Carnivore
Race Dog
Loxton Sutherland Tour May 2008
Part One
(for part 2, see https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=17679.new])
On Saturday 26th April, I received an SMS from my friend Jock in East London: â??Rob please plan a 4 day jaunt anywhere. You + me. will motor down Wed night...leave early thursday Cederburg...anywhereâ?¦â?
Well, what would you do if you had 4 days to plan a 4 day getaway? You jump right in and get old Google Earth up to speed, along with all your maps, and Mapsource tooâ?¦. And this is what we did and where we went. Unfortunately, we were not able to get in a dayâ??s riding with Piston Pete in the Cedarberg â?? just not enough time. So, Pete, next timeâ?¦
Jock brought the Red Pony down by trailer on Wednesday night, and duly invited me to stick my hand in his helmet bagâ?¦ (he does look a bit like Father Christmas sometimesâ?¦) and voila! Out comes a SuperMoto Blue tooth comms set! And it was not even my birthday..! Here we are pairing and setting up for the morrow.
I wuz already packed, but since El Jocko usually packs 29 hours into each 24, we do tend to run a bit â?¦.lateâ?¦.sometimes! So it was a case of what to chuck and what to packâ?¦ and we were ready to roll at around 7:30 on Thursday morning.
It had begun to rain really hard in the small hours of the morning. I was dreading the schnott that surely awaited us on the Elandsriver road (probably the most famous and oft-ridden road in PE, being the gateway to the Baviaans and the Karoo dirt roads.) But the sun emerged by the time we got to Rocklands, 34 km from my home. The usual refuel and tyre pressure check took place.
So we hit the aforementioned Highway to Adventure.. and the BlueTooths were smouldering, we were chatting so much. It was absolutely BRILLIANT being able to chat while riding. But of course, photo opportunities are created by stoppingâ?¦. So we did.
Jockerowski making some packing adjustments.
Still some busy cloud activity over them thar mountains in the distanceâ?¦ mmmmmm, gonna be interesting riding up ahead.
My White Stallion was going so well. I had replaced the fork oil with 600ml of 10W Belray. The pogo-sticking of Lesotho was no more. This is a lovely bike.
So we continued, taking it easy, getting the mental knots out of our brains and unwinding the nerves after the rigors of industrial endeavourâ?¦ Jock is an HVAC contractor, I am a designer. We had both been feeling the pressure. And the road was now doing itâ??s therapeutic thing, soothing the psyche with the balm of crunching gravel and fresh farm air.
And the much dreaded Schnott Monster awakened at the sound of our approaching steeds. (well, itâ??s actually Jockâ??s Van De Linde that did it â?? my standard pipe is MUCH quieter..!) and much mumbling and teeth gritting was happeningâ?¦
This is truly a wonderful area â?? in the Cockscomb mountains of the Eastern Cape.
We met up with some Pajero Folk having a coffee break.
Chris was most intrigued with the BT comms in our helmets.
This is at the Radio Mast turnoff to the Groot River Poort. Thatâ??s the Indian Ocean to the south, about 40 km away.
View towards the Baviaans â?? we were not going there this timeâ?¦
View to the North East â?? over those mountains is the Kirkwood area. Man, I love the vistas here!
So we set off againâ?¦
â?¦enjoying the mountains getting lost in the swirling clouds
â?¦ and down to the Groot Rivier. The drop off is quite impressiveâ?¦ you donâ??t want to over-cook it on this seemingly innocuous stretch of mountain track!
Our Pajero Friends duly arrived, and more chatting and photo-taking was doneâ?¦. While the clock ticked! The sun was trekking water by this time â?? the rain was a thing of the past.
This is the second crossing at the bottom â?? just a muddy patch really, because it is a tributary. The main crossing was about a foot deep and not too bad in terms of loose and hidden rocks. At least I did not hit anything, and neither did Jock.
It is a nice climb out â?? the outcrops are not exactly Roof stuffâ?¦
â?¦ but did require some leg-work!
And so we entered the vlakte south of Steytlerville. What is nicer than a gravel road with a turn through some treesâ?¦?
Maybe just coming out on the other side again!
We traveled at about 90 km/h, just enjoyingâ?¦.. everythingâ?¦.. sound, smell, view, chattingâ?¦ absolutely brilliant.
This TKC80 has 7700km on it. It can probably go another 5000. The centre blocks are quite tapered to one edge, but there is still plenty of meat, and the shoulder blocks are still big â?? obviously, I suppose.
The last section before Steytlerville, around 13:30. Quite a bit behind schedule, seeing as we were heading for Loxton, which is north of beaufort-West, which is other side Willowmore, which is beyond Steytlerville, which we had not reached yet! Ah well, a night ride coming up, Cyril!
We were advised to grab a burger at the Royal Hotel by a guy filling up his 950 Katoom â?? which we did. Darn nice too. The hotel has been bought by an absolutely delightful family â?? we were treated like kings (but itâ??s probably because we are such NICE guysâ?¦) by Marle and Oumaâ?¦ this will be a regular stopping point every time we are in the areaâ?¦
WE decided to hit the tar road to Willowmore, due to time constraints.
Those are the Baviaans mountains â?? normally seen from the south, from within the Kloof. Quite majestic, I think, and a little daunting, hinting at a secluded and impenetrable wildernessâ?¦ or is it just my imagination and emotions running riot?
Refuel in Willowmore, and a welcome Bar Oneâ?¦
.. and we were on our way to Beaufort West. The sun was heading for the horizon (16:33) and finding that elusive shadow on the visor was becoming increasingly difficult.
â?¦ even though the light was technically still good.
20 minutes later, we were well and truly in the flat arid scrub of the Karoo.
The little dorpie of Rietbron was barely noticedâ?¦ perhaps I blinked.
The sunlight through the feathery grass made the road look like a runwayâ?¦
â?¦ while the road behind us was so much easier to see, through a dusty visor.
No pictures of Beaufort Westâ?¦ sorryâ?¦ but we did get to Loxton, after a nice ride in the dark through the Molteno Pass, along the edge of the Karoo National Park, at 21:30. We checked into a rather rustic accommodation, in anticipation of our sight seeing the next morning.
Well now, when we got to the Loxton Lodge, having advised Ron and Kevin of our lateness from Beaufort West, we were welcomed immediately and as we got off the bikes, my friend looked a bit mesmerized. We were here, in Loxton, at 21:40 â?? what the heck for? I mean, there is NOTHING hereâ?¦
Yeah, right..! I decided to spill the beans, and we went for a walk into the back of the big yard, behind the house and garagesâ?¦
But first things firstâ?¦ next morning, we had a darn good cook-up breakfast on the fire ( I did mention it was rustic..) and met some other folk who were on a cage-tour.
First up after the brekkieâ?¦ a 9 cylinder radial engine, made by Wright Continental. 600hp.
They have a beautiful â??71 Silver Ghost, totally original and in perfect nick.
Then itâ??s off to the backyardâ?¦ These two Lamberts Bay businessmen share a passion for collecting, restoring and saving WW2 armaments and vehicles. The dry air of the Karoo is perfect for them. Since reading about them, I have been hankering to see for myself. When I contacted Ron last year, and again just before the trip, they were more than happy to coincide their next visit with ours. So the next few hours were absolutely amazing, with the sometimes overwhelming poignancy of these war machines invading my senses, leaving me very thoughtful and quiet.
So, yesâ?¦ the radial engine is from a Sherman tank.
But firstâ?¦ a simple field gun, of unremebered nomenclature and origin, and one of a few searchlights. These lights have a motor-driven set of carbon rods creating an arc â?? much like a welding machine. Two gun-layers use a remote control module with azimuth and elevation handwheels to move the light. Many boxes of carbon rods are stored under the corrugated iron roofed structures.
A seven cylinder radial Wright Continental engine is fitted to the Stuart tank, a baby compared to the Sherman.
Here is the engine bay â?? the engine is mounted in the vertical plane as in an aircraft.
Chain adjusters â?¦ think they could be used on a KLR?
The Stuart and the Sherman both used a Christie suspension setup, which ironically first found favour on a Russian tank. The Allies had politely declined Mr Christieâ??s offeringâ?¦ ahem..
Original implements on the back of the old girl.
Here I am in the Shermanâ??s driverâ??s seat. The heat and noise must have been tremendous. There are 600 horses churning away in that transmission next to my leg. The hull is cast in one piece and is about 32 mm thick. Later Shermans had welded hulls.
Charley Boormanâ?¦. Eat your heart out. (Just HAD to get a pic like this..)
Instrument panel of the Sherman. (I donâ??t suppose this would fit Pomâ??s project bike, huh?)
A beautiful gun tractor â?? this towed a 30 ton Sherman on a lowbed. Sorry I cannot remember more details.
Quite a few Willys Jeeps, mostly CJ2, but some genuine military models too.
The US Army called for design tenders according to specification. The winning design was then purchased, and all manufacturers were then invited to tender for manufacture, to share the load and spread the risk. The CMP (Canadian Military Pattern) truck was built by Ford and Chevrolet, with only a slight difference in sheetmetal around the grille, and the badge, to distinguish them.
Ford 6x6 with a flathead V8 â?? runs like a dream.
Jock next to a Ford 3Cwt truck.
Here is a bren carrier, an infantry support vehicle which was adapted to many roles. Bren machine gun, troopsâ?¦
My favourite â?? a Comet tank, the FIRST Allied tank to reach Berlin. The special unit insignia and service number were oversprayed by the crew of a film company with this light green paint.. and this in Cape Townâ?¦ Sacriledge!
The machine has a Rolls Royce Meteor engine. This is also a V12 as fitted to the Spitfire fighter, but without supercharger. It develops 600hp as opposed to the Merlinâ??s 1200 hp.
Howzat! What a morning!
For part 2, go to https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=17679.new
Part One
(for part 2, see https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=17679.new])
On Saturday 26th April, I received an SMS from my friend Jock in East London: â??Rob please plan a 4 day jaunt anywhere. You + me. will motor down Wed night...leave early thursday Cederburg...anywhereâ?¦â?
Well, what would you do if you had 4 days to plan a 4 day getaway? You jump right in and get old Google Earth up to speed, along with all your maps, and Mapsource tooâ?¦. And this is what we did and where we went. Unfortunately, we were not able to get in a dayâ??s riding with Piston Pete in the Cedarberg â?? just not enough time. So, Pete, next timeâ?¦
Jock brought the Red Pony down by trailer on Wednesday night, and duly invited me to stick my hand in his helmet bagâ?¦ (he does look a bit like Father Christmas sometimesâ?¦) and voila! Out comes a SuperMoto Blue tooth comms set! And it was not even my birthday..! Here we are pairing and setting up for the morrow.
I wuz already packed, but since El Jocko usually packs 29 hours into each 24, we do tend to run a bit â?¦.lateâ?¦.sometimes! So it was a case of what to chuck and what to packâ?¦ and we were ready to roll at around 7:30 on Thursday morning.
It had begun to rain really hard in the small hours of the morning. I was dreading the schnott that surely awaited us on the Elandsriver road (probably the most famous and oft-ridden road in PE, being the gateway to the Baviaans and the Karoo dirt roads.) But the sun emerged by the time we got to Rocklands, 34 km from my home. The usual refuel and tyre pressure check took place.
So we hit the aforementioned Highway to Adventure.. and the BlueTooths were smouldering, we were chatting so much. It was absolutely BRILLIANT being able to chat while riding. But of course, photo opportunities are created by stoppingâ?¦. So we did.
Jockerowski making some packing adjustments.
Still some busy cloud activity over them thar mountains in the distanceâ?¦ mmmmmm, gonna be interesting riding up ahead.
My White Stallion was going so well. I had replaced the fork oil with 600ml of 10W Belray. The pogo-sticking of Lesotho was no more. This is a lovely bike.
So we continued, taking it easy, getting the mental knots out of our brains and unwinding the nerves after the rigors of industrial endeavourâ?¦ Jock is an HVAC contractor, I am a designer. We had both been feeling the pressure. And the road was now doing itâ??s therapeutic thing, soothing the psyche with the balm of crunching gravel and fresh farm air.
And the much dreaded Schnott Monster awakened at the sound of our approaching steeds. (well, itâ??s actually Jockâ??s Van De Linde that did it â?? my standard pipe is MUCH quieter..!) and much mumbling and teeth gritting was happeningâ?¦
This is truly a wonderful area â?? in the Cockscomb mountains of the Eastern Cape.
We met up with some Pajero Folk having a coffee break.
Chris was most intrigued with the BT comms in our helmets.
This is at the Radio Mast turnoff to the Groot River Poort. Thatâ??s the Indian Ocean to the south, about 40 km away.
View towards the Baviaans â?? we were not going there this timeâ?¦
View to the North East â?? over those mountains is the Kirkwood area. Man, I love the vistas here!
So we set off againâ?¦
â?¦enjoying the mountains getting lost in the swirling clouds
â?¦ and down to the Groot Rivier. The drop off is quite impressiveâ?¦ you donâ??t want to over-cook it on this seemingly innocuous stretch of mountain track!
Our Pajero Friends duly arrived, and more chatting and photo-taking was doneâ?¦. While the clock ticked! The sun was trekking water by this time â?? the rain was a thing of the past.
This is the second crossing at the bottom â?? just a muddy patch really, because it is a tributary. The main crossing was about a foot deep and not too bad in terms of loose and hidden rocks. At least I did not hit anything, and neither did Jock.
It is a nice climb out â?? the outcrops are not exactly Roof stuffâ?¦
â?¦ but did require some leg-work!
And so we entered the vlakte south of Steytlerville. What is nicer than a gravel road with a turn through some treesâ?¦?
Maybe just coming out on the other side again!
We traveled at about 90 km/h, just enjoyingâ?¦.. everythingâ?¦.. sound, smell, view, chattingâ?¦ absolutely brilliant.
This TKC80 has 7700km on it. It can probably go another 5000. The centre blocks are quite tapered to one edge, but there is still plenty of meat, and the shoulder blocks are still big â?? obviously, I suppose.
The last section before Steytlerville, around 13:30. Quite a bit behind schedule, seeing as we were heading for Loxton, which is north of beaufort-West, which is other side Willowmore, which is beyond Steytlerville, which we had not reached yet! Ah well, a night ride coming up, Cyril!
We were advised to grab a burger at the Royal Hotel by a guy filling up his 950 Katoom â?? which we did. Darn nice too. The hotel has been bought by an absolutely delightful family â?? we were treated like kings (but itâ??s probably because we are such NICE guysâ?¦) by Marle and Oumaâ?¦ this will be a regular stopping point every time we are in the areaâ?¦
WE decided to hit the tar road to Willowmore, due to time constraints.
Those are the Baviaans mountains â?? normally seen from the south, from within the Kloof. Quite majestic, I think, and a little daunting, hinting at a secluded and impenetrable wildernessâ?¦ or is it just my imagination and emotions running riot?
Refuel in Willowmore, and a welcome Bar Oneâ?¦
.. and we were on our way to Beaufort West. The sun was heading for the horizon (16:33) and finding that elusive shadow on the visor was becoming increasingly difficult.
â?¦ even though the light was technically still good.
20 minutes later, we were well and truly in the flat arid scrub of the Karoo.
The little dorpie of Rietbron was barely noticedâ?¦ perhaps I blinked.
The sunlight through the feathery grass made the road look like a runwayâ?¦
â?¦ while the road behind us was so much easier to see, through a dusty visor.
No pictures of Beaufort Westâ?¦ sorryâ?¦ but we did get to Loxton, after a nice ride in the dark through the Molteno Pass, along the edge of the Karoo National Park, at 21:30. We checked into a rather rustic accommodation, in anticipation of our sight seeing the next morning.
Well now, when we got to the Loxton Lodge, having advised Ron and Kevin of our lateness from Beaufort West, we were welcomed immediately and as we got off the bikes, my friend looked a bit mesmerized. We were here, in Loxton, at 21:40 â?? what the heck for? I mean, there is NOTHING hereâ?¦
Yeah, right..! I decided to spill the beans, and we went for a walk into the back of the big yard, behind the house and garagesâ?¦
But first things firstâ?¦ next morning, we had a darn good cook-up breakfast on the fire ( I did mention it was rustic..) and met some other folk who were on a cage-tour.
First up after the brekkieâ?¦ a 9 cylinder radial engine, made by Wright Continental. 600hp.
They have a beautiful â??71 Silver Ghost, totally original and in perfect nick.
Then itâ??s off to the backyardâ?¦ These two Lamberts Bay businessmen share a passion for collecting, restoring and saving WW2 armaments and vehicles. The dry air of the Karoo is perfect for them. Since reading about them, I have been hankering to see for myself. When I contacted Ron last year, and again just before the trip, they were more than happy to coincide their next visit with ours. So the next few hours were absolutely amazing, with the sometimes overwhelming poignancy of these war machines invading my senses, leaving me very thoughtful and quiet.
So, yesâ?¦ the radial engine is from a Sherman tank.
But firstâ?¦ a simple field gun, of unremebered nomenclature and origin, and one of a few searchlights. These lights have a motor-driven set of carbon rods creating an arc â?? much like a welding machine. Two gun-layers use a remote control module with azimuth and elevation handwheels to move the light. Many boxes of carbon rods are stored under the corrugated iron roofed structures.
A seven cylinder radial Wright Continental engine is fitted to the Stuart tank, a baby compared to the Sherman.
Here is the engine bay â?? the engine is mounted in the vertical plane as in an aircraft.
Chain adjusters â?¦ think they could be used on a KLR?
The Stuart and the Sherman both used a Christie suspension setup, which ironically first found favour on a Russian tank. The Allies had politely declined Mr Christieâ??s offeringâ?¦ ahem..
Original implements on the back of the old girl.
Here I am in the Shermanâ??s driverâ??s seat. The heat and noise must have been tremendous. There are 600 horses churning away in that transmission next to my leg. The hull is cast in one piece and is about 32 mm thick. Later Shermans had welded hulls.
Charley Boormanâ?¦. Eat your heart out. (Just HAD to get a pic like this..)
Instrument panel of the Sherman. (I donâ??t suppose this would fit Pomâ??s project bike, huh?)
A beautiful gun tractor â?? this towed a 30 ton Sherman on a lowbed. Sorry I cannot remember more details.
Quite a few Willys Jeeps, mostly CJ2, but some genuine military models too.
The US Army called for design tenders according to specification. The winning design was then purchased, and all manufacturers were then invited to tender for manufacture, to share the load and spread the risk. The CMP (Canadian Military Pattern) truck was built by Ford and Chevrolet, with only a slight difference in sheetmetal around the grille, and the badge, to distinguish them.
Ford 6x6 with a flathead V8 â?? runs like a dream.
Jock next to a Ford 3Cwt truck.
Here is a bren carrier, an infantry support vehicle which was adapted to many roles. Bren machine gun, troopsâ?¦
My favourite â?? a Comet tank, the FIRST Allied tank to reach Berlin. The special unit insignia and service number were oversprayed by the crew of a film company with this light green paint.. and this in Cape Townâ?¦ Sacriledge!
The machine has a Rolls Royce Meteor engine. This is also a V12 as fitted to the Spitfire fighter, but without supercharger. It develops 600hp as opposed to the Merlinâ??s 1200 hp.
Howzat! What a morning!
For part 2, go to https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=17679.new
