Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

====My Biking experience==== "(this may show slight bias in my report!)" 2500km on 200cc Gomoto chinese cherry bike (TAR) from Dec 08 F650GS acquired Oct 09 – This bike came with little experience being a 2004 with less than 4500km on the clock, none of which was off road. I had done less than 1000km on the bike before this trip. Longest ride >200km(tar). Off road experience +-30km gravel road and KBK. Highlights: Four days of pushing myself mentally and seeing places I had never seen or been to before. Galloping herd of Arabs at dusk Day 3 "clicking" Lowlights: Painful hands and wrists Other Group members: Hein – Boer from Paarl, as he calls himself, but, what a gentleman. “I know the way” Olaf – the lucky krautt rider, who may have been some type of vegetable in a previous life, as he holds strong suspicion towards vegetarians. Rony Desodt AKA Die Malletjie,and his hard working, ever patient wife Joske driving the spanking new Nissan2x4, with her friend Katrien. ==DAY 1== ===Wellington – Montagu – Calitzdorp=== Thursday started early, leaving home by 6am (to avoid traffic) from the deep south so that I could get to Nelson's Creek where we were to meet at 8.30am. First shock – There were only 3 of us! First relief – There were only 3 of us! From Wellington heading towards Du Toitskloof, yes Rony does know how to exit the Cape by a route other than Bain's Kloof. First bit of gravel, with POTHOLES to boot – panic! - going about 30km/hr, death-grip! Hein's thoughts....”Oh dear, this is going to be a looong weekend!” Over Du Toits, through Rawsonville, Eilandia road, yippee! I know this one, did this last week before KBK, less panic. We had to stop at Dageraad to check on the baby who was not doing so well the week before, doing great now, Bella. Stopped in Robertson for petrol and other liquid refills, passed Montagu, turning off left onto the real gravel, time to lower tyre pressure, and regain the 'death grip'. A few km's on we came across a large group of bikes, all I thought was good, I can have a rest (yes wanted to rest already, my hands were aching, I felt like I was hanging on for dear life and if I released my grip in the least I would be blown over backwards). They were off to De Hel, on we went over the Ouberg pass (with every passing biker I felt like a tortoise), and on to Sanbona. We all had to sign in and be escorted through the reserve as there had been an 'incident' involving a lion and a biker. Sanbona sign in: Waiting for escort The Sanbona bakkie took the lead followed closely by Joske and then Rony and myself, followed by all the others. It was so dusty at some places that the two bakkies just disappeared, I could see nothing and slowed down even further. Sanbona exit: incident free Survived to eventually reach the other gate and went on to R62 leaving the other group at Warmwaterberg, their overnight stop. Dropped in at Ronnie's Sex shop, what a dive ,but interesting groups of bikers arrived, even a group of Chileans on tour. Then it was time to get back on my dusty donkey and we headed for Van Wyksdorp and over the Rooiberg Pass. Rony, Hein and Olaf had been riding ahead and I had Joske in the bakkie keeping an eye on me from behind. I was so exhausted by now that I was riding even worse than before, if this is possible. I tried shouting at myself and shaking my head in disbelief at how stupidly I was riding, unbeknown to me this was being relayed by Joske to Rony over the two-way radio. From the top of the pass there was the most fantastic view over the mountains. Rooiberg pass: Summit Rooiberg pass view: Calitzdorp This is one pass I would love to ride again, when not so tired and with a bit more experience. Down at the bottom of the pass we headed for our overnight stop at Uhuru, just below Calitzdorp Spa. The sun was setting as we arrived. Uhuru has two huge aviaries with lots of hand reared very cute parrot, and lots of other interesting animals. A warm indoor pool which we all enjoyed. Got a nickname from “I know the way” Olaf - Veggie Uhuru: Joske in aviary ==DAY 2== ===Calitzdorp – Prince Albert - Loxton=== Calitzdorp to Swartberg Pass via Groenrivier road (Groenfontein), this is a very pretty little world, caught between two towering mountains. The pains in by hands from the previous day were back with a vengeance. The problem with being slow is that when you get to the T-junction everyone else has had a break and off they go again. After a short break we went up Swartberg Pass. The guys on ahead and Rony trying to give me a good lead but even he struggled to go the slow speed I was capable of doing! Wind at the top did not stop the guys having a celebratory beer, then down to Prince Albert and lunch. I think I did the whole descent in 1st gear. Outside Prince Albert we headed north-west on a road which I think was about 54km but felt more like 154km. One of those “there wasn't so much sand on this road the last time a rode it” type of roads. Mmm, yes Rony, I believe you. Anyway it was fun even if I did not always stick to the road, much easier going straight over some grass tussocks and Karoo scrub in a straight line than tackling my first bit of sand on a 90deg bend. And then later thinking stand up, look up, open up, then... oh dear, look down this is where Rony just lost his front tyre, oops... Then there was a small delay, ask Joske for details.... Then, on we went. A bokkie decided to run across the road in front of me, then it decided to run directly in front of my front wheel and I got target fixated on its little fluffy tail and white bum, I really had to force myself to ease off on the throttle and then it skipped off the road. Eventually we intersected with some tar and went North. I think it was the N12, the days and roads were a blur to me. I was near the end of my tether and still had another 200km to go! We went through Beaufort West and over Molteno Pass then headed North-west towards Loxton. Eventually into the setting sun I realised that I could see nothing through the visor and I was so tired I must have started to relax my death grip, and even though I was exhausted and it was getting dark and I could see little, the riding became easier. The guys were so far ahead I could not even see dust clouds to anticipate where the road headed. Just before it got dark there was a wonderful sight of a herd of Arab horses galloping along totally freely, with one lovely gray mare and a new born foal trailing behind the dust storm created by the herd. Somehow this lifted my mood and gave me energy to continue. Trees in the distance, great must be our destination, great, passed the trees and 'destination' and onwards.. it was dark by the time we arrived at Rietpoort farm (www.karoo-endurance.com), what a welcome relief. Joe our host had started a fire for us and joined the evenings banter. I think supper was the Rough & Ready way at about 11pm, the guys all tucked in and consumed a whole psoas muscle! Rony's famous speciality. New nickname acquired – 'Stuffed Veggie'! ==DAY 3== ===Loxton – Williston - Sutherland=== Leaving the farm in the morning, something clicked, muscle memory or what ever it was, and the riding suddenly was easier, a lot easier! Low water bridge: cool running I asked the guys to stick with me now, and this made the riding even easier for me, maybe a lot more restrictive for them! It seemed that riding alongside and slightly to the rear of Rony, I had an almost static reference point, as opposed to having the countryside shoot past at whatever speed I was doing, this made me not notice the speed so much anymore, and gradually it increased a tiny bit. Lunch was to be at Williston but the roads we took all seemed to say that in one direction or another you could get to Fraserburg, I did not know that there were so many roads leading to Fraserburg! Rony was slowing down as there was a group of Gemsbok and Kudu and some other bokkies in a field next to the road, just standing staring at us, but suddenly he made some frantic moves came to an abrupt halt and ripped off his helmet. He had been stung by a tenacious Bee (not your common little Cape Honey variety). By the time Joske pulled up his lip was swelling up and he was walking around like a man possessed, scratching his head as if the curse of 'may the fleas of 1000 camels infest your...' had become reality. After some muti and a bit of a break we headed for Williston. I knew he would now want to travel as fast a possible so tried to counsel that with the meds he had taken he should only travel at 50km/hr. Well, needless to say, that did not work! Africa is not for sissies: neither are African Bees After lunch no one really wanted to move it was so hot. Onwards to Sutherland. (sensoring of Rhian's toy throwing for the more sensitive readers). Poor Rony! The long road Still the long road: later Going up a mountain pass into Sutherland from the North-east, may have been Rooipoort, there was corrugation in the road which sent me and my bike into a flat spin, luckily I did not close off and managed to stay aboard. Still don't know how or even what I could do differently to make it easier, but it gave me a huge scare. That night we spent at Stargazers and had an evening of looking at the stars through a telescope, it was really fantastic. Much better than the evening at the Observatory itself. ==DAY 4== ===Sutherland – Ceres – Wellington – Home=== The morning started interestingly with “I know the way” not knowing the way. So Rony and Hein were scooting down the road chasing us, but we were behind them! LOL Ouberg pass – WOW – Jinxed by asking the question “what are the chances of getting a vehicle coming up the pass” - reply - “never seen one” Right! First steep corner, the guys are stopped and say, 'there is a bakkie coming up', well I could not stop there so wisely Rony slowly rolled on and the bakkie came to a halt, and then I think they were laughing very loudly when I passed and they saw the terror in my eyes. Ouberg pass: Sutherland Through the Tankwa Karoo we had a fun road, ....a big hole in a cattle grid, ...and me not slowing down enough (looking down at a cattle grid I had just been over) at a T-juntion, nearly wiping Rony and myself out. T-junction: controlled stop! One more slight incident - all I can say is that I had not seen another car all day and therefore the road belonged to us and I did not have to check for cages before pulling onto the road!!!! Brief stop for a drink in Ceres and then Bain's kloof back to Wellington for another rest and eventually homewards. Thanks to Rony and Joske for the great trip. Other photos: http://www.roughandready.co.za/gallery.php?level=album&id=11