Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

This has taken some time to compile and another week has flashed past with still some wonderful memories lingering in our heads. Once again, fantastic routes and even more fantastic people. '''Friday, 26 October 2007 - Cape Town to Kleinplaas, an interesting way round''' Our trip started from the normal location Swartland Engen on the N7 with breakfast at 7am. At this point we were 11 bikes with 15 people. Swarland meeting point 3 bikes (4 people) from the Helderberg left the Lord Charles Hotel together at 7.30 pm to meet up with the others in Wellington at 8.30am. We saw some interesting sights on the way. Check out this early morning delivery! Bread delivery with Olaf & Lorraine leading the way It had already reached 27°C by the time we hit Wellington. A short wait and the group was finlly together. Geoff & Noleen Russell Chris & Carol Boltman Neil Terry Gavin Cooper Hennie & Miekie Botha Charles Oertel Max Lange Andy Connell Anne Connell Olaf & Lorraine Gaertner Chris Dunn Belinda Dunn Johan de Jager & Tracy Gunter & Hannelie (joined us in Laingsburg) Johan Burger Altogether 4 x 650s; 2 x 1150; 9 x 1200 Meet up with the Helderbergers in Wellington Geoff led us through Wellington and onto one of the back dirt roads. At this point we did not deflate or switch off ABS. This confused me, but I realised that the stretch of tar ahead to Ceres and beyond was far greater. Johan and Tracy realised here that something was wrong with their tyre as they were "all over the road" - I think we all know what that means... We turned back onto the R44 before Voelvlei. Back onto the R44 from the Bo-Hermon road: Reading the signpost, I finally discovered which road we were on! We arrived in Ceres before 10am. Johan and Tracy decided to fix their tyre, so we all gathered under one big tree like sheep to watch and help them. The temperature was climbing steadily. Like sheep under the only tree in Ceres. It was almost 11am by the time we left Ceres, turning onto the R46 and traversing beautiful passes by tar - but not for long - and we were back onto some dirt roads - I think one of them was the Bo-Swaarmoed road. We crossed the R46 (I think) and had our tyre-deflating & ABS switching-off ceremony at last. I was very relieved about this! I'd never really ridden off-road without deflating or switching off ABS - you can't believe the difference. Deflation point Noleen checks in at home/work: The mountains are calling us. And now the serious dirt began - to Matjiesfontein - I think we started on the R355/356 and eventually veered off, returning to the R354 at Matjiesfontein. I'm still waiting for Geoff to provide the exact directions/latlongs... We stopped once or twice along the way, to wait for me and to just breathe a bit. Hennie and Miekie were our fantastic sweepers and I was really grateful to have them behind me! Stop to catch a breath and the view: And to let me catch up! We crossed the Doring or Groot River, which had more than a puddle of water in it - I was grateful to splash into it just to cool down. The roads were good and the scenery was stunning. Back onto the N1: And you know you're back on tar when you see cop cars waiting for whatever. We were on the tar for about 5 mins, when we reached a roadworks stop, where we waited for about 15 mins. Eventually we all gathered in the shade of the trucks also stopped there. By now the temperature had reached the 30's and we were also hungry. Beautiful BMWs, hot riders! Andy, Geoff, Noleen, Brenda and Charles Charles, the proud owner of a new helmet Chris & Carol Gavin Cooper Lunch and fuel stop at Laingsburg. Johan Burger quickly found a place to unwind and phone home. Johan phones home Here Gunter and Hanelie joined us. I think they came on tar from Cape Town. After lunch we saddled up and turned right onto the R(someone help me please) which eventually becomes dirt, travelling through the Rooinek pass towards Seweweekspoort Pass. You pass the Ladismith turnoff en route. Gravel again at last: The Rooinek pass is beautiful. It's a pity there isn't more time to stop and swim in some of the dams around, or just to stop and check the view. Fruit farmers tucked away Rooinek pass Beautiful scenery Strange sign posts Strange birds!: We are heading into ostrich country, I presume? I just wanted to stop and swim here.: But then a snake crossed my path and I thought twice about it! Seweweekspoort turnoff We reached the turnoff and waited for Anne being swept up by Hennie and Miekie! And into the pass, how awesome it was. Chris and Carol were so awestruck, they didn't see a rut and took a bad tumble, flattening an aloe or two, leaving both of them black and blue! Into the pass. Into Seweweekspoort Wow wow wow! We took it slow, stopping to take photos along the way. The road had fine loose stones, making it quite slippery in some areas. A few cars passed us, some not so slowly! We all stopped when Chris and Carol tumbled More Wow! and out of the pass There are hundreds more pictures of this fantastic pass - what to leave out? We hit Calitzdorp and the tar R62 again. Gavin forgot where the ground was in relation to his foot at the turnoff, and him and the bike tumbled over. In Calitzdorp, some elected to re-inflate their tyres for the tar stretch ahead. The road to Oudtshoorn was uneventful. We were tired and happy. The red mountains surrounded us. The Swartberg pass (tomorrow's adventure) loomed ahead. As usual, tar brings roadworks... We arrived, dusty (except for Geoff) and tired at Kleinplaas just on 17:30. The pool beckoned. We stripped (our jackets) and headed for one last stop with the group at the Dros for a beer or two or three. Some stayed on for supper. 4x4s at Kleinplaas 'Topless' at the Dros Some kuiered into the night Others bought supplies in the dorp and went back to Kleinplaas for a swim and a super braai with the rest of the BMW group. A lot of us retired early, thinking about Die Hel and it's adventures the next day.... '''Saturday, 27 October 2007 - day trip to Die Hel and back''' Most of us awoke early to the sounds of another beautiful day. Our 9am departure allowed us to have a leisurely breakfast, topup with fuel and chat to fellow bikers. We all met up at the entrance to Kleinplaas before 9am. By then the temperature had already risen to over 22°C. Some of the original group elected to go on other rides or stay and rest up. We were joined by other off-roaders, all of whom had driven up the day before along other routes. One of the "new" ones was a local from Oudtshoorn! Our new group: Geoff & Noleen Russell Neil Terry Hennie & Miekie Botha Charles Oertel Max Lange Andy Connell Anne Connell Olaf & Lorraine Gaertner Chris Dunn Johan & Tracy de Jager Gunter & Hannelie Johan Burger Ian & Adele Steyn Leon from Oudtshoorn 3 x 650; 2 x 1150; 9 x 1200 Geoff gave us a pre-trip briefing, stressing that we had plenty of time, and that we were definitely not in a hurry. He spoke of sneaky “bends” on both tar and dirt. We departed, taking the R328 through Schoemanspoort towards the Swartberg Pass, passing the last few stragglers of a cycle race on the way. Scenery towards Swarberg Pass From a distance you could see the Swartberg Pass snaking its way up the mountain. Swartberg Pass in the distance We arrived at the start and stopped to allow some to deflate their tyres, switch off ABS etc. Stop and gather nerves or deflate The gravel is so white, it’s almost blinding. The white dirt ahead Hennie and Miekie graciously elected to be our sweepers, and I was grateful for this. Hennie deflating The group Soon we were off up the pass, with some pillions snapping many photos, and bikes stopping at viewpoints to snap the picturesque landscapes around and below. The start of the ascent Halfway up Speechless... Ian & Happy Snapper Adele The stunning valley below Anne: Geoff asked me if I had stood up the pass. See - I did! The other side of the pass was just as beautiful. The other side of the pass We arrived at the entrance of Die Hel, where a signpost greeted us: '''"Gamkaskloof - Die Hel/The Hell - 50 km = 2 uur / 2 hours"''' Leon & Johan We waited for the happy snappers, our biking gear becoming boiling gear. Charles, Lorraine, Olaf and Neil Hannelie, Gunter & Charles: Check the HANS device Gunter is wearing! Our sweepers, Hennie & Miekie And we were off into Die Hel. A short while later another signpost: “No fuel beyond this point” The road behind: Some happy hot bikers The road has amazing fynbos around it with steep kloofs to your right. Cooling points: Although it is extremely hot and dry, there is water in the Gamkaskloof The road ahead, snaking its way for 50kms It’s a lot of up, down, around and up-down-around-around-around-and-up-down….with some water splashes in between. Andy waited at some water crossings to see if he could get some spectacular shots. Unfortunately he forgot to check the camera, where he would have seen the warning: Memory Full… One of the many bends Johan de Jager is happy Geoff and some of the group were waiting for us at one of the last uphill bends before the Great Descent. Stop near the top: 1630m above sea-leve Anne trundling along up the uphills It was extremely hot while we waited. Geoff said: “if any of you have some ice-cold beers stashed in your top-boxes, ‘‘now’’ is the time to produce it!” Unfortunately none of us did. The road we travelled: Clear blue skies Last little ascent before The Descent Tracy, ‘’jogged’’ up a short uphill and took an aerial photo of all of us in the bend. How did she jog, I ask with tears in my eyes? Aerial shot: The Hel-gangers And soon we were off again, the descent into Die Hel challenging us the whole way. The descent awaits us You drop over 500m in just under 1km of road, as the crow flies. I nearly slipped in a sharp downhill bend, but fortunately recovered. I collected my heart at the entrance gate to the reserve – it had bounced out in the bend and rolled down. On top of the world: Miekie, an experienced pillion The entrance to Die Hel: Below, I mean Touch-down The only shade Surprisingly no-one fell and we were early for lunch, so Geoff took us on an excursion to the other end of Die Hel where we drove through the river, turned around and arrived at the restaurant in time for lunch. Lorraine & Olaf steal a moment or two Passing the time before lunch Dusty road Splash down!: Cool down!! Lunch time!: Cold beer from an ancient fridge. We enjoyed a very light lunch with some cold beer and colddrinks, and the hour flew past. Everyone agreed that “up” was going to be easier than “down”. This cheered me up, but I couldn’t help thinking about the “down” part of the Swartberg Pass. Olaf explains... Die Hel's original 4x4: How did they do it? There are also quite a few caravans in the valley. And the roads are much better now... Some shade near the restaurant Hoe de hel? Soon we were off again – I could see the clouds of dust all the way up the pass. We passed quite a few cars along the way, most of whom moved over, but some selfishly hogged the whole road to stop and take photos. Leaving Die Hel: Halfway up Almost up Treacherous drops Last stop for some to view the valley The little splash downs were very welcome. We could see the sky darkening ahead. The group waited under the last patch of pine trees. Last stop - Geoff's helmet goes on.... Hennie had developed a headache after lunch, so Andy took over as sweeper. I nearly fell in one of the slippery sharp downhill bends, but recovered again. We regrouped at the tar and headed for Kleinplaas, welcome drops of rain splattering us. Swartberg descent The skies darken Just a little way to go still The old toll gate / hotel Tired, happy and dusty Andy The rugby awaited most, while others enjoyed a glass of wine or two together. By the time the banquet started, most of us were exhausted. After a heavy delicious meal of ostrich steak and veggies a lot of us couldn’t keep our eyes open. The catering was superb. Others had a super time, dancing and kuiering late into the night. What a lovely evening! And what a lovely day too. The banquet Many stories to tell: And dust to shake out! Enjoying food & wine together '''Sunday, 28 October 2007 - Various trips home''' ''Quite a few riders from the original group decided to do other routes with friends, fellow bikers, stopping for lunch & visiting friends/family on the way.'' '''Route 1 - Home via Van Wyksdorp - Led by Geoff Russell''' Riding with the group: Geoff & Noleen Russell Charles Oertel Andy Connell Anne Connell Olaf & Lorraine Gaertner Chris Dunn Belinda Dunn 3 x 650s, 1 x 1150, 2 x 1200s The day started early (before 8.00am) with Brenda and Charles rousting and scaring us up, saying we were late. (Brenda probably drank the last coffee the night before :)) Eventually, we departed by mutual consent half-an-hour early. Belinda is ready in her armour! We say goodbye: To Chris, Carol, Hennie & Miekie. I'm ready to go in my Michelin Man suit. Johan, Ian and Adele are ready to go another route After refueling and leaving Oudtshoorn on the R62, we turned off left about 14kms outside of the town. We were passed by Beemerstyle and a few others. The road was tar for a short while, then we took a right onto some dirt for a few kms, and then another left onto dirt, which became an old almost twee-spoor concrete road. Concrete highway BMW bikers Eventually this became dirt. The GPS took us towards the Rooiberg pass, which is in “good dirt road” condition. Start of Rooiberg Pass Rooiberg Pass The view from the top of Rooiberg Pass: Once again, you feel like you own the world. I think we missed quite a few historical viewpoints along the way, as Andy managed (being the sweeper) to photograph and point out. 19th century Monument on the pass A plaque was erected 10 October 1994 as far as I can make out: The script says: "Gamkasberg Gebedstapel. Volgens oorlewering is die klippe gedurende die 19de eeu bymekaar gebring deur gelowige padverbruikers wat hier gebid end gedank het cir 'n veilige oortog en by elke so 'n geleentheid 'n klip op die hoop geplaas het." (Maybe someone will be kind enough to translate for Lawrence please) The pass has obviously recently been upgraded or graded as there were quite a few sandy and slippery corners. We stopped outside an old abandoned farmhouse with one established tree. Geoff & Noleen “bought” this house to sell beer and scones! Geoff & Noleen tell me they've bought a house. I guess they’ll have to make their own beer and scones. Civilization and electricity is far away! Hell, I’ll buy a share in the house any day. But don’t forget, this is snake country. Scones and beer anyone? Belinda & Chris Dunn Guess who rides in front?: The one with no dust on his suit! We drove up, down and around the pass for many kms (or so it felt) and eventually reached Van Wyksdorp, where we slowed down. Up down and around: The dirt road is also blindingly white Van Wyksdorp Overtaking a tortoise: This is a particularly hard manouvre for me - I had to speed up a little and do a bit of a swerve. (Olaf, keep quiet now) Beautiful scenery We hit a T-junction and turned left onto the R327 towards Riversdale and Barrydale. This was good straight dirt.until we turned right a few kms away onto some more dirt which was not as straight, but very scenic. En route, Belinda and Chris overtook me – I had seen 2 long yellow cobras crossing the road ahead and slowed down – together they spanned the width of the road. Belinda caught the tail-end of the 2nd snake, and it stopped, coiled up, fluffed out it’s hood, and made a “pass” and Andy and myself as we passed it! Lorraine and Olaf We ended up at yet another T-junction which became the tar R323. We said good bye to Chris and Belinda, who turned left to go to Riversdale on business. They told me that after Riversdale, they then went onto Heidelberg on tar then cut across to Malgas on dirt across the river on the Pont, then onwards to Bredasdorp. Tar to Napier, Caledon then N2 all the way home. Wow, that must have been quite scenic as well. The rest of the group turned right onto the R323 towards Ladismith. This was a bit confusing for me, as I thought we were headed for Barrydale! The tar was short-lived and 3kms later we turned left onto another, narrower dirt road, passing through very small OneHorseDorpies like Brandrivier and Lemoenshoek, and traversing a few twee-spoor passes, full of snakes and very scenic – about 33kms. A drunken woman, blundered out the bushes and I nearly connected with her… Andy clocks me at 110kms/hour: Fast tortoise, that one! Sneaky Speedy waiting behind a signpost in Barrydale... We eventually turned left onto the R62 about 18kms before Barrydale, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. Geoff made a small miscalculation and ordered a Karoo Burger, but it was not the burger he was expecting. Noleen had tried to stop him from ordering it: “Sien, ek ken my man goed!” We inflated our tyres and headed back on the R62, turning off towards Worcester, then left towards Rawsonville. Tar again! We stopped before Rawsonville, while fire-engines managed a burning Mercedes, which had been towing a caravan. The distraught elderly couple helpslessly watched from a distance. Car on fire We then turned onto the N1, whizzing with cars, and then took the old Du Toitskloof pass to Paarl, where Andy and myself peeled off to go and visit my brother. Olaf and Lorraine turned off towards Stellenbosch a short while later, while the rest continued to Cape Town. A fantastic 3 days, still lingering in our minds. '''Geoff, a big thank you for all the behind-the-scenes work and planning!''' '''Gavin’s 3rd day route:''' Gavin and Max were rudely awoken at @ 05h30 by that ** hot air balloon. Hot air balloon above: Some hot air below at 5.30am! Max and Gavin then helped to push start that C1100 (it woke most of us up). Gavin pushed oaa at 06h15 through Schoemanspoort and the back road to Groenrivier and then Calitzdorp. Rene and Jean passed him and he caught up with them at Ladismith and had coffee together at the padstal. They were off to see Johan & Wendy Booyens at their new farm near Rouxpos on the other side of the Swartberg. The owner of the padstal invited Gavin to have a look at his Dam Fine Restaurant which is on a farm 30km o/side Ladismith and at the end of the Buffelspoort Gorge. He also does rafting trips through there when there is water in winter as with the Doring Rivier. Quite interesting and maybe a venue for Geoff for a lunch stop one day. They then went through to Plathuis and back to the R62 and a late breakfast at the Country Pumpkin and briefly met up with Chris and Hennie. He took Tradouw down to the N2 to Swellendam and the dirt road through to Bonnievale and then Robertson. At Robertson he turned off R62 (60?) via Le Chasseur and back roads almost to the R43. Then the Koppies / Doornrivier dirt road to meet the R43 just outside Villiersdorp. From there then R43 and R321 to Grabow and home. About 550km and 9 hours for a 440km 5 hour "normal" route !! Well done Gavin! '''Jane & Neil's 3rd Day trip''' Jane & Neil rode back Calitzdorp, breakfast Ladismith, then turned off R62 onto R323 to Riversdale. Just before the R323 turnoff, Jane had the stone hit her screen incident; see Kleinplasie (page 3) "ride scarred 400GS". They visited Jane's friends in Riversdale, then took the N2 to Heidelberg. Then Heidelberg via R322, then R324 to Barrydale; this became a 20km dirt section linking to the Tradouw Pass. This was Jane's 1st off road ride with her bike, which included a nice slippery uphill section. This was a bit worrying for Neil, as Jane's bike does not fall as well as a GS! Falls cost plenty. They lunched at the Country Pumpkin in Barrydale, then went on from Barrydale to Worcester and home. Thanks Jane and Neil! '''Johan and pillion Tracey's 3rd day''' They took the R63 straight back home, stopped at that Country Pumpkin place for lunch. Tracey and Johan were travelling alone and by luck met up with Hennie and Miekie for lunch... Nothing much happened on the road back, as you know if you've done that stretch a couple of times it can get a bit borring... Now I'm sure they would have enjoyed the Van Wyksdorp route!...Next time then. Am awaiting more reports - have some pics but need explanations!