We anticipated a small group for an end of winter ride up to the West Coast to see the beginnings of the flower season and just to get out and shake off the winter chills. It was an absolutely perfect day, and to our surprise we ended up being a group of 12 riders that left Table View at around 8am. It was really nice to have the Luden family (Buds, Yvonne, Robin, Kaylee) riding with us again and it was pleasing to see how Robin and Kaylee’s riding skills have improved. Well done girls!
We headed off to Melkbos and on
the tar past Atlantis. The first stretch
of gravel helped give everyone a chance to test their skills on gravel and I
quickly got into my groove.
Although the Nav and I returned from a 7 day tour on our KLRs a week
ago, we couldn’t wait to get out on the bikes and were excited to be
riding in our own backyard again. Apart
from the usual KLR’s there were some BMW’s, a Yamaha and a Zonshen 200 with
road tyres and a very loud exhaust. One
of the KLR’s ridden by Eddie who by the way is a Steve Hoffmeyer look-alike (pictures never lie.. have a look below) –
even shares the same birthday, had never done any gravel before, so it promised
to be an interesting day.
Breakfast was efficiently served by
Maggie and her crew at Briggs Barn in Darling and after coffee the group headed
off to Moorreesburg on one of the lesser-used roads. The road was quite bad in places with a shale
covering about an inch thick. We all had
a splash at a puddle in the road, some bigger than others… Miguel on the Zongshen must have been having a
hard time, although he wasn’t complaining, instead looked like he was
thoroughly enjoying those “on the edge moments”. Steve (Eddie) on the other hand was a bit
shaken when we got to the end of this slippery stretch of gravel road. The Yamaha’s front brake calliper decided to fall off and Saffron, her hubby Stuart
and Miguel had to ride back home at the first tar road.
The remainder of the group took a
somewhat unusual farm road next to a railway track past Rust station and through
a couple of farm gates, eventually coming out in Mooreesburg. As expected, we were confronted by a few farm
gates, luckily for the Nav they were all unlocked. The Canola is in full bloom, and the daisy
show is starting. The planted wheat is
green in the fields and the views are spectacular at this time of the year. The midges around the canola are also
something else and we made sure not to stop too often for fear of being
attacked by these little critters.
We passed through Malmesbury and
took the old bumpy road to Botterberg and back to Melkbos, eventually winding
up where we started from with a further stop for an Eish cream at Tableview
beachfront. It
was a welcome relief as by this time the thermometer had reached mid 20’s and
we were all getting a bit hot in our riding kit.
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| The Route |
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| The group met up at Table View beachfront |
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| Gravel road between Mamre and Darling |
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| trust the Nav to be the first to get going again.....no wonder he is also known as Rolex |
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| what a beautiful winter's day.. more like summer really! |
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Buds and Kaylee waiting for the rest of the Luden family to catch up
How awesome that mom, dad and daughters ride together? The Ludens ROCK! |
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| quite wet and sandy in places but not a deterrent for us duallies |
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| not the usual Stuart...although they share a love for BMW's |
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| Yvonne leaning in... |
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| Yvonne keeping a safe distance behind daughter Robin |
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| Eddie (aka Steve Hofmeyer) |
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| here comes Miguel |
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| there goes Miguel |
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| damp/compacted sand is better than dry sand... #justsaying |
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| quite wet in places but nothing that the group couldn't handle - go Saffron! |
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| Pannas & the other Stuart doing the sweep.. more like mopping... |
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| not quite a duallie but the other Stuart managed well enough on his BMW - well done! |
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| someone has to stop and smell the wheat |
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| Smile for the camera Pannas! |
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| Nice pic of yours truly - thanks Eddie! |
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| Pannas and Shah (KLR Clanners) sure love their cammo gear! United by what they wear..(and ride) |
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| Eddie on his blue KLR - another blue KLR to put a smile on the Nav's dial |
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| The Nav leading the pack after breakfast in search of gravel roads to Moorreesburg |
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| REAL horsepower |
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| lots of water around |
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| Shah looking on as Eddie makes a splash |
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| next up was Buds |
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| OK, so not much of a splash from me this time! |
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| not a bad attempt from Saffron who came a close second |
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| hubby Stuart right behind his lady |
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Kaylee gets first prize for the biggest splash
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up next was Robin
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| not bad Yvonne! |
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last but not least - Pannas making less of a splash
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| The Nav and Shah enjoying the sunshine |
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| Like father, like daughter (Buds and Robin) |
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| see that gravel road over there, that's where we are going next, says the Nav |
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| a welcome leg stretch after 24kms of rather wet, sandy and slippery gravel |
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| Steve, shaken not stirred, a gravel virgin no more.... |
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| Robin looking on as the last three riders approach the group - what took them so long? |
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| and now we know... - spot the brake calliper strung up with a stretchy |
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| Saffron's front brake calliper vibrated clean off her front wheel - thanks to the very corrugated gravel road no doubt! Apparently not an uncommon problem for Yamahas (I googled it) |
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| Saffron all smiles as Pannas gives her a big hug for coping so well |
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| Saffron, Stuart & Miguel hightailed it back home on tar - good thing her hubby is a mechanic |
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| On the road again with the Nav finding some off the beaten tracks (Rust farm Mooreesburg) |
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| there was no road before we got there |
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| another gate? locked? phew, thankfully not... |
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| although I kick up a fuss at times about the 'unknown' (sorry Nav), I do so enjoy when the Nav finds new roads for us to ride, like this one! |
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| Yvonne doing a tight downhill turn on her beast - much respect! |
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| Steve, Buds, Pannas and Shah, the gate keeper |
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| leg stretch just outside Moorreesburg |
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| The Nav, all smiles and in his element! |
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| The Swartland, a scenic paradise for dual purpose riders |
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| my Pièce de résistance |
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| BMW riders do it standing up... Kaylee giving the ride a thumbs up |
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| Robin hot on her sister's wheels |
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The Swartland, the topic of many a photographer's lens
Did you know? This incredibly beautiful, yet often overlooked, area is named for its wide fertile plains that, after the rains in winter, turn black (swart land means black land in Afrikaans). The wide, fertile plains are filled with golden wheat fields that have contributed to its status as the bread basket of the Cape. |
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This is the closest that my KLR will come to 'canola oil'...
makes for a pretty picture though |
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| Oops.... |
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| wait, just one more pic.... |
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| Shah and I reckon that his Fugly must be the same vintage as the tractor in the background |
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| wait up Nav! |
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| shortcut to Malmesbury |
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| back where we started |
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| It was hot and we needed an Eish cream... |
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| A perfect ending to a perfect day! |
Thanks to all the riders for making it a fantastic ride. Buds & Yvonne, Kaylee, Robin, Shah, Eddie, Pannas, Stuart, Saffron, Miguel and of course the Nav and I had a fantastic time out on our 2 wheels enjoying the splendour of the West Coast and the Swartland countryside.
Till next time, safe travels everyone
- Ang -
4 wheels moves the body, 2 wheels moves the soul
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