The Orange Atlantic adventure (110 odd pics)

Day 1 - Milnerton to Clanwilliam

Well the first day actually should have been JHB to CPT by plane but that would be a bit boring so we will fast forward to the actual riding days. When we landed at CPT a light drizzle was falling and the wind blowing, yes we were in the mother city ready for the start of nine days of exploring. After eventually finding the bikes we went searching for Milnerton and our five star lodging for the night, the Formula One Hotel  Now we are from GP and even with three GPS's we only found the possie at about 10 pm ! Some Jack Daniels were consumed to lighten the spirits.

Five riders were ready to go ride the Western and Northern Cape. The route would take us from the beautifull Cederberg to the Western Cape's sand and the barren landscape of the Nortern Cape. There were three XR 650's (Runner, Redrider and Gforce), a KTM Adventure (Allover) and the DRZ of DD.

Redrider getting ready to leave Milnerton and hopefully outrun the cold.



Group photo at the seaside, we are not used to the big dam you guys have down there there  ;D



Heading towards Langebaan we got onto the first dirt of the trip, good thing to as the wind on the R27 was not fun.



After a quick stop it was decided to head for Paternoster and a well deserved lunch. It was a good choice as the fish and chips were top class !





After the lunch stop it was back onto the dirt on our way all along the coast to Lambertsbaai via the small town of Dwarskersbos and Noordkuil.



The road hugged the coastline which made for some excellent scenery.







The Lagoon near Velddrif, conveniently we also found fuel and a bar  ;D The DRZ ran out of fuel just before Velddrif. The headwinds caused my fuel consumption to drop from 380 km to 300 km. Luckily Allover's Adventure is like a fuel tanker !



Although mainly tar the first day offered some great scenery and at around three we arrived at Clanwilliam where we would spend the next two days exploring the Cederberg and surrounds. Our home from home.

This is going to be a good report! Keep it coming  ;D

Day 2 - Clanwilliam round trip via the Cederberg

Day two dawned with some more drizzle but the sun did peek through the clouds from time to time. With places like Pakhuis pass, Algeria and Wupperthal it promised to be a great ride and it did not dissapoint.

The tar ends and dirt starts, good stuff !



The bikes travelled light as the gear was left back at the backpackers meaning we could ride at a slightly faster pace  ;D





It was also nice to see some green countryside for a change, the Cape and GP are like night and day during winter.







The roads snaked through the valley and little water crossings were all over the place. Gforce and Redrider just before Wupperthal.





Wupperthal turned out to be a great place to visit. A small villiage where it seems time stands still. Peacefull and quiet and with only two dirt passes leading in and out of town it's no wonder. We decided to have some lunch in the Leipoldt house. The rain came down again but no one seemed to mind as a second helping of pies and chips were consumed.















Just as we got ready to leave the sun appeared and the Cederberg lay ahead in all it's splendour. The trail we chose also turned out to be a gem.





Not sure if this area is part of the famous wild flowers but there were lots of flora around. Allover could not help himself and had to get up close to some daisies  ;D







The sandy tracks made for some enjoyable riding.



We also ran into this dude riding his faithfull XT 500.



Now there is the normal cautious stand on the pegs water crossing and then you get the XR 650 Runner and Redrider way which it has to be said is alot more spectacular  >







I will have another thanks  ;D



If you look carefully you can still see some snow left on the mountains.





A farmhouse from yesteryear.



So day two came to an end, not very technical riding but very nice scenery and alot of fun. Even the bikes slept warm that night, on day three we would encounter the sand monster and the landscape would change completely.

Day 3 - Clanwilliam to Groenriviermond

It was time to leave and head to the coast. The first stop would be Lambertsbaai for some breakfast.





From Lambertsbaai we headed up the coast and it's on this stretch I dumped my bike. What I thought to be a shallow puddle turned out to be quite deep and the DRZ went down, stupid move.

Little harbour near Papendorp.



The coastline offered some indigenous flora, sandy tracks, and rocky outcrops. We also saw some whales just behind the breakers. As a plus we had a nice sunny day.



Redrider





Not too long afterwards the sand started, some places were not to bad but some sections were pretty deep. Problem is you end up in someone else's tracks which just throw you offline and you can't help losing momentum.

Allover



Gforce



Redrider



Sharp corners meant you could rarely get out of third gear as the bikes chugged through the sand. And just as you think you are getting good at it a patch will throw you offcourse and through the fynbos, I have a crack on my headlight cover as proof  ;D







Then trouble for Redrider's XR, one of the cores on the radiator developed a small hairline crack causing a slow coolant leak. Luckily our overnight stop at Groenriviermond was not too far.



The bike was stripped and radiator removed, Runner had some steel epoxy at hand which would hopefully stop it from leaking.



The bike was quickly dubbed "die gewonde dier"  ;D



Groenriviermond was like a ghost town. There are a couple of holiday homes erected in a simplistic fashion. Some of these homes have stood here for close to ten years but a notice advised the owners to move out since these homes were built without permission and ownership of the land. We rented one of the homes for the night from an elderly couple.

I can see why people put up their houses here.



What would a trip be without a braai ?



The next day would bring thicker sand as we moved further north.

Day 4 - Groenriviermond to Alexander Bay

Early morning and the bikes were ready to roll. The day before people in 4x4's warned us to rather take a detour to Hondeklipbaai as the sand along the coast were pretty mean. Offcourse we chose the difficult route, it's an adventure afterall.



Following the route it winded through a dune and then dropped into a track running close to the coastline.





One stretch in particular was pretty tough, thick as hell and it continued for about 10 km but felt like a hundred. I have even more respect for the dudes who ride the Dakar rally. Eventually the route became easier turning into shallow sandy jeep tracks.





Hondeklipbaai gave the oppertunity for a much needed cooldrink and a bite to eat. Everyone had their sandy tale to tell. Runner was smiling from ear to ear, he loves sand, the others did not share his viewpoint  ;D

We rode out to the wreck of the Aristea. Quite a sight to behold and proof of the awesome power of corrosion  Anyone who is into photography will easily spend a couple of hours here. Just look at how the hull is allmost completely rusted away.







We had permission to pass through the De Beers diamond fields on the other side of Kleinsee on our way to Port Nolloth. If you do not have a permit it means a detour around the area. A quick stop in Port Nolloth before heading for Alexander Bay.



We stocked up and headed inland 15 km or so to get to the camping site for the night.



The KTM developed a problem with it's lights. A quick strip down revealed a faulty soldering connection which were sorted out early the next morning.



The next day would lead us into the Richtersveld.

Day 5 - Alexander Bay to Eksteenfontein

The Richtersveld proved to be riding paradise. Many of the routes we followed had us all over the place to find the correct track. Although marked on the GPS I'm sure not many people use these routes often. Some places you could barely make out a track and some would lead you right up a mountain ! The rain also returned making things interesting.





Where do you want to ride today ?



Lots of little riverbeds to cross and explore.



I reckon you could ride here for days on end. The rain though were becoming a pain. Even my grips got soaked which caused them to slip on the throttle tube. I eventually had to cable tie them onto the bars just to get out of this riverbed.



Lesson learned, ALWAYS USE SAFETY WIRE ON GRIPS !

Runner having a blast.



Unfortunetly Redriders radiator started to leak again and with the rain we only made it to Eksteenfontein were we found shelter and drank Old Brown Sherry  ;D Luckily the only B&B in town had space and five mud slinging riders pulled in for the night. The oven came in handy to dry the gear and the local cafe was raided for anything edible.

Yes it was cold and wet.



The B&B.



Another oppertunity to fix the radiator. Closer inspection revealed the crack extended further than previously thought. Some dishwashing liquid, waterpaper and a new batch of steel epoxy finally sealed the leak for good.

Day 6 - Eksteenfontein to Witbank

The next day our spirits lifted as the rain dissapeared for good. We were heading inland and once again the landscape would change completely. Heading out of Eksteenfontein we found tracks simular to the previous days riding.





Eventually it was decided to turn around as we could not make out a clear track to follow. We lost time the previous day so we knew we would have to get a move on.

Regrouping at a junction. Left to Black face mountain or right to the Orange river. We were heading for the Orange.



The landscape became more sparce and definetly alot drier than the Richtersveld.



It also became everyones favourite day of the whole trip. The trail was imacculate. Sandy, rocky, riverbeds, towering mountains and sharp turns made for an unforgettable ride ! Soon almost all but the hardiest plant life dissapeared in an area which had seen no rain for almost a year. At least that is what the locals said.

Redrider, into and out of the valley.





You would not say SA's biggest river flows about ten clicks from here.



A rocky / silt section next to the Orange river dubbed "the bike breaker" after Allover and Redrider went down in the same spot.



Then onto the rocky plains.



We made for Steinkopf to refuel as we headed for Pella. Local transport.



If memory serves me correct this is Grootfontein.



Desolate, beautiful.



Again with no idea where to sleep for the night we ended up at Witbank, it had a camping site right on the banks of the Orange. What else do you need ?





Some food for the empty stomachs before crawling into the sleeping bags. I opted to pitch my tent after a scorpion was spotted, yeah yeah I'm a city slicker ok  ;D

Day 7 - Witbank to Riemvasmaak

The rising sun over the Orange made sure we had an early start to the day.



Allover had to leave as he had to be home before the weekend, the rest made for the little town of Pella.



The tracks zig zagged through the rocky outcrops, the only sound here was the distant thumping of the singles picking their way through the sparce landscape.



We then crossed one hell of a riverbed. It was easily about 50 m wide. This is were you want to practise your sand riding skills as not many things will get in your way here.



The rocky track continued to Pella but not before leading you through a spectacular pass before getting to the town itself.





The Roman Catholic Church at Pella



Some backround :

This mission station was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1814. It formed a sanctuary for Khoi San people driven from Namibia to South Africa.

In 1872 it was so dry that the inhabitants had no other choice but to abandon the place. The Roman Catholic Church re-opened the mission station in 1878. The old cathedral, surrounded by date palm trees, has a curiously Arabian atmosphere.

The cathedral was build by two missionaries who used an encyclopaedia as their building manual. It took them seven years to complete the building which resemble typical cathedrals from Europe during that time.

A spring supply the village with water. Surrounded by a wall, the area in the immediate vicinity of the spring forms a date orchard. Huge date palm trees are harvested by the inhabitants and sold by mail order to customers across South Africa.

The Museum at the mission station is worth a visit as it shows the history of the mission station including the original pulpit used in the cathedral.


We were given a brief history lesson of the Church. The two missionaries who built the Church came over from France and were buried inside the Church.



On the way to Pofadder for some fuel and food.



It was decided to overnight at Riemvasmaak after an elderly couple told us that it's worth a visit. They were not wrong, it was the perfect place to stopover. If you want peace and quiet this is the spot for you.





Hot water springs.

Day 8 - Riemvasmaak to Baberspan

From Riemvasmaak to Pretoria we had to cover 1055 km of tar. For obvious reasons no pics were taken. We covered around 650 km on this day making it to Baberspan were we slept. The N14 took us through Upington, Kakamas, Kuruman and Vryburg.

Day 9 - Baberspan back home

Close to Ventersdorp we had our only flat for the entire trip. Gforce had a rear wheel puncture which were fixed roadside.



The rest of the day consisted of the mind numbing N14 home but the memories and great riding of the trip made it all worth while. In all close to 3200 km were covered. No break downs and only one puncture. The XR's were fitted with racks which Runner made before the trip and they worked great the same can be said for my Dirt Bags setup. The pvc bag I bought from Krazy eyes not only proved to be waterproof but a must have. Thanks to Runner, Allover, Redrider and Gforce.

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading 

Wow awesome trip  ;D, Thanks for taking the trouble to post all those pics , they were kuhl

;D ;D ;D LOTS OF FUN,THE WAY TO GO , AWSOME PICS!!!!

digitaldan said:

Day 6 - Eksteenfontein to Witbank


If memory serves me correct this is Grootfontein.

Click to expand...

DD and gang

Awesome trip you did.

Know some of the routes you ride. Planning to go back and do the stretch from Klein Pella to Goodhouse some time in the future.

Psst the pic is Goodhouse not Grootfontein. If my memory service me correct.

Thumbs up report

Awesome report DD, looks like a definite one to plan for the future. Well done.. O0

Absolutely fantastic

What an amazing trip it must have been and as usual you do not disappoint when it comes to the photo's

I would love to see a pic / gps track of your route

Awesome
Thanks for sharing

Very cool - well done!

Wow wow wow. What a trip! Thanks DD  :thumleft:

Stunning trip you guys did there - and some really awesome pics. Thanks for sharing!
You must have really pissed off the members who have dial-up though  >

Excellent trip!

When was this exactly?
Last Saturday I came over Pakhuis Pass and 5 bikes was coming from Clanwilliam side (with no luggage). It was raining cats and dogs. Nice and muddy.

Bliksem Jammer ek kon dit nie maak nie :'( Hopelik volgende keer

"You must have really pissed off the members who have dial-up though"

The topic says 110 pics :