Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

DAY ONE : I’m still half asleep when I leave home around 7 am , but soon wake up when I enter into a hefty skid on the corner of Koeberg and Plattekloof Road, after riding straight into a solid mass of fresh black diesel. Now this is not entirely my fault, the car in front of me had been going so slowly that it was practically going backward. What else has a girl to do, except overtake the car in the corner? , but then leaving me no time to see the Diesel Devil before it grabbed me. Luckily Freak had given me a set of tappet protectors last month which saves the day , as the one protector ( with a bit of help from the handlebars) takes the entire weight of the fall .The lurking Tow Truck driver helps me pick up the bike and tries to convinces me that the bike must rest. I laugh and tell him no it’s a BMW, they fall beautifully. I am soon on my merry way, thanking God, Freak and BMW’s for boxer engine design. At the garage Rusty comes and gives me a big welcome, and warns me about the green slime around the petrol pumps. I smile at the irony of this, as I had already fallen . I am touched that he specially came to say hello. I also have a quick chat to Nemo and Chrisma; they are on another off –road ride to Hermanus that I was supposed to join. And then I spy my group takes off. I wonder who all is in my group , as I have missed the pre –trip chat. The ride to Ceres is freezing in the still half dark, and I don’t even have Bains Kloof corners to juice up the blood. I bitterly regret not having worn my thick NZ woolen jersey which is in now stowed away in my huge bag on the back. And I have lots of time to freeze while we dawdle along on the long straight way around to Ceres. (Photos in this report by Pete Mann ,Rusty , Corne and Melinda , thanks guys !) On the way to Ceres in the dark: see the mist still hanging Steve and Fern on the way to Ceres On the way to Ceres In Ceres we deflate the tires. This is my worst part of any off-road trip, I hate doing it, it stresses me out, and I can’t figure out why everyone else takes it in their stride. Ceres Garage Ceres Garage : Geoff Ceres Garage : Warren does it easily Fern and Noelene Ceres Garage : Rusty At the Wimpy I do a recce to see who is on out team. I chat to Chris Boltman, but he is not on our trip , he is with his 4x4 buddies on his way to Matroosberg. I chat to Ralph Tulips who is on a bike, but only back at home do I realize I never saw him again. The first person who is really part of our trip is my good buddy, Olaf. My heart melts with fondness upon seeing him, and I open my mouth to insult him. He does not blush, but shooting from the hip, he insults me back. The people around us stare in amazement, but relax when they realize that Olaf and I actually like giving each other a hard time. Olaf then looks at my bike and exclaims : “did you buy the tappet covers second hand?” “No I said ,they were practical new this morning.” Inside I see the thee musketeers, Mandi, Mel with Tristan.Photo by Pete Mann. Mandi, Mel and Tristan I also see Geoff and Noeline, Steve and Fern and Corné. Some I know only from reading the BMW forum, like Tristan, Peter da Mann, Warren and Natalie Ellwood, and Mike Saunders who is there with his wife, Vanessa. Interesting to get to know them in person now. The remainder I don’t know at all. Wimpie Breakfast Mandi, Mel and I are all nervous as the ride lies ahead. I know that Ouberg Pass claimed some guys' tires a few weeks back , their back and front tires had gotten shredded to pieces , but I am more worried about my stamina , food and luggage, as I am always too hot or too cold, and have to perpetually tie and untie my luggage to the bike. And now I am worried that time will run out before I have my third breakfast in a row (after having three suppers last night ) so as to give me more stamina . Natalie has the opposite problem to me, she can‘t eat at all before a ride. Our route ( map by Pete Mann ) Our route We set off, and wave to Sutherland Group Two, who are standing around deflating their tires at the entrance to dirt. I smile as I spot Wayne, Rony and Pete as we glide past. The road is a tad difficult as times, and the one spot especially we had to cross a dry riverbed filled with huge rocks. I just remembered that these bikes are robust and can make it through anything as long as I keep the power up (if my nerves last) . I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the ride, technical bits and all, and am pleased that my riding has improved to the extent that I can enjoy it, and not be terrified all the time. I am keeping an eye on Mandi but she is doing swimmingly. What a girl. Rest stop .Rest Stop Rest Stop Steve and Fern Peter Mann Someone admiring the view Tristan Corne Rusty Corne Rynet worried about her luggage ( photo Pete Mann) Andre taking it in his stride Tristan getting hot We stop in the riverbed. To my amazement I look up to see Rusty , our sweeper fall down the little incline here. I stare at the belly of Russell’s bike knowing that is won’t be that often that I see someone of Russell’s caliber fall. I am also reminded that riding bikes is a great leveler. Corne and Rusty Riverbed Riverbed Geoff asks Corné to recce the river downwards, but a short while later Corné comes back and says it’s not accessible to ride though. Corne's tracks Here I start chatting to Andre, Russell’s friend who is on Gisela’s bike. He hasn’t ridden a bike in 25 years, but here he is ,I think possibly, his first time off –road, what a man ! Riverbed : Mel Riverbed : Corne's bike Later we stop for a pleasant lunch. Got to know Wynand and his charming wife Elzaan, and Warren and the lovely Natalie . Geoff straightens my handlebars The Group Noelene the model Lunch : Steve and Fern Lunch : Maarten Lunch : Olaf ( photo Pete Mann ) lunch : Wynand and Elzaan Olaf chatting to Wynand and Elzaan Lunch : Mike and Vanessa with George in the background Mel and Mandi Tristan Geoff, Renette and Warren Lunch : George Tristan in a casual pose Mike ,Vanessa and Rusty Off we go again. Just in front of me I spot another thickish sandy bit through a riverbed and as I stare in horror Mike does a spectacular flip up the sandy bank and he and Vanessa fly though the air. I feel nauseated, and rush to give them rescue remedy. To my relief they turn out all right, but Mike must have been very stressed after that. I am still very nauseous as we ride after that, and at the next stop hastily take some rescue remedy to calm my nerves before giving Mike some more At this point I feel as if I have a flat tire as the bike weaves a bit , but when I stop and take my sunglasses off, I see the road is covered with a thin sandy layer . Slightly sandy stretch Slightly sandy stretch Our trusty sweepers Rusty and Corné come up and also confirm that it is not the tires but the sand. I undertake to upgrade my sunglasses to a R30 pair next time. Not for the first time I am amazed and thankful how nice the guys in this trip is to the four women on the trip. Somewhere on this part of the trip Maarten has a problem with his R1150, and it does not start. Russell peers at the broken bike Russell tows him and the bike to Sutherland, all off 89km’s from this point onwards, and arrives in Sutherland before us!!! GO Russell. He he I love the fact that we have such awesome riders in our club. Russell is a legend. Corné and I think Tristan take over as sweepers. Pete da Mann Geoff and Noelene Tristan Next, the dreaded Ouberg Pass. Bottom of Ouberg Pass ( photos Peter Mann ) It’s not as bad as I expected. A couple of big rocks, some loose rocks, sharp cut backs, steep inclines and wash aways but all in all it’s not so bad. I take it one meter at a time, don’t look down, and it goes swimmingly. I am however VERY thankful that we are going up this pass and not down. Near the top I catch up to Mandi, and see her doing an amazing thing. The bike veers sharply to the left, but her quick thinking, and steely nerves catches the bike just before she falls into a ditch, and then she veers sharply to the right again . Just as she then straightens the bike out to carry on uphill her bike unfortunately hits a bif rock and the bike gebtly tips over. But I am thoroughly impressed. If not for the big rock, she would have made it easily. I see the guys all clustering around helping her, so I carry on. I know I can’t help pick up the bike, and I also know she would not have been hurt. Besides it is too steep to stop and I am running out of stamina. Around the next corner, at the top of the steep incline near the top, I see the road claimed another few victims. Mike, who was not surprisingly probably still shaky from his recent fall, fell again. He later said that the person in front of him was going too slowly, so he ran out of momentum. (Always my fear as well) Then Natalie, behind him, had no option other than to also fall. Geoff entertained us that night with the story of how, as she fell, she pulled at the accelerator, and the bike spun madly around facing down hill again. And this pirouette at the edge of the top of an 8 km passes! Geoff said later that he was rooted to the spot when all he could do is stare and wait for the disaster, which fortunately did not happen. I saw Steve and Fern at the top sharp corner come flying on the outside of the fallen bike, with Fern swinging wildly off the bike , and at the last minute flinging herself back onto the bike Hair raising! Mel near the top Natalie near the top Warren near the top Near the top of Ouberg Pass Corne 's bike Corne Top of Ouberg Pass Renette feels Mandi's arm to test for shaking after her fall and very nice recovery. Renette applies the "shaky meter" on Mandi Here Mel has a puncture and Geoff helps out with his compressor. Geoff pumping Mel's tire Geoff still busy with Mel's tire Around the next corner we stop again. Here I decide to lie down, my stamina running out a bit, but when I find out we are very near thte top I perk up again. Renette pooped Off we go the last stretch. Near the top Mel takes a wrong turn and ends up on a left fork. As she turns around she falls, just like I did a few weeks ago at NC. Our bikes don’t like going slowly and in reverse. Once again I see the troops gunning to her rescue, Tristan in the lead. For a moment I am sorry that I haven’t fallen, just to also get so much attention from the guys, but only for a moment. Actually I am once again so pleased and thrilled at the how the guys have been helping us on this trip. Such gentlemen. I can’t thank them enough for all the help. The whole day Pete and Geoff has also helped me whenever we stopped, as I had to untie adn tie my straps to access my luggage. It just makes the whole trip so much more enjoyable for us girls. And hence the title of the trip :) At this stage Mel‘s puncture is giving her problems again, and I end up following Mel and Mandi at a sedate pace to Sutherland, as our trusty sweepers ride ahead .A little later Geoff catches up to us ,telling us later that I looked like Mother Hen riding behind the Mel and Mandi :) Sutherland at last, and we are in time to get much needed fuel before they close at 5pm. Corne's arrives in Sutherland Sutherland sign Re-fuel Sutherland ( By Pete Mann) Re-fuel ( by Pete Mann) Twins ( Pete Mann ) --------------------------------------------- ARRIVE IN SUTHERLAND Sutherland at last ,and we are in time to re-fuel by 5pm .After re-fueling Mel goes off with Geoff etc to replace her spare tube with a new one kindly donated by Warren and Natalie EllwooD. Geoff repairing Mel 's puncture Mandi and I have a delicious hot shower each at the Galaxy , and one of those impromptu heart to heart chats that girls so enjoy . I love our room which we are sharing with Mel , the owners had lovingly seen to every detail . At the Jupiter Restaurant, we join the others in the bar. For the walk I do get to wear my huge woolen NZ jersey and gold jacket, but really I think I think I would have survived without them. It was nowhere near as cold as the Winter Tour of August 2005. We start winding down, some more quickly than others :) Jupiter Bar Jupiter Bar : Geoff and Pete Mann Jupiter Bar : Steve and Fern As we walk to the dining room for supper my heart sinks as I realize that I had completely forgotten to pre-order wheat free food ,and it is a set menu . I can kick myself as wheat wipes me out. To my amazement Noelene had remembered from months ago that I don’t eat wheat! I am so touched. Accordingly I get a beautiful chicken pie without the crust. At dinner Geoff gives one of his brilliant speeches where he has us in stitches about the day’s entertainment, oops I mean the day’s ride. The best Host and Hostess : Geoff and Noelene Jupiter Restaurant :Olaf and Andre Later when I pat Geoff on his knee to thank him I realize the poor man is still wearing his knee guards! He had been fixing Mel ‘s puncture since arriving in Sutherland and had come straight on to dinner .He has not even had time to shower and change. Geoff is really amazing , he is a doer , he just quietly goes around helping others at his own expense and never moans or complains about it. What a man! After supper I am very tired, but want to see Group Two and particularly my friends Rony and Pete O , so I walk to the Sutherland Hotel with Pete da Mann and Tristan . But no I don’t get to spend time with either Rony or Pete O ,:( Rony is not there at all . He and Danny had left to help the mad Italian Stallion , Maurizio , who has a hole in his tire so big that 7 stoppies don’t fill the hole. Somehow I am not surprised, as Maurizio has a way of falling into mischief, and Rony and Danny both love gallivanting on their bikes, even if it is the middle of the night and even if they practically have to back track the entire route already ridden by them that day to find Maurizio! Pete O is at the hotel , but he is so busy chatting to a group of ladies that wild horses can’t prise him away for to talk to me. Later on he does favour me with a pinch on my bum , but when I swing around the first person I see is Chris E, who quite enjoys me thinking it was him who pinched me . But after one look at Pete O’s naughty face , I see he is the real culprit . Reflecting on it now ,I think it is time that Pete O updates his profile photo , as the current one shows him walking , which is not an accurate reflection at all, as one hardly ever sees him walking . He is much more often seen riding his bike or standing with a beer in his hand ;) Pete and a bevy of lovely ladies Pete O has just informed me ( his excuse ) that he just happened to sit on the right side of the supper table , as on the other side of the table the guys were hugging each other ! Wayne and Co in a group hug I resort to chatting to the rest of the competitors from group Two , especially the Gruesome twosome ( as Wayne refers to them )( and a good description I must add ), and I also chat to Chris E , the one who nearly got accused of pinching my bum . Olaf talking to the Gruesome Twosome ( Jaques and Clayton ) Now I cannot keep my eyes open any longer and regretfully take my leave . I enjoy the dead quite walk back in the pitch dark streets, only to promptly get lost. I am not too hard on myself though, as despite not finding the correct road, at least I am in the correct town , UNLIKE RENE A FEW YEARS AGO ;) who was arguing with " a stupid woman " in Greyton that there was a restaurant in Greyton called "X" , whereas she insisted she had lived in Greyton all her life, and there was no such restaurant. Turns out that there was a Restaurant "X", but it was in McGREGOR not in Greyton :):):), where the rest of the people on the club ride went to , except for dear Rene :)( Eat your heart out Hennie Botha, I put this snippet in especially for you! ;)) Rene on a recent trip to Namibia( not Sutherland ) When I eventually find The Galaxy I fall asleep for an hour while for the rest of the group the fun only starts in the Sutherland Hotel. A little while later I wake up to hear a bike circle the guesthouse, it is Rusty carrying both Mel and Mandi. He enjoyed it so much he rides around the house a second time. Now the three of us girls chat in earnest, giggling and gossiping and enjoying ourselves. Eventually we all fall asleep. The next day I get to hear some of the happenings in the Sutherland Hotel ,sound like fun was had :) Here are some of the more sedate photos. Rumour has it that some purses were mysteriously empty the next morning ;););) Danny and Rony Corne , Tristan and Maurizio Peter , Tristan and Corne DAY TWO The next morning is crisp but sunny . Dear Olaf helps me tie my luggage, but as the morning starts to warm up speedlily I proceed to take off more layers, and have to untie and tie my luggage all over again . Geoff sees me struggling and helps me tie the luggage back up again. What friendly helpful people we have on this trip :) Early morning sun : (I do get to wear my thick NZ jersey, but only for 5 minutes , because the sun gets warm quickly) We then go on to have a stunning breakfast. The others from our group are joining us at The Galaxy . The location is brilliant; we sit on the sun drenched porch, protected from the cold by the glass, looking out over a flower –filled garden, and horses grazing in the field across the road. What a tranquil scene. The tables are set to perfection; all the little details are there. Individual antique pretty tea cups, antique teaspoons each one different. Flowers on the tables . The fruit salads are daintily cut up in interesting and gorgeous shapes, and the riot of colours is a beauty to behold. The man of the house is ever attentive and ensures that we have only the best service while his wife is slaving in the kitchen to give us breakfast perfection, Ah it is moment like this that are the highlights of my trip . I sit with Mel and Mandi and we are full of giggles, knowing that today‘s ride is going to be a nice mild one, and we don’t have to worry about a thing. The Galaxy : Geoff and Co having breakfast inside Renette still half asleep ,and Mandi smiling Mandi-liefie ----------------------------------------------- DEPARTURE FROM SUTHERLAND We set off, and indeed it is a lovely ride , much easier and more laid back then yesterday . We also gun it a bit more , like horses who know they are heading homewards. We ride up spectacularly pretty Pass where we pass a group of 8 or so big bike riders coming down the Pass. I see by the fact that they are all sitting down ,that they are at ease cruising along merrily on their bikes. We wave and it turns out later that Rov Rat , from the Wilddogs , whom I met at the Cederberg Dual Sport Festival, is amongst that group of riders :) He later said on the WD Forum that they were all very impressed that we all waved at them. What a lovely scene, the two groups of riders passing each other by on the lovely day . Soon , however , we stop for some minor bike troubles . Rusty playing with Corne's wires Rynet getting hot ( photo Pete Mann ) Mandi grazing Another day in Africa: Corne and Rynet ( photo : Pete Mann ) Here we wait a bit as, due to Corne having ridden over a bump too fast , his bike cut out . ( Corne tends to forget he is on a GS650 :)) But Trusty Rusty to the rescue , he deactivates the sensor and the bike works perfectly again . We first have a litle rest before Mandi , Mel , Mel , Andre and I decide to mozey on ahead so as to save time , then the fasties can catch up with us in Middelpos ( The place that Neil and Pete O never found ;)). http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/middelpos-or-bust At the Middelpos turn -off the others go ahead and I decide to display my bike prominently in the corner ,so that the rest of the group don't have to wait for each next bike in succession. I enjoy the solitude and the tranquility for a while, and then spot the group coming down the hill one at a time .I wave as each bike executes a well- behaved turn . But not Tristan ! I spot him charging down the hill at full speed . I think mmmmmm he is going a bit fast for this turn . I am still waiting for him to slow down to turn , when at the last minute he sees me , and turns the bike hard but not sharp enough and his bike comes charging directly towards where I am standing . My survival instinct kicks in, and I jump right across the road and into a ditch, leaving my poor bike to it's fate . When I look up in horror of impending doom, I see Tristan executing a perfect stop/pie in a nick of time, narrowly missing hitting my precious bike :):)( must be all the Rooibos Tea he had the previous evening ;)) I laugh my head off , but seriously, I reflect whilst riding on to Middelpos that the relative newcomers to the club like Tristan and Pete Mann and the very new Wynand have all impressed me very much this week -end with their riding prowess. At Middelpos we have to wait as one of the newer pillions have to find a seperate village to heed the call of nature ( she will soon learn that the nearest tree also works :) ) while Rusty entertains us with his antics, scaring and thrilling the school kids with revving up right past them :) Up a nice winding hill, and soon we reach the the top of Gannaga Pass. We stop to admmire the view and wait for Mandi which takes some time , but hey, this is cool, as the view is stunning and the company great . Top of Gannaga Pass : Mel , Corne and Noelene Top of Gannaga Pass : Pete, Tristan etc Top of Gannage Pass : view Top of Gannage Pass : view Geoff and Noelene at a U-turn ( photo and caption Pete Mann ) Top of Gannage Pass : Rynet rests ( photo Pete Mann ) Tristan resting ( photo and clever caption by Pete Mann Interesting view from top of Gannaga Pass ( photo Pete Mann) When Mandi and Russell eventually arrive, we realize that she had fallen on a ugly piece of road. And Russell had gotten such a fright when Mandi went down , that he also promptly fell in sympathy . The battlefield : The nasty place where Mandi fell Close up of the uneven ground But Mandi is tough, and after I administer the Shaky meter again , we diagnose her to be fine. We are all very fond of young Mandi who is doing very bravely, despite her being the newest rider in our group. Rynet administers the shaky meter to Mandi We set off down Gannaga Pass , which presents a steep down –hill , one sharp cut- back, loose rocks and wash- aways, but for me it is a lot easier than Ouberg Pass. At the bottom I take off like a bat out of hell after the leaders example , and we gun it along at quite a fast pace. I enjoy this section as we encounter a lot of dips in the road, and it is fun to see how high you can shoot in the air when you hit the bumps too hard , without, of course , leaving the bike entirely :) Today Corne is not being a trusty and loyal voluntary sweeper, he is entertaining his hooligan side, and having FUN . Looking at how he rides, one forgets ( not just Corne) that Corné actually rides a GS 650, as his speed and agility on a bike is more typical of a GS 1200 . Some puddles : Melinda and Mandi showing how it is done :) Melinda showing her colours ( photo Pete Mann): piece of cake ! Mandi doing well ( photo Pete Mann) Lone Ranger ( photo Pete Mann) We stop for lunch . Mandi and Rynet dismounting Wynand and Elzan Mandi and Rynet at lunch The group at lunch Spot the mistake : photo Pete Mann I look up and see Steve and Fern sitting holding each other and whispering to each other, and my heart softens to see a couple who are so romantic and loving towards each other, despite years of marriage. This is the precise minute that I decide that I must really get my own camera, so as to capture moments like these. As I did not have a camera I am using another photo of the two of them from earlier just because they are so cute :) Steve and Fern ( the romantic couple ) Just to keep this report from being overly sweet here is a fun photo by Pete Mann of three guys :) Three guys competing ( photo and caption by Pete Mann ) ps Pete Mann ,your photos are really outstanding , thanks also to Rusty , Corne, Mel and the Ellwoods for the remainder of the photo's. More fast riding, then waiting, and we eventually arrive at Ceres. Just before Ceres Russell runs out of fuel and he free- wheels for a while. Apparently he free- wheels right past Maurizio, which is a pity ,as Maurizio apparently had spare fuel on his bike which he is nursing along to try and save his tire ! When the down slope ends, Russell is towed the last few kilometers into Ceres by no other than young Mandi on her much smaller bike. What a sight for sore eyes! :) At Ceres we re –fuel and head off to the Bush’s Pub at the start of Bains Kloof over the lovely Mitchell’s Pass, where I give Corne and Tristan a good run for their money ;) Bush Pub After a quick drink, thanks Pete da Man for my Rooibos Tea ,and off we went. I followed Geoff and Noelene onto Bains Kloof Pass , and managed to keep up for about 4 corners before Geoff shoots off in the distance. Just after the turn off from the R44 turn-off to Durbanville Road, I saw Andre had a flat tire on his bike borrowed from Gisela . I stopped to flag down Mandi who sensibly had a tire repair kit . She left her repair kit with us and proceded to Stellenbosch. Mel and I watched Andre try and fix his tire, but it was a bit of a struggle. I phoned Geoff who was already in Paarl, but without any complaints , he dutifully came back to help out once more and repaired the tire . What a kind thoughtful man, nothing is too much for him. What a fitting end to a lovely week-end , with club members going so out of their way to help others . Whilst standing there I reflect back to the first time I lay my eyes on Geoff . It was at one of our dearly loved member's , poor Mark Verrinder's funeral (who died on the Killarney U- Bend).Geof made a very good impression on me then, but more importantly he has gone on to make a huge impression on the club . Single-handedly he has build up a roaringly big off-road contingent to the club. I know that everyone thinks that more people are riding off -road because of Ewan and Charlie , but personally I think it is because of Geoff Russell , thanks Geoff :) And because I don't have any photo's of Geoff I am resorting to put up these photo's of the runner-ups, dear Ewan and Charlie ( no offence intended to Ewand and Charlie Cloud ;) and thanks Cloud for the photos :)) Ewan and Charlie Ewan and Charlie Ewan and Charlie( last one I promise :)) To end off ; with so much love going around in our club, and particularly on the Sutherland ride we have just succesfully and enjoyably completed, ( thanks Geoff and co ) I promptly decide to call my trip report the Love Trip . What a trip :)