RYNET SAAM MET MARK... GEORGE BAVIAANSKLOOF JANSENVILLE

Don’t you just love that feeling when you ride out of town knowing most everybody else on the road is going to work and you’re off to another adventure. I meet Stephan and Renette at the N1 One Stop and we’re off. I have to admit between two 1200GS’s my little Dakar feels quite underpowered, but they’re good sports and don’t leave me behind. Next we pick up Riaan, then the others near Barrydale. Our first stop is for brunch at the Country Pumpkin. Mark goes speeding past, the memo never made it to him, but Ruth gallantly heads off after him and returns triumphant a little while later.





Onward to George via the stunning Attekwas kloof. Great roads and scenery and some rougher terrain luck, a km of plowed road. After pointing out to the roadworks foreman that we’re off-road bikes, they couldn’t keep us standing around for long and the journey continued. Stopping for a break at the river, we had our first casualties - despite his best efforts, Stephan’s glove was unfortunately lost to the rapids but Renette managed a daring rescue of her cap.











Hard earth, loose gravel, marbles, water damage to the roads, we got it all. Ruth’s bike started overheating but the leak looked slight so we kept riding with more frequent stops. A little behind schedule by now we made it to the rest stop at Halstroom by 5. Refueled, both the bikes and us, the last hours journey to George started. Unfortunately, just outside of George, Ruth’s bike called it quits and none of our attempts at roadside mechanics could get it up and running again. Luckily we had our own Roadside Assistance Thanks Cassie!









Day 2 started early and we headed out of George towards Uniondale taking the beautiful Montague Pass and then the Nuwekloof Pass to Baviaans. After the obligatory stop at the entrance for the “Yay, we’re going to do Baviaans and here’s the proof” photo, the real reason for this trip started. Being a little apprehensive after Renette and Riaan’s talk about how bad the conditions might be and how technical the route is, I was happy it started off quite mild. Going through the mountains we all separated a bit, as happens. As such I was riding alone when I met my first water crossing. Ever. Now, I know sand - stand up, chin up and open up - how different could water be? It felt like hitting a wall. My feet ended up by my top-box, my chest landed on the well padded tank-bag and my hand stayed on the throttle, luckily. My bike pretty much did the rest of the journey through the water by itself, with me as a useless passenger. Safely on the other-side I stop and wait for whomever is behind me to catch up, they do and I promptly have a sidestand incident. Typical!  







Baviaans from there is wet, but not as wet as we had feared/hoped. I’m a quick study, so no more feet-up-in-the-air incidents either. Once again we had a great variety of terrain and by our lunch-stop a nap was in order.



Leaving Baviaans the rangers warn us the last bridge might be flooded when we get there but we decide to push on anyway, how bad could it be?!?  :ricky:



At 5 we reach the river - it’s a great brown torrent. Walking in a couple of meters it starts dragging you off you feet and we stop for the afternoon, hoping it recedes so we can cross before dark. By 8 it had only dropped 2 stones so we decided to camp next to the river for the night. Luckily there was a camp area right there and the owner was only too happy for us to stay over.







From 11pm to 6am the level of the river had not dropped by even so much as half a stone so we decided to turn back and hope we make the next fuel station before any of our bikes run out. Even though we’d done the same route just the day before, it felt like a completely new route we were riding, it was stunning. Then we hit out next stop in the journey, another flooded river.









After about an hour and watching a few bakkies successfully, and one donkey cart unsuccessfully, make the crossing it was decided to push-ride the bikes across one at a time. Loading all our gear on the bakkies headed our direction, the trip went on again chop-chop. We all made it to the petrol station, sort of, and a breath of relief was heard.



Lunch and a thuderstorm later in Willowmore, it's decided to scrap our plans to sleep over in Die Hell that night. Saying goodbye to Bie, we ride to the welcome thought of Warmwaterberg Resort and the heated pools.  Great trip, great route and great company!


ps. I might have gotten some names wrong and passes mixed up - just let me know and I will update!  

nice one
I dig that sunset photo.
you'll ride many k's before you get to match that.
pity we never got to me you all, but eish, we had lot's of food at nemodakar & sweetness's joint

Wow NoelineT thanks for the RR! Nice pictures you took. Hmmm looking at the RR you just did I think I know who is doing the RR for the April/May trip?  :thumleft:

I must say this was one of my nicest rides I have had to date. Everyone just got along so well. Hope we can do it very soon again.  :ricky:

Thanks Noeline ,  great RR ! Well done and thanks  :thumleft:

I laughed myself silly reading about your first water crossing even though I was there and saw how drenched you were afterwards .I think you must have felt like you had hit a wall , the way you raced into the water . And I had no idea you had never done a river crossing before  Man for a novice river crosser you certainly got a lot of river crossings in for your first 24 hours  , and did very well too  :thumleft: :thumleft:

Yes I echo what R-O-V-Rat said , what a lovely group , everyone so mellow and easy- going and eager to help the others ,  and what fun we had in that water  :ricky:

That certainly is one trip that will stay in memory and be talked around campside fires for a long time.You lucky bunch. 8)
Thanks NT :thumleft: :thumleft: and the rest of your crew. :thumleft:

man!!!!!!! looks like i missed an awesome ride!!!! nice one guys and gals!!!

Thanks all  

It was definitely the people, both those riding and the ones we met along the way, that helped make this trip so awsome  :thumleft:

Thanks for all the advice as well!

Its a pity I was in Cape town for the past week  :-\

i would have loved to have joined you guys and girls on the trip from George to Baviaans.

looks awesome!
:ricky:

Awesome pictures.

I spoke to Rynet at 10h10 and was told they will be leaving Uniondale at the latest 10h30. The plan was for Sweetness and I to leave at the same time and meet them at Smitskraal but when we got to Kondommo the nature conservation people were locking up so I thought great today we don't pay.
Big mistake, we weren't allowed to cross the first bridge never mind the boom gate.
I could not understand what the hell was going on as I was told that the Beervlei dam's flood gates had been opened, what the hell, they were never closed to start with.
So we got there at 11h00 and this is what we saw.

So we just sat around, waiting, for a very long time I might add.

At 14h30 the shit hit the fan. The pillar that Sweetness sat on was cover within 10minutes. Within 45 minutes the water was waist deep, at this time we realised that we've got this major party planned with no guest of honour, life sucks.( sometimes)

Dogs being dogs they had simpathy drinks till 0300 some went to bed and 1 watched a bit of TV.
The next morning we walked through to find our guest had left an hour earlier.
It seems like everyone had a good time.
Sweetness has some video footage to show how fast the water rose, you'll just have to excuse the comments.
Rynet and Mark, you'll have to come again soon I getting gatvol of beacon and egg, breakfast lunch, shit I had it for supper last night. Not to mention the darn bread buns. 

nice read...interesting trip and challenges  :thumleft:

Nice RR Noeline T, sorry I didn't get to meet you in George.  Was great seeing the others again  :thumleft:

Seems a trip with Mark and Rynet always turns into an adventure  :ricky: 

Nice report & pics NoeleneT & Nemodakar - you certainly had an interesting trip!
Congrats to you NoeleneT for handling the water crossings  :thumleft:

Great pics, NoelineT and a very nice report.  

What is it with R & M and water?  They must plan a trip to Beaufort West to break the drought there.

I wonder how often it floods like that , I mean we planned the trip nearly a month ago alreay , its not like Mark and I are looking for challenges  :biggrin: :biggrin: >

Thanks again Sweetness and Nemodakar for your alll your efforts , it is very much appreciated and we owe you big time  :thumleft: :thumleft:

We shall be planning another trip soon , so we can meet you and the other EC dogs  :mwink:

On Noeline's fotos there where the donkeys refused to cross , it was actually quite funny , the wiry little driver's fat wife had jumped out earlier refusing to cross, church or no church   and then when the donkeys made a u-turn into the bushes R-O-V-Rat's quick action prevented the donkey from running up into the bushes and the cart from capsizing. He nearly got bitten in the process!  :thumleft it could have had tragic consequences though )

After a while three 4x4's crossed the Kouga towards us , but a short while later they came back , apparently Smitskraal was also flooded by then and they couldn't cross. After we could cross the Kouga River , it was amazing to see how much more water crossings there were further along the Baviaans than when we had gone through the day before . It was awesome  seeing water grow like that, truly a miracle  :thumleft:

Great RR - thanks to all contributing :thumleft:
I was hoping to join the EC Dogs in meeting Rynet-and-Co, but Smitskraal (I think) swallowed my bike the previuos weekend.
It was my first time riding through water as well, and if anybody can suggest the best way to "ride" a 1200 GS through water, now is the time, please. I have realised that this bike can not handle deep water  ???
Baviaans was awesome, though  and I can't wait to get back there.