2013-11-08 Wild Dog Cederberg Spit braai weekend

Due to my 6 weeks post-op recovery, I was not able to join the guys on what sounds like an epic weekend into one of my MOST favourite places ever, the Cederberg.  I tasked Paul (Eish), who happily obliged to do the commentary for the blog and good thing I did, as the Nav was far too busy trying to navigate the group out of some tricky spots along the way.  Sadly, I have had to sit out a few group rides (doctor's orders) and am happy to report that I am ready to get back in the saddle again this weekend. Its been too long.....

It has been torture for me not to ride my KLR and only the fear of doing more harm than good kept me on the straight and narrow. (only just)  At times I had such bad cabin fever and longing for my KLR that I found myself standing next to her, stroking her plastics and even starting her up just to hear her heartbeat again.  I felt like I had abandoned her.  Surely I am not the only woman out there who feels so connected to her motorcycle?  The hubby ofcourse thought I had lost it and kept on assuring me that I would ride again, to be patient and get through the recovery period.  Let's just say it was challenging at times! 

So, without any further adiu, I hand over to Paul's blog entry.  THANK you so very much Paul for capturing the moments for me and for sharing the experience with all of us.  I now know EXACTLY what my sis Leonie means when she tells me that she feels she was with us on our rides as she reads my blog entries.   

Paul's entry

A while ago David, Angela and I decided we needed to do a poorer tech weekend where we ruff it for once to get an idea of what it would cost to go on the cheap and still have a good time.

The Wild Dog Cederberg Oasis spit braai provided the ideal opportunity and whilst David is not a fan of large crowds, he is also not one to opt out of a ride without a decent excuse.

We were joined by Mark the Canadian from Oregon of www.radiomanridestheworld.com whom we had met at Jorge's place and again in Fouriesburg after we did Lesotho. Sadly Angela could not be with us but is counting the days to the next one. 

We met at 7h15 on Friday morning; perfect weather predicted for all 3 days, Mark joined us near Klapmuts.

The route took us via Wellington up Bainskloof pass to the Calabash for breakfast (not - it was closed ) so we moved on  to the Mill and Oaks, being a a little concerned given the poor service and food on a previous occasion. We were however pleasantly surprised with the country style atmosphere good service and great food- seems the place has been upgraded. 

Off to Ceres via Mitchell's pass (the only place where I have managed to scrape my foot pegs in the twisties - but not this time with knobblies)

The Shell has an awesome old car looking very similar to the one we saw in Brandfort. Bikes tummies full we headed out to the Tankwa Padstal, this would be the first visit for both me and Mark, my first attempt failed when Tahlulah (aka my KLR) decided to let me down outside Jamaka and then the tribe spoke and we left on the back of a bakkie... oh the shame!

The Tankwa Padstal is an awesome place that needs to be visited. A really old school farm shop that stocks a bit of everything and a pub that looks like it has a lot of history. The owner’s wife Susan showed me around the place - really friendly. Apparently the Wild Dogs had a skaapkop evening here a while back and she was a little horrified as to what went on in her kitchen. It seems the Padstal is very adventure bike friendly - so much so that you will find a pile of second hand bike tyres in the back that are free to anyone in need and are supplied by friendly fellow bikers - nice one!

Katbakkies pass is another awesome gem in the never ending list of places to visit in the Karoo. Not sure where the name originates from or how I would explain it to Mark but sometimes words are unnecessary.

It was then on to Oasis and the first Windhoek Lager of the day in the company of Gerrit and Chantal, our fantastic hosts.

After pitching our tents and grabbing a shower we enjoyed a winning chicken potjie which was most welcome after a long day in the saddle. A couple of the Wild Dogs had arrived and it was good to catch up and introduce Radioman and David to them.

The next morning we decided to do the old postal route which is renowned for being quite technical with sand and lots of loose gravel. The routes took us via Eselbank, Wuppertal, Biedouw valley over the Doring river and via the Botterberg pass on to Clanwilliam. A wrong turn or two resulted in us riding through some hostile farms displaying nasty signs with guns. This was all fine until we had to deal with a locked gate and no turning back due to us being on the edge of our fuel range. Marks tyre iron worked a treat! The highlight of the day was without a doubt the 100 meter river crossing.

We managed to get back to Oasis in the late afternoon, by this time most of the Wild Dogs had arrived for the weekend's spit-braai which Gerrit and Chantal had already completed the cooking of. Again another meal of note with more than enough for seconds and thirds!

The next morning Rynet (Renette Rauch) joined us on the trip back home.  Renette is a legend in the adventure riding world after she took on and conquered the Amageza last year on a 1200 GS.   She now rides a KLR and loves the bike!  It was good getting to know her and she has been invited to join our riding group.  We hope to see her riding with us again soon.

For those who are not fans of huge groups, this weekend could well have been a test of their resolve but I think everyone was well behaved and the spirit of the Wild Dogs is that of people who are passionate about the sport and love to get together and share their awesome adventures past and planned, bikes and modifications.

The weather and riding was great as was the company. I found the postal route to be the most challenging ride that I have been on thus far – not for sissies, but it feels good to have completed it without dropping my bike. Would I do it again? – dunno, maybe!

2013-09-29 Rondeberg farm (Malmesbury) family outing

We took our 16yr old daughter Emma (on her Honda 125) with us on a lovely road trip to our farm near Malmesbury.  Weather conditions were good, a little bit windy, but to be expected in Cape Town at this time of the year.

As this was Emma's first (longer) ride with us, we played it safe and stayed on the roads more frequently travelled.  From Tokai, we headed into the Foreshore (Cape Town City Centre) and from there took the coastal route via Blouberg and Melkbos, then via Atlantis back-roads to Philladelphia where we stopped for a bite to eat.  Sadly all the establishments were booked out and we headed back to the N7 and swung by the Wimpy for lunch. Reminder to self to ALWAYS book in advance in future!

Always the protective mom, I made sure Emma rode between me and the Nav so that I could keep an eye on her.  Not surprising, she rode like the little star that she is and even manouvred through a short stretch of sand on the farm.  Sand is NOT Emma's friend, as her first fall (thankfully not serious) was on sand and it scared her so much that she vowed NEVER to ride on gravel or sand again.  Well, today she did both and did it SO well that I am sure that she's regained a bit of confidence again.  (YAY!!!)  Perhaps next time we'll take her along on some of the gravel bits we love so much...

Upon arrival at the farm, we were met by a spectacular show of veld flowers on our plot (easy to spot as it's the only one with a tree on it).  We can't wait to start planning our next home and to live in this beautiful part of the countryside.

Some pics of our ride:

"like mother like daughter"

The Nav & Em enjoying the awesome view

That's my girl!  Emma loving being out on her 125

Table Mountain in ALL her glory!  Beautiful...

The Bryants @ the farm in Malmesbury

I LOVE this composition.... Spectacular blommies at our farm near Malmesbury

Our plot is the only one filled with veld flowers - what a beautiful welcome!

The Nav & Ems enjoying the magnificent views and solitude at the farm

Emma getting up close and personal with the blommies 

Panoramic view of our plot - can't wait to start building!

Pity I couldn't get my KLR in this pic :( 

The Nav & Ems - where to next mom?

The Nav - leaving Philladelphia

Ems leaving Philladelphia in search of lunch

and there she goes.... 

The usual afternoon ice cream stop along Blouberg Beachfront - No Eish in sight.... 

The Nav & Ems enjoying their twirly whirlys

Although we only covered +/- 200kms on the day, it was most enjoyable riding together as a family.  I hope this is the first of many family outings to come...

till next time & safe travels everyone

-Angela-
4 wheels moves the body, 2 wheels moves the soul
adventureridersct@gmail.com

2013-09-18 to 24 - Sani & Lesotho

Sadly I had to sit this one out but in the usual fashion, it is my duty and pleasure to blog all our adventures.  I might not have been there in person, but believe you me, I was there in spirit. Glad the boys had a safe journey and from what I can hear, many a story to be told... but as they say 'what happens in Lesotho, stays in Lesotho"......  

Now that the Nav (or Rolex as he has aptly been nicknamed by the KLR clanners) has experienced the mighty Lesotho mountains and knows his way up and down it, he will no doubt be leading me through it sometime in the future.  Can't wait!  

Handing over to the Nav for further commentary.... 

We trucked the bikes up to Aliwal North, leaving Ang to join her sister and family in Kimberley, while we eagerly got going first thing on Thursday morning heading to Lady Grey, over Jouberts Nek, Barclay East, Rhodes to our first overnight stop at MaClear.

Beakfast in Lady Grey on Day 1 at Anny's Cafe.  Rain has been scarce so the countryside is dry.

Place to go to watch rugby no doubt!

Local cuisine - for those that enjoy soup!

Up Jouberts Net.  More tricky than we thought with stunning views back over Lady Grey

Just look at that road!

A breather on Naude's Nek

MaClear overnight stop.  Huge T-Bone for supper

Day 2 - early start (as usual)

First into MaClear for fuel.  Check out Khayelitsha's fast food...

We had an uneventful trip to Himeville.  First stop, the war memorial.  Museum unfortunately closed.

Lekker Local Lager 

Himeville is another trout fishing destination.  Paul enjoyed the start to this fishy tail.  We met-up with the rest of the KLR Clan at Himeville, and enjoyed a social evening while anticipating the ride up Sani Pass the next day.  Weather predicted was light rain. 

Getting to the pass, the land turned green after the 2 days of dry brown that we had been through.  The roads were damp, and muddy in places, but overall in pretty good nick!

The sun made an appearance half-way up the pass, and we stopped to get rid of our rain gear.  Paul posing!

The trip up the pass was in thick mist and pretty tricky with the tight switchbacks causing a "moment" or two.  The exhiliration on reaching the top was amazing with bright sun out of the mist.  It was cold on top.  

This gent sings for a living, playing an old oil-tin guitar.  He was later joined by a drummer.

We wrote our names on the ceiling.  I think they have to re-paint every year!

The heights and vistas in Lesotho highlands are just amazing.  A picture does not do them justice.  Here we are around 400m higher than Sani, on the way to Mothotlong.

The locals live with their animals.  Goats, horses, donkeys.  The donkeys have been chosen to lug the gear.

The Chinese are very busy widening the roads and building bridges.  Here are some LHD trucks on the road to Mothotlong.

After refueling the gang took a breather on the road to our overnight stop at Mulomong.

A bakkie with most of the luggage (ours excluded) can be seen heading towards Katze with one very bedonnered oom at the steering wheel.  Needless to say, most of the gang had to brush their teeth with ash!

View from our overnight stop at Mulomong.  Very basic with no electricity but possibly the most enjoyable evening of the tour.

Paul, Grant and Dewald.  We managed 110km for the day.

I was quick, so got the rondawel on the left, while Paul annexed a room with a double bed.  The rest of the guys shared a dormitory.

Cold early morning.  KLR at the ready.

Our second day in Lesotho started with a steep climb from the lodge.  Len's BMW 1150 struggled to get out but before too long we were climbing the first pass on the way to Katse via Thaba Tseka

Racing Rick on the KTM

The roads are just amazing.  Progress was slow and I rather unfairly earned the nickname "Rolex" because of constantly having to hurry everyone up.

First view of the Katse dam wall.  It is massive, and the dam extends for 35km in a very deep valley.  Lesotho must be pretty well placed to sell her water in the years to come.

That's a bakkie next to the structure on the wall.  Gives you an idea of size.

From L-R, Racing Rick, Grant, Paul and Len

Dinner was very civilized at the Katse Lodge.  Highly recommended.  L-R Bossies, Rick, Len, Dewald, Grant.

Early morning traffic on the water.  Could be mistaken for a Scottish Loch.

Day 3 started with a 60km tour around the dam.  It is genuinely vast.

And ended here.  We decided to go on the tar to Fouriesburg, and make a trip to Clarence and the Golden Gate instead of the scheduled route.  At this stage we had seen about as many goats as we wanted to.

Shebeens are a-plenty.  Where else can you buy a quart of Maluti Lager for R11.50?

The locals don't like appearing in photo's for nothing, and generally the entire Lesotho nation begs for money or sweets as you pass through.  This picture cost me R10.

Back in SA, lunch stop at Clarence.

Spectacular Golden Gate.

Fouriesburg Inn.  Huge meals and good company awaited.

The KLR Clan, L-R Dana, Loekie, Grant, Paul, Rick, Greg, Dewald, myself and Martin

We parted company heading off in different directions.  What a fantastic raid it was and we all look forward to the next one.  Paul and I headed to Kimberley where we met up with Ang and the trailer.  We trucked the 1000km from Kimberly to Cape Town the following day.

Thanks Nav!  Sounds like an awesome trip, with many untold memories no doubt (???).... I am glad you all had a safe journey and we look forward to sharing future rides with you guys.  

Till next time, take care and safe travels everyone

- Ang - 
4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul
email:  adventureridersct@gmail.com