Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." ~ André Paul Guillaume Gide

And so it was that I found myself "adrift in a sea of sand" within the first half-hour of the first day of my quest to "discover new lands". If truth be told, the "sea of sand" probably measured not much more than 50m across, but for all practical purposes it might as well have been 50km for it took as long to cross that 50m as it would have taken to traverse 50km at a speed of 60km/h.

I had arrived in the oasis village of Pella a little before noon, having left the Upington home of my gracious hosts, Paul & Madie Muller, shortly after 8am that morning. I spent the next hour admiring the work of the two French Roman Catholic missionaries who had built its impressive Cathedral, from scratch, using a copy of the <<Encyclopedie des Arts et Metiers>> as their sole guide.

Preamble, Disclaimer, Blah-blah

The reCalibration Tour is so named because I was in desperate need of mental calibration for several reasons: some real, some imagined, some of my own doing, some beyond my control and, to be entirely honest (one of the desirable side-effects of recalibration) I was happy to exploit any and every opportunity to go for a spin.

I concocted the following story as an invitation to a group of people I have had the pleasure of riding with in the past, as enticement for a few of them to join me.

1. I have been contemplating a ride to the Northern Cape, the Richtersveld in particular, for way too long now.
2. I have also been contemplating, for an even longer time, a refresher off-road training course. (I had attended both of Rough & Ready's Intro and Intermediate training courses way back at the start of my GS career in 2011.)
3. I am reaching the point, on the work front, where I need to take a break soon or I will start to break things (if not people).​

The latter, apparently, provides zero incentive for others to join one on a trip into the cuds. I suspect that the talk of breaking oneself and/or things and/or others strongly activated the self-preservation circuits hardwired into all of us, to the extent that there were no takers for my proposal.

Perhaps as evidence that I was suffering a breakdown, I adopted the above three points as trip objectives and even added a fourth, namely:

• A multi-day solo tour as practice for a multi-day solo tour!

So I: 

• Enrolled in the Country Trax Weekend Off-road course at Witsand, scheduled for the weekend of 24 - 26 July 2015. (This course falls outside the scope of this report - it may or may not be the subject of a future, separate report!).
• Blackmailed the Muller's into putting me up for the night of Sunday the 26th in Upington. (Blackmail falls outside the scope of this report - I may need to use the same technique again in future!)
• Plotted a course (actually copied because it's already there) along the Namaqua 4x4 Trail from Pella to Alexander Bay.

Being an avid student (note student, not just reader)  of Andyman's Book of Everything, coupled with all the invaluable lessons learnt from all the members, but especially the Ride Captains, of this wonderful club, I packed the following kit:

• Essentials
  • Itinerary & Emergency contacts
    A list of people / places I know I will, or intend to, visit. For myself as well as for the family who remain behind.
  • Satellite Phone (I borrowed one for this trip)
  • Emergency/Spare bike key
  • Emergency Water
    This is not the stuff in your camelback or wherever/whatever you carry your daily water in. This is in addition to your daily needs, stashed securely for emergency use. (I pack 2 x 500ml bottles of still water in a 2l ice cream container & secure the lid with a thick rubber band cut from a discarded motorcycle tube.)
  • Rehydrate - a few sachets in the ice cream container with the water.
  • Hat 
  • Rain suit
  • Passport & ID
  • Colour copy of Bike Registration
  • Bike Insurance docs
  • Leatherman
  • Compressor
  • Puncture Repair Kit: Snotties, butterfly & mushrooms, CO2 bombs
  • Tool kit (Cruz Tools supplemented with bits of my own)
    Includes Pratley Steel, Duct Tape, some wire, tow rope, cargo net etc.
  • Tyre Levers (BeadPro)
  • 18" Spare Tube
  • 14mm (9/16") Plug Spanner
  • Spare headlamp bulb(s)

• Medical & Hygiene
  • Anti-Inflammatory
  • Painkiller (Asprin / Paracetamol)
  • Burn Gel
  • Disinfectant
  • Sterile Dressing
  • Alcohol Swab
  • Scissors
  • Pins / Fasteners
  • Anti-diarrhoeal
  • Mosquito Repellant
  • Antiseptic Ointment
  • Lip Ice
  • Sunblock
  • Skin Lotion
  • Soap
  • Toothpaste
  • Toothbrush
  • Toilet Paper

• Food & Drink
  • Water for daily consumption
    I have a 2l Camel back and buy more along the way or take along extra 500ml bottles as appropriate. The emergency water above is deliberately excluded from my daily "water budget" 
  • Rehydrate for daily consumption
  • Biltong
  • Droëwors
  • Energy Bars
  • Instant Oats
  • Instant Noodles
  • Canned tuna, mussels etc.
  • Coffee, Tea Bags
  • Sugar, Salt, Pepper

• Gear
  • ​BMW Rallye Pro Suit
  • BMW GS Pro Boots
  • Sunglasses, High-contrast (yellow) glasses & Clear glasses, the latter for riding in rain / poor visibility conditions.
  • Map(s)
    I pack Greg Beadle's Bike & Gravel Adventures in South Africa which contains a detailed Map Studio Atlas.
  • GPS
  • Cellphone & Headset Charger
    High capacity Powerbanks are now reasonably affordable. I have a Chinese-made 12000mAh unit which has both a 1A and 2A USB outlet.
  • Camera
  • Head Torch
  • Tent
  • Tent Lamp
  • Camp Chair
  • Inflatable Mattress & Pillow
  • Stove
  • Gas, Matches, Lighter
  • Plate, Cup,Knife, Fork, Tea/Spoon
  • Braai grid
  • Dishwasher & Cloth
    I squeezed dishwasher into a used toothpaste tube to use for dishes as well as soapy water for punctures.
  • Wash line & Clothes pegs

Impressions, Notes, Lessons, Conclusions

It is hard, correction, it is  impossible, to express in words what I have experienced on this trip but it goes something like this.

The Namaqualand / Richtersveld region is God's country. It speaks directly, simultaneously through all of the senses, to the soul - rendering interpretation by the brain completely and utterly redundant.

• I made this trip, fortuitously, in the middle of a relatively dry winter. The best time to visit is either in spring or in autumn when temperatures are moderate compared with the extreme cold and heat of winter and summer, respectively.
• I did not book accommodation anywhere on the route which worked well, especially as I visited outside of the peak tourist seasons.
• There are no filling stations in Pella or Vioolsdrift. I was not surprised by this, as my researched had prepared me for it, but I did get contradictory information from several sources.
• There are no filling stations at Kuboes, Eksteenfontein or Lekkersing either.
• Fill up at Pofadder, Steinkopf, Noordoewer (across the border from Vioolsdrift), Ai-Ais, Sendelingsdrift, Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth.
• There are no (convenience) stores to buy provisions in Pella, Klein Pella, Vioolsdrift, Eksteenfontein, Lekkersing or Kuboes. Most of the accommodation establishments in the region are geared for self-catering. Some will provide meals, but only if ordered several days in advance, i.e. it assumes that one has made a reservation.
• As much as I enjoy camping, I don't enjoy camping in a spot for one night only. Breaking camp is a tedious process for me - I need to work on my attitude in this regard.
• I had way too much clothing. I am aware of, and had applied, the rule of thumb which says select your clothes for the trip then leave half of it behind but it was still too much.
• I had way too much food. I had packed as if I needed to be self-sufficient for every day of the trip. Thank goodness it was not the case, since I had virtually no variety. I will henceforth pack only "Emergency Food" in the same way that I pack emergency water. 
• I am equally comfortable riding in a group of one as I am in a larger group.
• Riding the Namaqua 4x4 Trail does not demand high levels of technical skill. It is, however, not suitable for beginners to newly-minted intermediates.
• The roughly triangular stretch of land bounded by:
  - the N7 between Steinkopf and Vioolsdrift
  ​- the gravel road between Steinkopf and Henkries, and
  - the Gariep river
  offers the best opportunity for technical riding and to get lost. 

If there is such a thing as a silver bullet for clearing a fogged-up head/heart, this place is it!

"I'll be back!Again & again..."

Day 1: Pella to Klein Pella via Charles' Pass

The approach to Charles' Pass gave no hint of the washed-out drift a kilometer or so ahead. 

I had a head full of gumph, one of the excuses for embarking on the tour in the first place, wrapped in a cosy layer of cathedral. Perhaps a nice combination while lying down at home but definitely not recommended on the spoor.

By the time I became slightly more aware of the changed environment, I was picking my way through soft sand amongst large, visible rocks, and some even larger, not-so-visible rocks. A half-awake brain full of gumph does not make for good decisions. Said brain wrapped in a cosy layer of cathedral even less so

 As evidence, I present Exhibit 1: I stopped.

And proceeded to conduct a photographic census on behalf of the department of indigenous rocks.

The subsequent attempt to get going again led, predictably & inexorably, to abject failure but cathedral brain still didn't have a clue at this stage. 

No problem, right? Just lay the bike down, fill in the hole, pick up the bike and continue. Right?

Right!

Take a few more pics to demonstrate how easy it is.

Rinse, repeat, several more times.

Wake up, finally, after the umpteenth cycle, to the realisation that this has the potential to go on forever.

Search addled brain for next step. Brain offers images of Geoff R imitating Andyman at scene of medical emergency which, for the uninitiated, is to ignore the patient, seemingly forever. I kid you not!

 Ask brain to execute self-test for sanity.

More of the same images, so I take off gloves, helmet & jacket, put on hat, sit down, drink water, eat dried fruit flakes. Don't laugh, it wasn't funny at the time!

Damned if this didn't have the right effect. Not to get me out of the situation I was in, that would still take several more Rinse-Repeat cycles, but there's nothing like a crisis, no matter the scale of said crisis, to concentrate the mind. Even one that has, apparently, gone AWOL.

Sitting there in that drift afforded me the time and space, literally and figuratively for, although I was only 3 or 4 kilometers from Pella, I might as well have been a million miles away, to gain a fresh perspective on Life, The Universe and Everything.

I ticked off one my trip objectives. Right there. On Day 1.

Simply Awesome!!!!!

Note the path of the Rinse-Repeat cycle above. 

After that it was plain sailing - clear brain, clear track, clear skies, clear everything!

OK, it wasn't all clear. Sometimes the track faded a little but it never resulted in anything more than a minor detour until it reached the river. 

Thank You for visiting the Pelsan Essential Oils facility on the banks of the Gariep rivier

Transport Namaqua Style: 2 x 4 x 2 

The gentleman on the right wanted me to pass on a message to the "leader of the bikers" whom he had met recently, "just around the corner from this very spot". He was seriously unimpressed that I, a biker, did not know the leader of the bikers. 

The trail diverged sharply from the river at this point, on the approach to the landmark Karsten Group date plantatations at Klein Pella.

This is reputed to be the largest date plantation in the southern hemisphere, producing world-class product distributed world-wide.

I was not surprised to learn that the Klein Pella Guest House was fully occupied when I arrived there at around 15:30. Recall that I choose to travel sans reservation. This did not, however, sit well with the receptionist, a young lady by the name of Lauren Veldsman. The expression(s) on her face before, during and immediately after she recognised me will remain one of the enduring memories of this trip for me. Lauren and (my daughter) Jolene were colleagues here at home, before Lauren and her husband Gerhard took up their current positions with the Karsten Group at Klein Pella. While I knew that they were based there, and had hoped to get to see her, she had no idea that I was coming that way.

Things were not at all bad though. I had the option of camping or staying in one of the (metal) rondawels. I chose the latter which, apparently, did not make Lauren feel any better.

To compound her distress, I had arrived too late to request dinner - they cook for a set number of guests by arrangement. She apologised so profusely, and so often, that one could have sworn that she had messed up the reservation I did not make.

Fortunately I had the makings of a gourmet meal in my luggage for just such an eventuality. I washed it down with a few beers from the Klein Pella Guest House. 

I spent a restful first night on the trail in the bungalow on the left.

Klein Pella Camp Site

Lauren and Gerhard, "You guys rock! Thank you!!!"

Day 2: Klein Pella to Vioolsdrift via Pella, Witbank, Groot Melkboom & Goodhouse

I discovered, quite early the previous evening, that I had "lost" my reading glasses. I am pretty useless at reading anything smaller than a giant billboard carrying double-spaced, capitalised text, without it.

Fortunately, my brain was sanitised the previous day and I could recall exactly when, where, how and even why, I had put it down in one of the pews at the Pella Cathedral. So I dashed back to church, via the "main road" this time, before resuming the trail to Vioolsdrift. This 80km detour would have repercussions yet. 

On the way to Witbank

Are these little flowers the harbingers of Spring? 

On a clear day, you can see forever...

...Forever, up close.

Namibia - so near, and yet so far, between Witbank and Groot Melkboom.

Groot Melkboom

C'est magnifique, non?

The campsite at Groot Melkboom - bring your own everything!

Incidentally, these were the only people / vehicles I encountered on the trail between Witbank and Vioolsdrift.

The approach to Amam Dune Trail & Tourist Camp

Upstream of Goodhouse

About 2km downstream of Goodhouse, the spoor runs almost in the riverbed. Signs of flooding are clearly visible along this part of the trail, which runs past the Sedibeng Water Authority Pump Station. The water drawn from the river at this point is treated a few kilometers down the road at Henkries, whence it is pumped to supply the larger towns,  including Springbok, to the south.

From Goodhouse, the Namaqua 4 x 4 Trail effectively follows the main road through Henkries towards Steinkopf (the right-hand side of the "technical triangle" I refer to above) before branching off into the triangle about 12km south of Henkries.    

This part of the trail, in the "tech triangle", very nearly caught me out. I approached what I thought to be a solid, if somewhat steep, climb. It turned out to be seriously steep and seriously loose. Not a difficult patch to navigate if one is fully aware of it, but quite a nasty surprise to deal with at short notice. 

2D photographs make poor facsimiles for 3D vision 

If one has not got lost in the triangle - there are a myriad paths & tracks at almost every turn - the trail eventually exits onto the N7 some 20km south of Vioolsdrift (50km north of Steinkopf).

The original plan had been to camp at Fiddler's Creek in Kotzeshoop (10km from Vioolsdrift on the SA side of the Gariep) but had changed my mind along the way & opted instead to lodge next door at Aquacade Camp because I didn't fancy camping after the day's ride.

This establishment came highly recommended but I would not return in any kind of a hurry, for several reasons.

1. I could not get a meal, not because I had arrived too late or they had run out of supplies, but because they had run out of gas for cooking. (Eskom is apparently consuming all of the country's gas to keep the lights off!) This despite the fact that there was no load shedding in effect at the time i.e. they couldn't cook with or without electricity - go figure!
2. I paid full rate for a chalet which did not have hot water - I noticed the geyser on the ground at the entrance but had assumed that there would be a fully functional one inside.
3. The water from the tap was clearly not clean - perhaps related to the geyser? I opted to use my emergency water instead.
4. The cutlery & appliances did not inspire confidence.

The meal issue was easily resolved. I first tried to get meat for a braai at the local store, failing which I drove back to Vioolsdrift where I also did not get braai stuff. I ended up with some cheese & cold meats and the one thing Auqacade could supply - ice cold beer. 

 

I did enjoy the view of the river from my chalet, the beach at the river, and the accompanying sunset!

 

Day 3: Vioolsdrift to Ai-Ais via Steinkopf, Helskloof, Vioolsdrift & Aussenkehr

I had arrived in Vioolsdrift with insufficient fuel to continue on the Namaqua 4 x 4 Trail, via Eksteenfontein, to Alexander Bay on account of:

• I had consumed quite a bit of fuel in the Charles' Pass drift on Day 1.
• The 80km round-trip from Klein Pella to retrieve my reading glasses plus the 20km Kotzeshoop to Vioolsdrift shopping trip did not help
• There is no fuel in Vioolsdrift

I had therefore resolved, before going to bed, to cross the border into Namibia, fill up at Noordoewer and follow the Gariep to re-enter Mzansi at Sendelingsdrift. (The Engen petrol station is less than 5km from the border, which is also the reason why there is no longer a filling station in Vioolsdrift. The price of fuel is close to R2 per litre cheaper in Namibia than it is south of the border.)

I had a change of heart in the morning, however, and headed 80km south to Steinkopf to refuel there instead, with the intention of proceeding to Eksteenfontein & Kuboes.

All went according to the new plan - I headed west on the R382 (tar) out of Steinkopf, then north on gravel to Eksteenfontein after about 35km - until I reached the intersection with the Namaqua 4 x 4 Trail from Kotzeshoop, where the plan changed yet again!  

I promptly turned east and got blown away!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry! The pictures don't do the scenes justice and I am simply not capable of describing them, period.

GO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF! 

For what it's worth, the Tracks 4 Africa GPS map refers to "places" like Helskloof Pass, Half-mens Picnic site and Stone Piles. The latter, in particular, is something to behold.   

I reached Kotzeshoop around lunchtime and popped in at Fiddler's Creek, just to give it a look-at, before proceeding to Vioolsdrift and this time, finally, cross the border.

I had to stop and take this picture of the Aussenkehr Spar to honour a debt incurred on our "Follow-Your-Nose Tour" of 2014. (To those who are familiar with that tour, Precious Cargo is not happy that I took only this one photo, so I have to go back to fix this latest faux pas.) 

I just love the texture of the mountain overlooking Aussenkehr.

I ended an extremely enjoyable & rewarding day at the Ai-Ais Resort where I finally did set up camp!

The resort staff were exactly, if not more so, as friendly, helpful & professional as they were during our previous visit. A few of them even remembered us and enquired after Precious Cargo!

114% (VAT included) my kind of customer service! 

Day 4: Ai-Ais to Alexander Bay via Sendelingsdrift & Kuboes

They say the trouble with Africa is time. I disagree - Africa has lots of time. Just see how much time it takes to get anything done.

Striking camp is a case in point. If  it takes me one hour to clear out of a chalet and hit the road, it takes me at least three hours to do the same when camping. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I will put it down to "that's how long it takes in Africa".

Fortunately, one of the major benefits of a newly sanitized brain is the ability to think clearly, so I put the scrubbed & rinsed gray matter to work & it promptly came up with a masterpiece of a theory. (The interested reader is referred to the treatise, titled 'Africa Time' which I shall write & publish "netnou")

The long of it (there is no short of it in Africa, see above) is that I only left Ai-Ais at 09:00 whereas I usually get going at around 08:00. That one hour would have been OK if I wasn't going to cross back into ZA today but it suddenly translated into a two-hour deficit because of the 1 hour time difference between ZA (UTC+2) and NAM (UTC+1).

The route plan for the day was to head back toward Aussenkehr, turn north and follow the Gariep on the Namibian side to the border at Sendelingsdrift,

The Fish River: Looking downstream towards the confluence with the Gariep

Fish River: Downstream close-up

Fish River: Upstream

Fish River Crossing

The Gariep River Crossing from Namibia at Sendelingsdrift

The Pontoon on its way to Namibia

The Gariep: Downstream (westward) from the Pontoon

The Gariep: Upstream (eastward) from the Pontoon

The Pontoon crossing was over all too soon. The motorised crossing is one big rush compared with the leisurely hand-drawn crossing of the Breede River at Malgas down in the Cape. I barely managed to squeeze of these few photographs before it was time to disembark. In fact, things happened so quickly, I sat astride the bike throughout the crossing.

Checking out of Namibia took all of the few seconds required of the friendly customs officer to confirm that I actually wanted to cross - as opposed to just take a look at the pontoon - and to stamp my passport.

Border formalities on the SA side were smooth if not brief. I was asked to produce the bike's registration papers for the first time ever at any border crossing. (I have not done very many but they include several/multiple crossings since 2012)

There is very little to see on the ride south from Sendelingsdrift through the mining area adjoining the Richtersveld National Park but one can almost feel the change in the landscape as one approaches Kuboes and the Richtersveld Community Conservancy, a World Heritage Site.

Free-range horses on the approach to Kuboes

Kuboes is a beautiful little village that I would dearly love to visit again. I had hoped to camp inside the conservancy at Glybank but could not overcome the logistical problem of procuring both a meal and lodging in the area, so I headed towards Alexander Bay instead. I spotted a sign which read "Brandkaros - Open", roughly 30km from Kuboes and the same distance from Alexander Bay. Brandkaros is one of the farms in the area owned and operated by the mining company Alexkor. I managed to secure a rondawel (they offer very nice camping facilities as well), dumped my luggage inside, and sped off to Alexander Bay for fuel and some chow. There is abundant firewood at Brandkaros, so I set myself up for a very satisfying braai. 

I enjoyed a "well-balanced" meal, to wit:

• Wors & Lamb chops with fat, which should make Tim Noakes happy
• I don't eat fat, which should make the Heart Foundation happy
• Bread-rolls with refined starch to displease both Tim Noakes and the Heart Foundation
• Green leaves to show the missus I ate properly. Alleged to be useful in prevention of scurvy, beriberi & such
• Namibia's finest! Need I say more?

The highlight of the day, no, make that the entire trip, was provided not by the stunning routes and scenery but by the people of the Richtersveld. Two toddlers, a boy and a girl, both around 3, maybe 4, years of age, were "hanging around" the immigration office. I assume they are the kids of some of the staff living at or near the complex. These two engaged with me as if we were long-time acquaintances, inquiring after my yotobike, my journey, my well-being and that of my relatives back home.

If that wasn't impressive enough, the boy conducted our conversation entirely in English, while the young lady spoke exclusively Afrikaans. The cherry on top was to follow their own interactions - both during our chat and as they went about their business afterwards - they conversed happily with each other, each using only his/her "own" language, as if  it was the most natural thing in the world. What price such an experience????? 

Day 5: Alexander Bay to Springbok via Eksteenfontein, Lekkersing & Port Nolloth

On the fringe of the Richtersveld Community Conservancy

The light mist cleared up pretty quickly

One of twelve crossings of Modderfontein se Rivier? 

Climbing out of the valley

This chap was content to just keep a solitary eye on me 

The "highlands" on the way to Eksteenfontein

As at Kuboes a day earlier, I was warmly received by the people of the lovely little village of Eksteenfontein. I had not intended to stay, and did not, but gathered useful information about the area, first-hand, at the Tourism Info Centre. A place I would definitely spend more time in - perhaps as a base from which to explore the region.

Succulents between Eksteenfontein & Lekkersing 

View of Lekkersing from the reservoir at the back of the village

The road from Lekkersing to the R382 was in good nick, so I could cruise and just inhale the open space. The last 20km on tar to Port Nolloth was entirely boring by contrast. What is it about tar roads?

The beach at Mc Dougall's Bay camp site, Port Nolloth

I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Port Nolloth before setting of for Springbok, my destination for the day.

I had deliberately chosen not to take the well-beaten path from Port Nolloth to Kleinsee, opting instead to head 30km back down the R382 towards Steinkopf before turning right (south) onto a gravel road sign-posted as Wolfberg.

This road is 40km of sheer, unadulterated, off-road delight. It starts and ends as a regular single lane gravel road but offers loose rocks, solid rocks, sandy twee-spoor, rocky twee-spoor, grassy twee-spoor and combinations of the above with or without water puddles & whoopsies - all just long enough to hold one's interest. Like I said, sheer, unadulterated, off-road delight.

The other end of this road spits you out on the R355, a predominantly gravel road which runs between Kleinsee and Springbok, which is tarred as it approaches the impressive & delightful Spektakel pass.

Spektakel Pass

I reached Springbok at around 15:30 - a very busy place on a Friday at the very end of the month of July - believing that I had ample time to secure lodging and spend a leisurely evening before the final stretch home the following morning. This was not to be.

After the second establishment, one of which I could afford previously, offered me their special overnight rate, I realised, to my dismay, that I had overstayed my welcome in Namaqualand.

So I made some quick back-of-the-brain calculations, inflated tyres, filled up with fuel and left the building at 16:08 sharp. My primary objective was to put as much distance between myself and Dodge before nightfall at around 18:15. I managed to cover around 310 km, including a refuel at Vanrhynsdorp, before slowing down to a safer speed to arrive home at 21:40, a further 260 km, and one stop, at Malmesbury, later.

I subsequently confirmed that the whole region, not just the town of Springbok, had conspired against me with their rates, all having apparently raised same in anticipation of the flower season - the absence of flowers at that particular time notwithstanding.

* Winner of the Monthly Trip Report