Die Japanees en die Chinees verdwaal in Haenertsburg

My ou maat se tong hang al lank uit vir al my motorfiets stories. Op 'n dag skaf hy vir hom 'n Big Boy XTG 200 aan, en nooi my om saam met hom die area om Haentersburg te gaan verken. Nou kyk, ek sê mos nou al lank dat party mense drink pille. Ander kry terapie. Ek het my bike. Enige verskoning wat ek kry, dan klim ek. As ek nou al die fototjies bymekaar gemaak het, dan vertel ek julle nou van 'n 204km trippie wat ons 11ure lank besig gehou het.

Strompie is die Japanees en MegaPix is die Chinees

Man dit was die heel lekkerste dag van my amper 43 jaar.  Stel dit so..... Moenie 2 fotograwe op 'n foto en Geocache ekspidisie sit nie.  As jy haastig is, moet dan nie ons 2 vra om saam te ry nie... :imaposer: :imaposer: :imaposer:

Ek sal wag dat Strompie met die storie begin en ek sal invul van my oogpunt af.  Ons het 5 kameras gebruik om die dag op film vas te lê.

1x Canon 5Dii met 24-105L lens,
1x Canon 600D met 2 lense wat Strompie moet oor gesels
1x Canon Powershot (watter reeks weet ek nie)
1x I Phone 4
1x Drift

So om te sê ons het fotos geneem is dalk net 'n understatement.

Voor die storie heeltemal begin.  NET feedback oor my motorfiets ry geskiedenis.

Op skool tot 1988 so bietjie 50cc's gery.  Na skool eers weer in 1995 met Cagiva gery en amper verongeluk en opgehou.  So in die laaste 19 jaar is die verste wat ek met 'n bike gery het 30km.

Nou pak ek en Strompie 'n roete aan na Haenertsburg net 55km van my huis, maar ons gaan ompad via Wolkberg.  So begin my langste trippie van my lewe op 'n bike en dit in reen en mis.

Strompie, gooi hom ek vul in

:sip:

:useless:










eepwall:

Ter wille van die Britte onder ons, gaan ek maar oorslaan na die rooi taal, without skipping a beat. When MegaPix mentioned the purchase of his 'mistress', plans were set in motion to go and ride Magoebaskloof and surrounds together. We set a date and the planning got underway. Something I blatantly ignored. Who needs to plan when you have phones, GPS's and tablets to guide though life's little niggles? I drove trough to Polokwane after work on Friday and the two of us got some vague outline of where we wanted to go. The brief was simple : No rushing and lots of photos. I added three geocaches to the mix and I had but one request : To braai some wors in the middle of the forrest. We set off from Polokwane, past the game reserve, the clouds hanging very low. We dispatched the tar bit and when we hit the first bit of gravel, the first photo was taken.

Not long after that I had my first slip and slide incident, and I knew straight away, that this was going to be an exercise in patience. I read and experienced that you should stand up, look up and open up, but is completely against what my body was telling me. I just wanted to stop and try and save my wobbling bike. To add to my woes, it started to rain.



Strompie was laden, and I did not want to risk damage to the panniers should I have a tip over. Behind me the Big Boy was having a whale of a time! Light and nimble, he even turned around to have another go at this 'crossing'. We had planned the route fairly well, but because of the rain, I had to put my ( non waterproof ) GPS away, so we took a wrong turn and ended up in a settlement called PaePae. Here we stopped to re-group a bit, trying to figure out where we were.

Not far from where we re-grouped, we stopped at a local store for a Coke. Well, in true Africa style, no cool drinks, as they had no electricity. As we wandered back to the parked bikes, three boys were looking at the bikes in awe, but this chap's haircut caught my eye.



And then something unexpected happened. As payment for taking his photo, I gave him some money and told the group to go an buy themselves some sweets. They scurried off and moments later emerged from the store, sweets in hand and the older of the boys came running back to me. He handed me change ! They each bought ONE lollipop, and brought me back my change! I was gobsmacked. I told them that all the money was theirs. They turned on a dime and ran back into the store.  ;D

The view at the store :

We managed to get a geocache entered into the GPS and went off towards the Wolkeberge. A glorious road snaked up the mountain, and when we got to the cache site, I immediately knew that this is where we will have some coffee and a break, while Megapix just looked on :







We headed further up and over the mountain thinking that this road will take us to Haenertsburg. Ignoring my GPS's abject begging to make a U-turn, we pushed on through some spectacular wooded areas, but eventually had to retrace or route and head back towards town.  I could just hear the GPS voice say : "Told you so!"

I had to stop when I saw this view.



Ahead of me the gravel just went on and on. I loved it ! So far the BigBoy coped admirably but as I headed up the aforementioned incline, I realized that the section I had just completed was more tricky and technical than even Sani was. Totally oblivious to my epiphany the XTG crested and went down the other side. We stopped opposite the Black forest mountain lodge for the obligatory photos.

As we reluctantly left this section, we were only a few km's from Haenertsburg when I hit a big mud section and had a serious slide. It took all of my limited skill to save the bike and I realised there an then that if we carried on on these roads I am going to have a spill. We pulled into Haenertsburg just before 1 and decided to have someone bring us food, beer and coffee, rather than trying to cook it somewhere where it was going to be wet. We pulled into The red plate, and experienced some of the worst service ever. MegaPix eventually got up to fetch his own beer as it was not forthcoming. The food was great, but eish. We ran into fellow dog, Bernt, as well. He arrived on a very clean GS and we had a bit of chinwag before more coffee arrived.

We were both quite knackered and decided to do three more caches and then go home. We quickly found the first and then headed up to the cemetery for the second. What a beautiful place. So tranquil.  Both of us donned our cameras and disappeared into our own little world.



Our last stop was one final attempt at a cache at the Cyril Jackson Observatory.



Lekker moeg :



From here we headed straight home. What an enjoyable trip !

Thnx for the intro Strompie.... I am struggling at home to upload my stuff.
Will pop in early at work to get my story and pics on

:sip:

Ek sukkel nog met die youtube ding, maar hier is so kort videotjie van die terein.

[flash=480,385]https://www.youtube.com/v/komZe3tyMGs[/flash]

Limpopo must be my favourite province for riding, beautiful scenery and lots of riding to be had  :thumleft:

Ok as promised I am now at work and hopefully get this RR from my side loaded.  :spitcoffee:

Soos ek voorhene genoem het die gogga het my gebyt na ek na Strompie se RR's gekyk het.  Kry toe maar die Chinaman om net weer in die ding te kom.  Ek kort toe nog helmet, en boots en kry toe op die forum by markdiver dit toe hy dit adverteer.

Die trip gaan toe mos die eerste wees met die snaakse goed aan my se voete.

Saterdag oggend net voor 6h00 is ons op pad



45 minute later toe moes ons maar die eerste stop doen.  Ons is mos hier om fotos te neem.





Ek het so mooi die roete op Google Earth beplan en al die koordinate vir Strompie gegee, maar hy is mos slim en los toe dit op die kombuistafel.  Hy het net so 'n paar opgeskryf, maar duidelik meer geworry oor die Geocache se koordinate as enige iets anders  :imaposer:

Toe dit begin reen bere ons maar die GPS en die fancy kameras en ek begin sommer so 'n paar fotos met die I Phone 4 neem.   In die middel van nerens kry ons toe die view

en aan die oorkant word hierdie paleis gebou

Nou ja my eerste fiets van my se lewe.  Die Chinaman het my werklik verbaas en teen 28km/l was dit regtig 'n plesier om mee te ry.  Ek het self 110km/h op die teerpad gekry.

Strompie

Kyk hoe val die druppels op sy gesig


Strompie is mos nou een vir portret afneem.  Hy wou stop om vir ons Coke te koop, toe die mannetjies na die bikes staan en kyk.  Dadelik het hy begin fotos neem en dis lekker om as 2e fotograaf die storie so te vertel

Toe is ons op pad na die eerste punt waar ons wou stop en dis die Molepo dam.  Juis in die tyd reen dit toe en Strompie bere die GPS en nou ruik ons maar waarheen ons ry.  Pad was heerlik nat en glad



Na ons by die dam was het ons begin om te ry om by die eerste Geocache uit te kom.  Die natuur is so mooi en ek het gereeld gestop en fotos met die I phone geneem.  Strompie het vooruit gery en die skat begin soek.


hier stop ons om die eerste skat te gaan soek.  Bo-op die Wolkberg.

Ek ry saam. Mooi fotos.
Hierdie is in my agterplaas en ek word nie eers genooi nie.  ???
Laat weet as julle dit weer doen. Ek sal graag saamry (moeg om alleen rond te ry).  :thumleft:

Terwyl Strompie besig is om die kompas in te stel om die skat te soek speel ek toe maar nog so bietjie met die kamera.







Kompas is reg en daar gaan ons.  Op pad na die skat toe... Man die was pret want met die swaar boots teen daai wal af was vet pret.

Te maklik die skat gekry en dadelik ietsie omgeruil en toe is dit tyd vir dit wat Strompie die hele oggend al oor kerm.  Hy wil KOFFIE he

Van daar is ons na die ander Cache toe.  Maar kon nie die ding kry nie en ons ry toe maar verder oor die berg, en af die berg op pad na Haenertsburg.  Ja die GPS het gese draai om, maar wat de hel weet daai ding.  Ons ry mos en kyk waar ons uit kom.  :ricky:




Ons draai toe maar om want Strompie raak honger.  Nou weer teen die berg op en weer af.  Man dit was prettig.
Ons kry toe die afdraai na Haenertsburg en kom toe by die Naboom en Turksvy plaas.  Ons moes net eers hier stop en nog fotos neem  :biggrin:


Kyk die kamera op die grond

Nou waar is die pic Strompie?


Na die foto sessie is ons toe weer op pad en hier het die pad regtig tegnies begin raak.  My eerste keer wat ek so ver ry en soveel grondpad.  Wat 'n ondervinding.


Oor die berg en af die berg en ons kom op die pragtige plek af.  Nog voor enige iemand iets vir mekaar kan se stop ons gelyk.  Hier MOET ons fotos neem.






Strompie besluit hy wil weer kreatief wees en begin refleksies in my helmet afneem.  Hier is my weergawe wat ek geneem het.