident, then it was some really nice roads and quick time to the campsite. I always like to get to the venue early, gives people time to relax and have a look around.
Out hosts, Frits and Jonel were just incredible. The warm hospitality we experienced was really special, nothing was too much, the food was excellent and the campsite and ablutions were really nice. I’d love to go back there when it’s warmer.
But it wasn’t warmer this time, in fact when we woke we could have been forgiven for thinking we were in Sutherland as everything was covered in a layer of ice. One pair of socks that was left outside was stiff like a plank. But the sun was out in full force and promised to make everything a little warmer as the day wore on. We got going a little later than planned as I think it took everyone a little longer to get going in the cold.
So after a hearty breakfast we said our goodbyes and headed for the Seweweekspoort, after being told that “daar is nog ’n bietjie water daar binne”.
I cannot remember how many times we crossed the river but some of the crossings were quite deep, which isn’t really a problem but some of them were also just rocks and pebbles under the water which threw the bikes around quite a bit as we went through, and this claimed one victim. Natalie went down in a cloud of spray and ended up soaking wet on exactly half her body, from shoulder to toe. Sian had a sympathy fall, but luckily not in the water (they always do things together those two).
At another water crossing I had to walk into the water to go and help and suddenly I was even more impressed with my new Sidi Adventure Gore boots, although I was standing shin deep in the water, not a drop of water in the boot. Dry feet, I like it.
At the second last crossing we met Jan coming the other way from Ladysmith. After talking to some of the guys he decided to rather join us for a spell and turned around. He eventually rode with us all the way to Montagu.
No further incidents in the poort, tar to Ladysmith and by then I had decided to cut the Hekke Pad from the itinerary as we were now running quite late.
So we took the “main” dirt road from Ladysmith to Montagu and I thought to myself we should have any more problems, but our mate Kevin decided at one of the drif’s that it would be a brilliant idea to spray Garp (aka Gary) as they went through. What happened next is a secret but Gary was left smiling and dry and Kevin was wet and has some broken bits on his bike. Seems he was trying to break his own record in the “throw your GS down the road” event. Graham waited until we got off the dirt to have a sympathy fall and threw his GS down for the second time I think right amongst all the parked bikes.
Then it was off to Robertson to collect Erica’s bike, one more dirt road and home, or so I thought. Natalie suddenly got a puncture in Du Toits Kloof and the guys who stopped to help decided they were going to fix it, which they did. At this stage I told the rest who were waiting near Paarl to go on and Derrick and I went and had a coffee while we waited (we were told not to come back).
We finally got home at 18H30, tired and happy as usual.
So thanks to everyone who braved the cold and joined us, it was an amazing weekend and you are a special bunch of hooligans that we really enjoy spending time with.
A big thank you to those that stopped to help Natalie on the way home, I know how it feels when you can smell your couch and something happens.
A special thanks also to Pam for driving our back up and to Trevor for the use of his truck.
I hope the two cases of sore ribs and two cases of sore ankles and feet will heal quickly.
So the last camping trip of winter and the first of Spring is over and by the time the next one comes around, it will be much warmer hopefully. I have some new amazing places in the pipeline, so keep an eye on the forum.
Until then, look after yourselves.
Warren.
- 9293 reads
Comments
Thanks to all, and especially to you Warren, for allowing me to ride along after showing up unanounced. I enjoyed it tremendously and received a lot of tips and suggestions on riding techniques and bike protection during the chats with some of the guys.
Thanks again!
Big thanks to Warren for this weekends trip!
A route, filled with water crossings and great stretchs of gravel and amazing scenary. What more could we ask for??
Thanks Again.
"Brilliant company, awesome weather, stunning scenery, fantastic routes, warm hospitality, excellent venue, delicious food, plenty water, many crashes, home safe."
Warren's words describe the weekend exactly.
Thanks a million.
Yet again a fabulous trip! thank you Warren!! I am only to happy to ride the backup as I get to see all these amazing places you take us to. Anysberg was a bit of a challenge at certain areas where the road, or should I say path, was a bit narrow for the trailer. I think my top speed at one stage was around 10 km per hour. Poor Adie kept an eye on me or should I say ear as apparently he heard me coming from far away!
Every now and then I would hit some really rough patches and then I'd say a little prayer of thanks that the riders got thru safely!
The river crossings at Seweweeks poort were quite exiting for me... I've never had to ride thru so much water before :) Luv it!!
A good trip all round! So glad everyone got home safely!
cya next time 
Some photos from my camera (can't help what it took photos of 
)
A brilliant weekend!!! Thanks to Warren & Natalie, our hosts and to Pam for the backup, and to Adie for sweeping up the whole way.
In retrospect, I should have had a label on my jacket:
Andyman is on a hunting trip. He is not here! 
Adie unpacking his new paniers: You can order these from Batman aka Mike
Mr Ellwood starting to note down the strafdop fines list
Our view from the campsite
Millions of canary-type-finches building nests all around
Natalie getting ready to build her own nest for the night
1 September reminder
View from a different angle
Stream alongside the camp: I'm not sure everyone realised it was there
Different view of campsite
Ducklings
Brightly coloured tents
Jane & Pam
Lochness Monster?
Ducklings out of the water: Swimming lesson finished - browsing lesson begins
These were everywhere
Dusk soccer game
Play house
Warren
Harley
Kevin van Blerk
Kevin Charlston
Geoff (nearly)
Trevor
A few glasses of wine later....: Derek decided his socks were wet and needed toasting
Next morning....
Next morning everything was iced over: Geoff's temp guage said it was -2½°C with an ice warning
Sun-blushed trees
Derek's cold shoulder: Icy in fact
There's Glamping (PJs) and Camping (shorts)
Waiting for the kettle to boil: can take a long time
Gary spent 10 mins digustedly telling us: how it was the last time he'd pitch his tent 1st and how he'd somehow ended up with stereo snoring and couldn't find his earplugs...apparently rolled up T-shirts and toggles from tracksuit pants don't work - ag fooitog! Next time he's first going to pitch his tent last. Follow me, I'm right behind you!
3 Sheep came calling for?
On my stroll up to breakfast - 
Canary
Horse
Heron: I think
Team effort
Team effort: (after Graham's sidestand incident)
Can't wait for the next trip!
Brilliant trip - bucket-loads of thanks to Warren, Natalie, Pam and everyone who made it such a fantastic time.
I don't know how Warren managed it - but the rivers were right in the 'Golidilocks' zone: not too shallow to ignore with impunity, and not so deep that I would get washed downstream. Just perfect for an intermediate trip.
My own plot of Anysberg is up for any takers at a ridiculously low price. It has far too much sand for my taste (and if it wasn't for the visor I would have tasted it).
My ribs are being tenderly nursed with a decent single-malt. They may take a long time to heal.
What a wonderful time.
> What happened next is a secret but Gary was left smiling and dry and Kevin was wet
Correction: Kevin did not get wet, I bailed after exiting the water drift, Gary was the one that was left wet, on the inside as he peed himself with fear when he saw me go down in front of him 
He later told me if he had a turtle he would have snapped the buggers head right off.
ps. as Hein was not in our group I had to hold my buddies reputation high
pps. Hein, jy skuld my omdat ek n strafdop gekry het as gevolg dat jy nie daar was nie
It's called "Poetic License" Mr Van Blerk.
A big thank you to everyone who made this trip extra special. Warren you have a real talent in finding some incredible places to camp!
Thanks to the photographers - Annie, Megan, Kevin and Adie.
Sean - thanks for allowing me to pillion with you through some of the deeper water crossings.
And finally to my long suffering husband who is always on hand to ride my bike through the above mentioned water crossings - thank you! I owe you a new pair of boots!!
So I was going to write a trip report but after reading Warren's one there is absolutely nothing more for me to add - he sums up the weekend just perfectly 
I will say however that it was most definitely one of my most favourite trips ever with the club. The adventure was thrilling and the company was just awesome. The food was also just delicious!
Thank you to everyone for such a laugh-filled weekend - especially Gary (aka Ian) who had me in stitches most of the time.
A huge thank you also to Mike Adendorf for always letting me indulge in my photography and taking me ahead of the pack so I can get my shots THANK YOU.
The biggest thank you however; is to Warren for all the energy and time you put into this trip and for the magificent one it was. Looking forward to the next one!
The landscape was just awesome!
Sean loves to practice his motorbike skills as well as gymnastics at the same time.
Mike flying across the mud and sand.
Trevor enjoying the thrill...
Annie's turn.
Can you spot Trevor?
Kevin van Blerk.
Jan joined our group on the day for a bit of fun - he really was thrown in at the deep end with all the water crossings.
Yes it was that cold!
View from the campsite. Just too beautiful.
Frost on the helmets.
Pam navigating the 4 x 4 through some tricky terrain.
Mike's dakar in the slush.
Arriving for dinner
Boiling the kettle in the frosty morning.
Frost all over the tent!
Huddling around the morning fire!
Sean's frozen sock had seen better days.....
Dad & daughter :)
Going through Seweweeks Port
A small oopsie!
Kaptein Warren
Geoff & Jane.
Resting in the middle of nowhere
Graham lying in his favourite position!
Kevin's sad looking topbox.
On the way home Natalie's tyre decided it needed a change!
Great photo's Megs 
Megan, thanks for the photos - I see it must have taken you ages to upload them. This is because you uploaded them straight from the camera, without scaling them to a reasonable size.
This is great for downloading and printing them, but completely crap for a website. Click on one of your images - the site will display the full-size image, but it takes a few minutes to download to your PC. Now try to click the 'next' arrow to see the next image in the sequence. Wait...wait...wait...
Currently, your images are 3311 pixels wide and 2193 high. Most computer screens are about a quarter of that size, so people cannot even view that image at full size after waiting minutes to download it.
What you should do
Scale your images to 1024 pixels wide, and save them at 75% quality. They will have a file size of less than 200kB, a tenth of the 1.9MB they are currently. Then upload them - they will upload quickly, and will be quick to view in a slideshow on the site.
Scaling is usually done with a graphics package (Photoshop, whatever comes with your camera, or 'The Gimp' which is Open Source). Google is your friend here, and some old posts on this site also describe various methods.
(I am not picking on you Megan - just posting this detail for the general education of everyone who wants to post pictures.)
Again, again, again. We had a lekker weekend away. I offered to do the sweeping again as it gives me more time to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Elke donker nat wolkie het n warm son agter dit.
Some wore the plastics as the clouds looked ominous as we approached Paarl. The weather gods was with us and we saw a few waterfalls. These normally dry up within a day or two.
We were greeted by sunshine and snow on the distant mountains. Pictures normally do not do the view justus.
This was the biggest Ive seen this waterfall on the
As jy mooi kyk
Die lente is hier. Die paar warm dae het vir die bome laat glo die somer is op pad. Daar is heelwat boorde wat reeds in die blom is. Ek vind dit interresant dat die blomme eerste uitkom en dan die blare. Dit gee moontlik vir die bye malkiker toegang tot bestuiwing.
After refueling in Montagu it was time to get off the tar. The general condition of the road was actually verry good. The driffies was first discussed and then negotiated.
Ons is weer ouberg pas uit sonder veel stof. Die
Proper road signs in the middle of nowhere. And the botox girl to take me there.
Iemand het op die doringbos afgepeil en net betyds die takke gemis.
The peace of mind coming through
The backup pickup and the trailer had a hard time through the Anysberg area with all the rocks on the edges.
On the right you will see a slate ridge and
on the left the ‘plain’ to the next mountain ridge.
Die plante klou sommer so aan die krake in die klippe om ‘n bietjie vog te kry.
Dit fasineer my altyd om te kyk hoe die platteland agteruitgaan. Hier was eens ‘n boer met sy gesin en nou is daar netlee geboue.
The road signs are quite a bit smaller and the road is only a tweespoor. Everywhere is water.
We carried on at a leasurly pace which allows everyone to appreciate the landscape.
Ek het elke nou en dan gestop om te kyk of die bakkie nog op pad is. Die smal paadjie het dit effe moelik gemaak vir Pam. Partykeer kon ek die ge-ratel van die wa hoor lank voor ek dit kon sien.
Nog ‘n verlate plaaswoning.
The building in the back is even older. No mortar just stacked rocks.
And there is no shortage of rocks in this area.
Rus ‘n bietjie onder die bome en geniet ‘n middag snack.
Some technical sand and muddy sections had to be negotiated as well.
Baie mooi formasies in die rante aan die linkerkant
Snow in the far far distance.
Man (or woman) down in the riverbed.
Die Dakkie op sy molshoop
No comment
Waiting for the backup.
Die uitsig na voor
en ook na agter.
Alweer, die ou en die nuwe bymekaar.
The work of erosion or is it the art left by erosion.
SUNDAY MORNING
Mike kry koud met ryp aan die binnekant van die tent
Frozen logo and bike pajamas.
Warming up the boots.
Plaas troep aan die dieseltenk.
The stand off. This was interrupted by a concerned lady.
Nog ‘n verlate plaashuis
Snow in seweweeks poort.
Another watercrossing had to be negotiated. Without incident this time.
A chance picture.
I wanted to take a picture of the ruins and got the snow in the background as a bonus.
More snow around Laysmith.
This farmer built his house in the bottom of the valley.
And a certain Mr van Coller is the current resident.
The start of
And finally going down.
Backup in use
A mishap with one of the riders in the beginners group forced us to bring the bike back on a trailer.
Trevor and Mike fixing the puncture while
I agree with Megan w.r.t. the report. thanks again to all involved to make this a memorable weekend.
Adie
| © BMW Motorrad Club Cape 2006 - 2020 | Back to live site | Site built and hosted by HoneyBadger.net |
