2020 - Big Red Pigs in Kenya

[RobLH]

Fantastic, thanks.

 

[BullSmit]

Thanks O!!!

Always a thrill to read your ride reports!

And if looks could kill, Panic you would have been dead on this trip!! He looks like he is about to get off and and bliksem you!!!!

 

[Berden]

Super, thanks for sharing,

Greetings,

Toine

 

[XTJoe]

One of my favorite reads with  stunning pics, was watching video late last night -serious smiles at the oddball comments

 

[Xpat]

Fck, I'm green with envy  :biggrin:

Let me try the stockmarket again, I need another sabatical. This time ideally permanent, to have appropriate amount of time to explore that side.

Great ride - I just wouldn't be keen on so many river crossings - hate those. Any concern about crocodillios when walking the rivers?

 

[Osadabwa]

[member=9492]Xpat[/member] - If you make your millions, save them up for July-August. It is definitely a much cooler time of year to hit those deserts. You remember the heat in Sibiloi I'm sure... Suguta's meant to be worse. 50 degrees if you don't go at the right time of year.

The river crossings were unprecedented. So many had water flowing in them it was nuts, especially this time of year. But it's clear that 2020 is just trying to fuck with us, so in a year things should be back to normal.

As for reptilian water lizzards munching us to death while splashing through the rivers... nah, not an issue. Most of those rivers are seasonal, so they don't keep crocodile populations. Those that do, the locals have properly beaten into submission. Don't forget, Kenya is fucked in many many ways. Livestock is taking over where wildlife used to be, so if you get bit by a crocodile, you should feel lucky. That said, after we were swimming in Lake Turkana a couple years back, I came home and found out some aid workers were doing the same and one got munched. So, maybe not lucky.

Cheers and karibu

 

[Zanie]

Thanks for all the beautiful pictures and fun story-telling. It looks like amazing riding country.

This feather, as long as my thigh, belonged to a Kory Bustard who was startled into flight at our approach. Biggest flying bird in Kenya (and in most places, I reckon). Tried to save the feather for my daughter, but it flew away.

It's a tie between the kori bustard (Africa) and great bustard (Eurasia) for the title of heaviest flying bird in the world, at a crazy 20 kg!

 

[Osadabwa]

[member=18641]Zanie[/member]

I knew the Kori Bustard was some kind of title... "Biggest flying bird" or near to it. It's a whopper alright. We see them all the time, but they usually opt to scurry behind a bush rather than actually fly away. At 20kg, I'm not surprised!

 

[sidetrack]

[member=18641]Zanie[/member]

I knew the Kori Bustard was some kind of title... "Biggest flying bird" or near to it. It's a whopper alright. We see them all the time, but they usually opt to scurry behind a bush rather than actually fly away. At 20kg, I'm not surprised!

20kg ! Had to Google that bird

 

[Osadabwa]

2020 has been disruptive, you could say. Months of lockdowns globally and economic turmoil. The globally popular Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride even had to change their format, encouraging everyone to go for a solo ride this year instead of toodling around in dapper mobs. So, this year’s Kenya DGR year was unofficial, and the organizers bear no responsibility if any of us keel over later. In fact, this was not the Kenya DGR at all, it was the Kenya “kinda” DGR. Caveat out of the way, on with the ride.

We met a Patient-P’s at 9:00AM, right on time and an hour early because the Karen contingent was taking their sweet time as ever. This was fine with us because it meant we could enjoy extra coffee and most of the bacon and eggs P made for us. Plus, it was gloomy and the longer we waited the better the weather might be. At last, the other guys arrived, and it was a motley crew… we had bikes of 4 makes, 5 models, 4 decades and all states of vintageness from the BSA Golden Flash, to the brand-spanking new Africa Twin. Again, this wasn’t a real DGR, so the rules were flexible.

Above: The bikes – XT500, XL250, BMW R100, Honda Arica Twin, BSA Golden Flash, and a Triumph Scrambler in the back

For the past four years we’ve made something of a mini-adventure out of the DGR, riding down to the sweltering bottom of the Great Rift Valley to the Magadi Sports Club. It’s a tradition we’ve enjoyed as it pits man and machine against the environment in a very Kenyan sort of way… the heat is insane and some of the hills are steep, giving the oldest bikes a run for their money. This year, however, Magadi is off-limits due to Covid fears so we decided to explore another side of Kenya. Rather than sweat our wheel nuts off in the valley, we’d ride north  into the coffee- and tea-covered hills below the Aberdares to Ndakaini Dam. The exact destination was utterly random. We just needed somewhere with beds, food and beers about 100km away from home. It turned out great.

Above: We crawled through Nariobi traffic into the nearby rolling hills.

Above: Patient P and Ugy had chosen our destination. It was my job to get us there. I’d picked us a route that was hardly ever straight, but almost totally tarred. The road network in the highlands is impressive, with lots of good tar roads and a zillion decent murram ones to choose from. You can go North and South very easily, but it’s much harder going East to West due to the many small river valleys coming off the Aberdares mountains.

Above: Ugy on his Golden Flash. That bike never fails to impress. She handled the hills and valleys with grace and ease and later she’d prove capable on some dirt as well.

Above: Stopping for a quick break somewhere in the eucalyptus and dust

We were making good time so we decided to stop somewhere for some nyama and and a cheeky mid-day beer. Not being remotely picky about these sorts of things, we pulled into the first dodgy joint we saw that had dead things hanging in the front window. We got ourselves a few medium-cold ones to wash down the ugali and beef and shot the breeze, enjoying being on the road.

Above: Don't worry, we're of age.

Above: Ah, White Cap. The refreshing choice.

After lunch, it was back on the bikes and higher into the hills. We had to loop south to find an East-West road to take us North again, but nobody was complaining. The roads were dry, the sun was shining, and we were enjoying the views. As we switch-backed and climbed up and around, we zoomed between vegetable plots and fields of tea and pineapple. Interspersed along the road would be a trading centre with agro-vet shops, petrol stations and markets catering for the farms around. It’s a prosperous part of the country that has enjoyed a lot of benefits over the years.

Above: Round we go

Above: My XT500 down in a verdant vegetable valley

Above: Stopping for petrol in a trading centre. 10 year old me would have loved this guys paint job.

Above: The higher we went, the more pronounced the terrain

Above: One of dozens of little stream crossings coming down from the Aberdares

Above: A hillside of tea and pineapple. I’m a little worried about the appearance of pineapple here… means that tea isn’t as profitable as it once was. Pineapple is a pretty harsh crop for soil health and requires a fair amount of spraying which in Kenya is uncontrolled and winds up in water sources. Alas.

Above: A bit higher up, this stream might be stocked with trout

Around four PM we arrived at the Ndakaini Dam Resort, put our gear in the “spacious accommodation” and began enjoying a new round of White Caps. The place was typical in many respects, but located on exceptional grounds with nice views over the reservoir. When the sun went down, it got positively chilly and we all donned our warmest kit and crowded around the fire they prepared for us. We chowed down and shot the breeze late into the evening, but once the Caol Isla single malt was done, we called it a night.

Above: Ndakaini Dam Resort

Above: The reservoir… beautiful, clear water… but no swimming allowed. It’s the water source for Nairobi so it’s prohibited. Boats are okay and agricultural runoff is fine, however.

Above: Thumbs up for the glass-enclosed veranda and wood stove.

Thankfully, Kenya still has a 9pm curfew, so we could say one thing for the Ndakaini Dam Resort... it was quiet.

Tomorrow, back home.

 

[Osadabwa]

Amazingly, the following day brought no hangovers and apart from a lot of grumbling about the firmness of beds and coldness of the showers, everyone was in great spirits. Breakfast was served on time and we were on the bikes BEFORE our advertised departure time, which is simply unheard of. I was keen to get moving because I was pretty sure the return track I’d planned would be slow, and we had been invited to a braai back in Tigoni that I didn’t want to be late for. So, off we went, with me nearly being taken out in the first half kilometre by a matatu overtaking another matatu on a blind corner. Good morning Africa!

Above: Only two of us got into the proper DGR spirit this year… we’ll do better next time!

To my surprise, the road I was sure would be rough and slow was tarmac in places and nicely groomed murram everywhere else. The bikes rolled through it in no time. We stopped a few times to take in the view of rolling tea fields and admire our bikes in the morning light, but then pressed on through the Gatamaiyo forest.

Above: Blue skies, green blanket of tea

Above: Ugy and my XT pose for photos

Above: the group selfie

Above: Nice riding all morning

Above: Bikes coming around

Above: Triumph on the prowl

Above: XT in the sun

Above: Tea, tea, tea!

Above: In Kenyatta’s tea estate, carved blatantly (andillegally, if you believe there is such a thing as law) out of the forest years ago. It’s good to be king.

Above: A nice lineup of bikes. All shapes, sizes, ages and uses.

Above: Into Gatamaiyo forest. Lots of construction on the road. Wonder if they’re planning a 4-laner.

We were making very good time and I was wondering how to extend the ride so we wouldn’t arrive too early to our bbq. At a petrol stop, I hatched the idea of taking a dirt road from the flyover down to Longonot and then ride the MaiMahieu escarpment road up to Limuru. Ugy’s Golden Flash was the big unknown, but he immediately said we should go for it. So, after replacing the XL250’s exhaust mount bolt which decided to abandon us, we were off on an unscheduled detour.

Above: It’s good to be prepared. Replacing the XL’s lost bolt

Above: Highlands woodworking in faded Kikuyu Blue

As with the rest of the ride, I was surprised to find that the track I planned was in fine nick. The road seemed to have been freshly repaired and all the bikes, the BSA included had no trouble bouncing down to Longonot. Once on the tar, it was as straight shot to the Milano lookout point on the edge of the escarpment. A few of us waited there a bit for the others to sort out a chain and brake issue on the XL, but in no time we were back in a group and dodging rolling death up the escarpment road.

Above: The BSA on the well-laid murram

Above: Ugy: “Isn’t this ridiculous?” Yeah, man, it’s Kenya!

Above: The two dapperest guys on the ride pose with the oldest bike and an extinct volcano.

Above: Down on the MaiMahieu road, I finally stopped to get a photo of this sign. I mean, I’m glad to hear that this sub-location is ODF, but what’s that mean for the rest of the country?

Above: At the Milano enjoying a Coke which had to be found somewhere else because despite ample signage to the contrary, they were Coke-less.

Above: Ugy, looking a tad more weathered than earlier in the day

Back in a group again, we fought our way up the rest of the escarpment road, over to Limuru and out to our day’s destination: a beautiful 1940’s farm manager’s house lovingly restored and occupied by a friend of the Kenyan DGR who sponsored the braai. We parked the bikes under a massive old Jacaranda tree on the lawn and were promptly handed cold Carlsberg’s. We killed the remainder of the afternoon shooting the breeze and dining on a fantastic spread of beef and the farm’s own lamb.

Above: Bikes, ridgebacks and at the big old Jacaranda

Above: A fairytale house in the tea estates

Above: Braai scenes

Above: The route, counter clockwise from Nairobi

It was another great ride on the old bikes. I suspect that when the DGR is back on in coming years, the Kenyan contingent will vote to stay in tea country rather than return to the valley of death, and if we have a sponsored bbq at the end of it, it’ll be hard to argue!

Thanks to everyone who participated, our gracious host and chef, and to those who donated this year!

Cheers

 

[Dacquiri]

Some more great ride reports! Thanks Osadabwa.  That Sugata Valley trip looks amazing. Looking forward to the next installment. 

 

[Black_Hawk]

I Agree, another awesome report as always. Thanks for sharing  :thumleft:

 

[Osadabwa]

A combination of a million little things has kept us from going on many long rides this year. Mostly, I guess it can be chalked up to Covid, but I’ve also been trying to kickstart a new business and it’s been two steps forward, one step back, keeping me in town whether I need to be or not. Nevertheless, I have been riding. Plenty of day-trips on my own down to the Great Rift Valley to climb Mt. Longonot for a bit of cross-training, and one or two with the boys as well. So, I’m going to smoosh all those day rides into one. Once I would have done a writeup on each individually, but I’m getting lazy and all of this area has been well and truly documented elsewhere.

Above: Morning out with Panic. Our usual first-stop point within view of a broody Ngong Hills and the new tar road coming down.

Above: We’d taken off down to Kisimit Valley to ride some rocks. Had to open and shut a few Masai gates. Plan was to see if we could find a route out upstream.

Above: After some bushwhacking, the walls of the valley and the sheer dropoff finally turned us back. I walked up a ways from this pic and found stones rolling right into the washout.

Above: So we headed out the usual way. We took an alternative route, away from the pipe, through some fesh and out the bottom.

Above: Staying on the East side of the water, enjoying a bit of shade.

Above: The stream down to a trickle.

Another day, I headed out solo to climb Longonot as I was doing last year in preparation for a trip down to Oldonyo Lengai, the Mountain of God in Tanzania. We hoped we’d be back there this year to finish what we started, but alas. Since Covid shut borders between countries and then I took Wry out in August and separated his shoulder, it wasn’t meant to be. I still love hiking Longonot though. The gate is just an hour from my front door on tar down the escarpment road, weaving around lorries like a madman. Two and a half hours of hiking alone on the hill and another hour and a half home taking the valley dirt roads. Good workout for me.

Above: The hiking path at its flattest on Longonot

Above: The cloud cover kept it mercifully cool

Above: After the ride, I decided to explore a track heading up Paraglider Hill. I spotted it from Longonot (mtn in the distance)

Above: I feel like only a couple of years ago there were not any fields on this hillside… the human flood splashes along

Above: Another day after Longonot, a rip through the valley along the SGR and back to “Drips” for some chips and beer before heading home.

Then a few days of half-assing it around.

Above: One afternoon, passed by Neb’s place for a cup of tea. The buggar gave me the Grumpy old Man cup…

Above: Another just went for a climb and rip.

Above: Longonot in the morning

Above: Tipping my fisherman’s hat to the ladies. (Aside, that hat was bought 18 years ago in N. Namibia at a little Himba shop. Been going strong ever since).

Panic has been fixing up his XR’s suspension. For the past 5 years, we’ve all been pleased as punch with our Pigs handling on the rough desert/rock roads we ride, but there’s always a way to make it better. Panic, being an actual mechanic, got the internet’s Wayback Machine to take him to Borynack’s old XRR setup pages. From there, he learned to re-shim and re-valve his forks and shock as well, so after he was done tweaking, we went out for a braap to test. Verdict: Magic carpet ride!

Above: The new railway with an actual train on it. But given the billions of USD it cost, and the paltry number of containers they transport, it’ll never pay for itself. Sorry, Kenya... you've been screwed.

Above: Morning pitstop under a flawless sky

Above: Selfie at the Kedong Investment Hotel for the usual mandazi and chai... nice cool morning... no sweat

Above: Then on to the testing. Pigs do fly!

Then one day we were graced with the presence of our newest Pig rider: Aladdin de Braaap. He’s a youngster, and full of piss and vinegar. I teased and cajoled him until he relented to join us on a ride, but he first had to go out and run the spine of the Ngong hills both directions! So by the time we met up with the guy, he’d already done more exercise than Panic has in the past month. We offered up a sampler of the Valley’s good stuff. Started down some goat paths, zipped tar down to the first entrance to the Butt Brothers’ valley and back up the Oltepesi road where de Braaap found out how useless HD tubes are for stopping pinch flats. He’s a fast rider and I reckon he’ll have to be following Panic’s lead soon to re-valve and re-shim his forks or this may be a common occurrence! Also, a higher-profile ultra-stiff-sidewall tire is a must out here.

Above: Aladdin (in the mzungu Afro and bellbottoms) and Panic at the start

Above: Surprisingly, we saw a lot of fauna. Gerenuk, giraffe, gazelles, ostrich, zebra… hardy creatures to still be kicking out there.

Above: Panic out in the flats, Esakut behind

Above: Alladin’s pinch flat stop. The rocky sections before this spot are treacherous and fast. Fantastic riding, but hard on gear! He’ll have to work on his forks before he has a Magic Carpet of his own.

It's looking like there might not be much more to report for the year. Can't wait till 2020 is hindsight!

:snorting:

 

[Osadabwa]

Forgot to include this video Panic and I made showing fellow XRR riders how to setup their forks like Borynack suggested back in the day.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/PiMKs7D2UNM[/youtube]
:snorting:

 

[Oubones]

Good to see you got some riding in! :thumleft:
I would love to get to your side one day!
At least I go to Nam and the Richtersveld a bit, albeit in a cage ( my work bakkie is a dbl cab Unimog)  :thumleft: eepwall:
That youngster is going to have his work cut out to keep up with you! ot:

 

[Osadabwa]

Another week, another Longonot ride and hike. This time, I was feeling relatively fit and set off at a nice pace up the flank of the crater. At the crater’s rim a guy that was still putting on his shoes in the parking lot when I left passed me at a breathless jog. Insulting as that was for my ego, it gave me a motivational boost and I jogged the crater rim as well, properly knackering my middle-aged ass. Honestly, if you want to feel out of shape and inferior, go running with some Kenyans.

Above: Paraphernalia at the Longonot gate and yours truly at the summit mid-jog… kind of looks like I’m gonna die…

But getting to the bottom I found I still had the energy to go hit the dirt, so I donned my riding kit and stowed my sweaty hiking stuff and blasted out, taking a small track I’d never seen before that linked two of the main roads in the valley. Take that, Mr. Fitness, and enjoy driving home in your cage!

Above: Less than a decade ago there would be no power lines in this pic. Kenya’s developing fast and the Kedong valley is taking the brunt of it with a new tar road, power lines, the SGR and all the charcoal burning, garbage tossing muppets that come with it.

Above: My Piggie at a dead-end

Merry Christmas everyone, and merry Christmas to my Piggie who finally got a new handlebar after possibly years of the old one being bent. You can suffer for ages with something like that, but it doesn’t make any sense to do so. Straight bars are so much nicer!

Above: New Pro Taper Pastrana high bar to replace the old, bent one

For New Years, my wife and kids took off to the beach without me. I needed to be home to be close to work. It’s one of those things where you absolutely have to be there half day each day or the whole thing breaks, so I was stuck. Fortunately, a couple of neighbours that Covid have brought closer (they were our bubble this year) were keen for an idea I hatched: Let’s set up a camp on Mt. Suswa! I’d ride up there after work and then commute back and forth through the valley each day while they went on hikes and chilled around the camp. Perfect compromise!

Above: Me ready for a 2-night camping trip up to Mt. Suswa… LOL, JK, etc…

Actually, I did pack all that stuff including a real pillow and a proper foam safari bed roll, but I let the neighbours carry it up for me in their Defender! That way I could be lean and mean and ride like a bastard, which I did. First, up to work for the afternoon in the tea fields of Tigoni, a bite in the little shop on the road and then a quick tar rip to the nearest valley descent.

Above: Tea fields are always nice. Really great to be working in this area instead of being stuck in Nairobi behind a computer screen... One day I’ll bring a proper camera and zoom into the dip in the valley where the Nairobi city skyline is framed perfectly.

Above: At the petrol-station fruit shop. They serve up a pretty decent samosa for $0.50 and have ice cubes for your Coke. Now that’s service!

At the descent, which I last did many years ago and which used to be in a total state of disrepair, Mt. Suswa awaits in the distance. I’d received a message that the crew was already installed at the campsite and the beers were chilled, so I glued the throttle back and crashed my way over there, hammering over the stones.

Above: Follow the arrow for the campsite and cold beers. This pic shows you a good cross-section of the changes that have happened in the last 10 years in the Kedong. You can see the huge earthworks supporting the new railroad, in the distance the dust coming up is for a new tar road soon to be complete, and the road I’m on used to be little more than a goat path.

Above: Turn your shoulder a bit to the right, past the Euphorbia in bloom and you can see Mt. Longonot peaking out of the valley in the distance. All of this is my playground.

Above: Ok, let’s go.

The ride is great. Starts out in rocks, rocks and more rocks, descending the escarpment. At the SGR, I stopped to chat with the armed guys guarding the railway line - who ogled the bike with appropriate reverence - before speeding on through some sandy washes and goat paths until I crapped out onto the new tar road. Construction zones are always insane in Africa… you have to ride through clouds of dust through loose and rocky side-paths without being run over by a dump truck or motorpatrol. At last, it kicked me out at the feshy end of the construction zone, right at the turnoff to Suswa. From there it was a volcanic blast all the way to the inner crater rim and the cold beer waiting. Took under an hour from the viewpoint shots above.

Above: I arrived and created a huge fesh storm

Above: Dust devils are a regular feature down here. Love ‘em.

Above: Inside the outer rim of the crater on the way to the inner edge and campsite.

Above: Arrival! After a camp shower, I grabbed a cold beer from the cooler and sat on my big ass camp chair with my friends. Brilliant!

Above: The camp. My little tent and red bike accompanied by the huge Defender with roof tent and coolers of food and equipment. Unusual for me to have a support crew but I didn’t mind at all!

Above: Such a fantastic place…

Digging around in the boxes, I discovered the ladies had brought not only beers but also Flor de Cana rum. I’ve grown quite fond of that tasty beverage after being introduced to it by my friend Colobus up in the North several years ago (even if he was a bit stingy with the portions!) and then through reintroduction during this long 2020 Covid nightmare around fires in back gardens all year long. Good times indeed.

Above: Starting to feel like a party!

Above: The ladies whipped up a wicked meal and we all settled in by a roaring fire on the crater’s edge to watch the moon rise.

Above: Amateur night cellphone photography

Following morning I was a bit rough around the edges. The rum is tasty, very tasty, but also has a bite! While the ladies prepared to go for a hike up to the crater rim peak, I packed up my things and began my commute down the volcano, through the construction, back up the goat paths and rocky tracks and into the tea again.

Above: My red girl on the way off Suswa with Longonot in the distance and a beautiful clear sky above

Above: Stopped in Brackenhurst in Tigoni for a coffee to clear my head… I rode up there in a bit of a fog if I’m honest…

So half way through my day, I get a call from my friends on the mountain… there’s been an accident. One of them slipped and hurt their leg badly. Can’t walk, etc. and they’re still high on the mountain wondering what to do. I finish up and start racing back up to see how I can help out. Messages coming through indicate a helicopter might be on its way, which was good news but there was rain on the horizon…

Above: Almost back to the camp, seeing some rain out there which might complicate rescue a bit

Back at the camp, I get a message to pack up the Land Rover’s roof tent. A guy on a boda boda pitched up with the key and directed me to where he’d left the party. Sure enough as we were arriving, here comes the chopper. It was a bit comical and surreal… huge crowd of onlookers, phones out recording, no sense of personal space etc… on the floor is my friend being tended to by a very serious AMREF responder who whacks an IV in my friend’s arm and proceeds to strap her into one of those full-body immobility stretchers as if she’d broken her back (so many straps!), and then recruits 6 Masai guys to lug her in a flurry of vowels and normally incongruous syllables over to the helicopter. Then before you knew it, she was airborne and we were on our way back to the camp.

Above: Like something out of an action movie

Above: Masaai in their shukas, but also on smart phones… mzungu on the ground with a chopper in the distance… you know, the usual.

Above: So pleased to see that crazy looking woman and her “Can’t Ban THESE Guns” T-shirt in amongst the throng

Above: Driving back at golden hour after a little rain… Africa is fantastic

Above: Making sure everything’s okay with the patient, having a few drinks before calling it a night.

December 31, 2020. The last day of the longest year I can remember. It sure has had its share of ups and downs, highs and lows. Still, I am optimistic heading into the new year. Rain on the horizon meant I’d get wet, but the valley would be greener soon… I think that’s a metaphor. Things are still happening. Friendships this year have grown. Family’s healthy. Bike’s as beautiful as ever. I’ll probably be too busy to ride as much as I have in the past years, but I’m looking forward to 2021 with optimism!

Above: Looking into 2021

So ride on, bikers and see you next year!

:snorting:

 

[roxenz]

Great RR! Been 22 years since I've been in that area.

That dog is eyeballing that Savannah with intent! :imaposer:

 

[Osadabwa]

Well, that's 2020 done and dusted. I always make a calendar for the Pig riders here to inspire us with pics for the year ahead. This year, I got behind, so I decided to start the calendar in February 2021 and end it in January 2022. See you next year folks!

:snorting:

 

[M3X3Z3]

That is one truly awesome professional grade calendar you got there, Osadabs,  :thumleft: with the most picturesque pictures  :drif:
That it fully features Honda XRR's puts up there it in a league of its own