Bessie
Pack Dog
mmmm....
8615KM, 5 COUNTRIES IN 25 DAYS, (RR COMPLETE!)
- Thread starter hennielowe
- Start date
mmmm....
hennielowe
Race Dog
tx will do :ricky:
hennielowe
Race Dog
The sunsets was just out of this world, you just have to be there to fully appreciate it!
Spore
Pack Dog
A genuine fantastic RR!! Not only the beautiful pics but also the manner in which expression is given to your wonderful experiences - where words obviously cannot capture all ...! Thanks for all the effort in putting this together - much appreciated! :thumleft:
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 16,097
- Reaction score
- 4,303
- Location
- Bothasig , Cape Town
- Bike
- Honda CRF-1000L Africa Twin
Stunning stuff man.. you captured some awesome photos there.. amazing ! I really like the route you are taking as well..
keep it coming
Muz
keep it coming
Muz
![Professional First Aid Kit, Trauma First Aid Kit with Labelled Compartments Molle System for Car, Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Traveling, and Cycling[New Upgrade]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41uCkwNilAL._SL500_.jpg)
hennielowe
Race Dog
Thanks guys, we sifted 7500 photos to only 419, and it is still a mission!! :lamer:
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 20:
We decided to completely change our way back to SA. The plan seemed a bit too much around riding tar and cities and we had so many nice things and got used to the offroad and the bushes. So we decided to go down via Richersveld and sendelins drift (not sure about the spelling). On the east coast of SA anyways. It's apparently amazing and I trust Hennie knows the region very well.
Therefore we wanted to get down as quick as possible so we planned to leave early and give it a push, taking it city after city, aiming for marienthal, hopefully Keetmanshoop. we would stop anywhere as soon as we couldn't anymore.
So, we woke up at 5am to pack in quickly, have breakfast and aim to leave around 6am. We managed to be on the road just past 6am at sunrise with a 20degrees temperature. We were a bit tense, watching out for boks, especially kudus, and warthogs. We saw plenty of warthogs (facocheres) and one bok. We were aiming for one city after the other: Outjo, Okahandja, Windhoek, Marienthal, Keetmanshoop. We started very well with a 144km ride. We carried on and surprised ourselves being in the capital a couple of minutes short of 11am. We pushed further and aimed for a late lunch in Marienthal. We often did around 150km without a break. This leaves you with a lot of thinking time which I tried to avoid as I don't really want to think about what's next. The landscapes were superb, our muscles got stiff, our bums really sore. To fight monkey bum and cramps, we used the 60km limit restrictions to stand and stretch on the bikes.
We managed to be in Marienthal by 2pm, respecting the speed limits. We stopped to fill the tanks in and had a burger at Wimpy's, the famous SA burger chain. The last push was going to be long as the bikers bodies were aching. By then it was 38degrees. The wind was blowing hard during the last 230km. I had to hold the bike sideways to compensate for the eastern winds and get shaken up whenever we crossed big trucks, which was quite often. The air was hot and dry and we were quite happy to arrive at the hotel. We had a dip at the pool and will have some food and drinks at the bar as we are quite nackered after riding 890km and 11h+. We had a look a the pics of yesterday and they are fantastic.
Tomorrow, we leave for the SA border and should camp in Namibia along the orange river for practical currency problems. Indeed, we though USD would be accepted everywhere but in southern africa, the rand is king. We have close to 400km to do with some dirt road which am looking forward to.
Tomorrow we are waking up late, around 7am.
We decided to completely change our way back to SA. The plan seemed a bit too much around riding tar and cities and we had so many nice things and got used to the offroad and the bushes. So we decided to go down via Richersveld and sendelins drift (not sure about the spelling). On the east coast of SA anyways. It's apparently amazing and I trust Hennie knows the region very well.
Therefore we wanted to get down as quick as possible so we planned to leave early and give it a push, taking it city after city, aiming for marienthal, hopefully Keetmanshoop. we would stop anywhere as soon as we couldn't anymore.
So, we woke up at 5am to pack in quickly, have breakfast and aim to leave around 6am. We managed to be on the road just past 6am at sunrise with a 20degrees temperature. We were a bit tense, watching out for boks, especially kudus, and warthogs. We saw plenty of warthogs (facocheres) and one bok. We were aiming for one city after the other: Outjo, Okahandja, Windhoek, Marienthal, Keetmanshoop. We started very well with a 144km ride. We carried on and surprised ourselves being in the capital a couple of minutes short of 11am. We pushed further and aimed for a late lunch in Marienthal. We often did around 150km without a break. This leaves you with a lot of thinking time which I tried to avoid as I don't really want to think about what's next. The landscapes were superb, our muscles got stiff, our bums really sore. To fight monkey bum and cramps, we used the 60km limit restrictions to stand and stretch on the bikes.
We managed to be in Marienthal by 2pm, respecting the speed limits. We stopped to fill the tanks in and had a burger at Wimpy's, the famous SA burger chain. The last push was going to be long as the bikers bodies were aching. By then it was 38degrees. The wind was blowing hard during the last 230km. I had to hold the bike sideways to compensate for the eastern winds and get shaken up whenever we crossed big trucks, which was quite often. The air was hot and dry and we were quite happy to arrive at the hotel. We had a dip at the pool and will have some food and drinks at the bar as we are quite nackered after riding 890km and 11h+. We had a look a the pics of yesterday and they are fantastic.
Tomorrow, we leave for the SA border and should camp in Namibia along the orange river for practical currency problems. Indeed, we though USD would be accepted everywhere but in southern africa, the rand is king. We have close to 400km to do with some dirt road which am looking forward to.
Tomorrow we are waking up late, around 7am.
hennielowe
Race Dog
KAN JULLE DIE GEMSBOK SIEN IN DIE FOTO?
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 21:
This morning I woke up at 6am and went to check emails till 7.30. The others woke up at 8am after a long evening of uploading the pics. We had breakfast, filled the tanks and left.
After a big push yesterday we had a quieter day. It would be 110km of tar from Keetmanshoop to Goabeb. The scenery was very, very nice: hills, mountains etc.
There we stopped at an empty petrol station, one of the many, to refill the Harley from the spare jericane. It's a very small village that looks deserted and we only saw a dog and a goat. Then we left for 131km of dirt road, gravel and dust. I said the landscape was nice yesterday but holly sh*t ! Today was absolutely stunning !!! We were in the richtersveld on the "kijk in die pot" road. The scenery was breathtaking. The road was sometimes straight, sometimes going up and down, sometimes turning left and right. At top of the hills we could enjoy the view on the fields. In the fields, we were surrounded by beautiful mountains. We saw boks, wild donkey at the top of the ridge. The sharp soreness in my wrist was back for some time on the dirt road. It disappeared when we drove faster as you then fly over the bumps and when we drove on tar.
Suddenly Hennie accelerated over 2km up to 100+km/h for no reason, like a horse that had just been stunk by a bee. For no reason but one, the pleasure of riding. I followed, Abri did too. Hennie finally realized he hadn't his riding jacket on. The ride was absolutely amazing, the landscape really stunning. We took plenty of pics for Hennie's new website banners. It's difficult to describe how beautiful it was.
The mountains were full of "kokerbooms", a sort of cactus tree, indigenous to this region. You don't have this tree anywhere else in the world. The rivers crossing the road were empty as they always have been on this trip with the exception of around the Okavango.
Then we did another 75km of tar to arrive to Rosh Pinah. This is a diamond "city". We saw first a shaks village where the poor workers live. This region has only been opened a bit more than a year ago. This used to be a restricted diamond area and is still very much controlled. We left for another 17km of dirt to arrive past the namibian border post at the orange river.
Tomorrow, we'll have to go back to the border post and put the bikes on a cable ferry to cross the 25m of water to the south african soil.
We are camping by the river, in the wild. We managed our way through the bush with a machete to a sand patch along the river. It's like camping on the beach. We still have to look for snakes, scorpions and other crowling stuff but we have also seen baboons and monkeys can come anytime. Therefore we need to pack all food away.
After seeing 32degrees today, we have 22 degrees and had to put my jersey. I guess I'm used to the 35-38 degrees we had in the past days. We went to the river bed to get some stones to put around the fire. There are apparently diamonds around and it is likely to find some. I digged a bit but gave up quickly. It is illegal anyways.
As we were setting up the fire, we had a fantastic full moon rise right in front of us from beyond the mountains on the other side of the river. We took pictures of the magic moment. We are now preparing dinner with the moonlight. Potatos and carrots are in foil in the fire, ostrich steak and lamb shops are ready. We are eating under the full moon that which is so bright we don't need any other light.
This morning I woke up at 6am and went to check emails till 7.30. The others woke up at 8am after a long evening of uploading the pics. We had breakfast, filled the tanks and left.
After a big push yesterday we had a quieter day. It would be 110km of tar from Keetmanshoop to Goabeb. The scenery was very, very nice: hills, mountains etc.
There we stopped at an empty petrol station, one of the many, to refill the Harley from the spare jericane. It's a very small village that looks deserted and we only saw a dog and a goat. Then we left for 131km of dirt road, gravel and dust. I said the landscape was nice yesterday but holly sh*t ! Today was absolutely stunning !!! We were in the richtersveld on the "kijk in die pot" road. The scenery was breathtaking. The road was sometimes straight, sometimes going up and down, sometimes turning left and right. At top of the hills we could enjoy the view on the fields. In the fields, we were surrounded by beautiful mountains. We saw boks, wild donkey at the top of the ridge. The sharp soreness in my wrist was back for some time on the dirt road. It disappeared when we drove faster as you then fly over the bumps and when we drove on tar.
Suddenly Hennie accelerated over 2km up to 100+km/h for no reason, like a horse that had just been stunk by a bee. For no reason but one, the pleasure of riding. I followed, Abri did too. Hennie finally realized he hadn't his riding jacket on. The ride was absolutely amazing, the landscape really stunning. We took plenty of pics for Hennie's new website banners. It's difficult to describe how beautiful it was.
The mountains were full of "kokerbooms", a sort of cactus tree, indigenous to this region. You don't have this tree anywhere else in the world. The rivers crossing the road were empty as they always have been on this trip with the exception of around the Okavango.
Then we did another 75km of tar to arrive to Rosh Pinah. This is a diamond "city". We saw first a shaks village where the poor workers live. This region has only been opened a bit more than a year ago. This used to be a restricted diamond area and is still very much controlled. We left for another 17km of dirt to arrive past the namibian border post at the orange river.
Tomorrow, we'll have to go back to the border post and put the bikes on a cable ferry to cross the 25m of water to the south african soil.
We are camping by the river, in the wild. We managed our way through the bush with a machete to a sand patch along the river. It's like camping on the beach. We still have to look for snakes, scorpions and other crowling stuff but we have also seen baboons and monkeys can come anytime. Therefore we need to pack all food away.
After seeing 32degrees today, we have 22 degrees and had to put my jersey. I guess I'm used to the 35-38 degrees we had in the past days. We went to the river bed to get some stones to put around the fire. There are apparently diamonds around and it is likely to find some. I digged a bit but gave up quickly. It is illegal anyways.
As we were setting up the fire, we had a fantastic full moon rise right in front of us from beyond the mountains on the other side of the river. We took pictures of the magic moment. We are now preparing dinner with the moonlight. Potatos and carrots are in foil in the fire, ostrich steak and lamb shops are ready. We are eating under the full moon that which is so bright we don't need any other light.
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 22:
What to say about last night. We had our first fight in the camp... After a couple of glasses, we needed more wood for the fire and Hennie thought one of the trees had given him a bad look. Therefore he smashed that tree down. Nevertheless the tree wouldn't go down without a fight. We had a magnificent fight, the holes in Abri's tent are a clear testimony of this.
The sun was hot and at 7am I decided to leave my tent which had turned into a sauna. I put my stretcher behind a bush to sleep for 1 more hour. That is what the tradition is about every morning. Abri on the phone, Hennie snoring and me trying to sleep despite it all.
We then crossed the Namibian border, put the bikes and bakkie on the ferry and we were finally in SA ! Hennie kneeled down to kiss the SA ground just as the pope does. We went through the SA border after a bit of confusion about my entry stamp in Joburg. We then left for a dirt road along the river and Namibian border. That road was horrific for the 20 fist km. Rocky, bumpy, dirty. It is surrounded by diamond mines.
We then entered the Richterveld. The road got better and I actually really enjoyed it. After 10km, we were arrested by 4 police cars surrounding us from both sides. Someone at the border had probably warned them we were there. They asked for the passport, this is clearly a very sensitive area and the road was open to public only a year ago.
I had a few close calls. There were sand massive and deep sand patches and gravel. The bike is controlled by the rear wheel and it's even more true on these obstacles. You close the throttle, you go down for sure. It's easier to manage when you go faster but you have to compromise between less probability to fall but a potential harder fall.
The last 40km on dirt were a physical challenge as the wind was blowing like hell. We had sand storms we could barely see through. The wind was blowing in my helmet and if it hadn't been attached it would have been back over the river in Namibia in no time. Usually I'd stand on the bike to lower my center of gravity (yes this is no mistake) and gain stability but the wind was blowing so hard that it was't possible to keep standing. In dirt road you try to keep a lane where there is a bit of grip. In between the lanes, gravel and sand are accumulated which makes it a line you don't want to cross to often. Due to the wind we were thrown from one lane to the other. We had to fight the elements, incline the bikes towards the wind to compensate and try to maintain our line. Twice I had to do emergency brakes as my bike went all directions in the sand, so I needed to slow down big time. It was a struggle but I loved it.
Then we got to a mine entrance and left for 90km of tar. The wind was still blowing but from right to left this time. We did it in one go. A small tree was blown hard across the road and I rid over it with my front wheel and it hit my left boot. Good thing the trunk didn't get into the wheel. Judging to Hennie's face this had been a moment of high stress.
We arrived in Port Nolloth, a diamond village on the coast. The sky is bright blue but it is 23 degrees as the wind is strong. In the village, I had a big fright with a man crossing the road without looking running from behind a parked car. I piled on the breaks. We then ate in a pizzeria where we met a diamond diver who was meeting up a friend. They left for the kitchen, probably to ceal a deal under the table.
We are now in a private house we rented for the night. The house is on the beach, right on the beach. It couldn't be nicer. We have really been lucky during this trip with the weather, the experiences and the places. We have the sun setting on the sea just behind a palmtree. After a delightful shower, am sitting outside in clean clothes, with my eyes closed, listening to the wind in the tree, the waves breaking and the sun in my face.
What to say about last night. We had our first fight in the camp... After a couple of glasses, we needed more wood for the fire and Hennie thought one of the trees had given him a bad look. Therefore he smashed that tree down. Nevertheless the tree wouldn't go down without a fight. We had a magnificent fight, the holes in Abri's tent are a clear testimony of this.
The sun was hot and at 7am I decided to leave my tent which had turned into a sauna. I put my stretcher behind a bush to sleep for 1 more hour. That is what the tradition is about every morning. Abri on the phone, Hennie snoring and me trying to sleep despite it all.
We then crossed the Namibian border, put the bikes and bakkie on the ferry and we were finally in SA ! Hennie kneeled down to kiss the SA ground just as the pope does. We went through the SA border after a bit of confusion about my entry stamp in Joburg. We then left for a dirt road along the river and Namibian border. That road was horrific for the 20 fist km. Rocky, bumpy, dirty. It is surrounded by diamond mines.
We then entered the Richterveld. The road got better and I actually really enjoyed it. After 10km, we were arrested by 4 police cars surrounding us from both sides. Someone at the border had probably warned them we were there. They asked for the passport, this is clearly a very sensitive area and the road was open to public only a year ago.
I had a few close calls. There were sand massive and deep sand patches and gravel. The bike is controlled by the rear wheel and it's even more true on these obstacles. You close the throttle, you go down for sure. It's easier to manage when you go faster but you have to compromise between less probability to fall but a potential harder fall.
The last 40km on dirt were a physical challenge as the wind was blowing like hell. We had sand storms we could barely see through. The wind was blowing in my helmet and if it hadn't been attached it would have been back over the river in Namibia in no time. Usually I'd stand on the bike to lower my center of gravity (yes this is no mistake) and gain stability but the wind was blowing so hard that it was't possible to keep standing. In dirt road you try to keep a lane where there is a bit of grip. In between the lanes, gravel and sand are accumulated which makes it a line you don't want to cross to often. Due to the wind we were thrown from one lane to the other. We had to fight the elements, incline the bikes towards the wind to compensate and try to maintain our line. Twice I had to do emergency brakes as my bike went all directions in the sand, so I needed to slow down big time. It was a struggle but I loved it.
Then we got to a mine entrance and left for 90km of tar. The wind was still blowing but from right to left this time. We did it in one go. A small tree was blown hard across the road and I rid over it with my front wheel and it hit my left boot. Good thing the trunk didn't get into the wheel. Judging to Hennie's face this had been a moment of high stress.
We arrived in Port Nolloth, a diamond village on the coast. The sky is bright blue but it is 23 degrees as the wind is strong. In the village, I had a big fright with a man crossing the road without looking running from behind a parked car. I piled on the breaks. We then ate in a pizzeria where we met a diamond diver who was meeting up a friend. They left for the kitchen, probably to ceal a deal under the table.
We are now in a private house we rented for the night. The house is on the beach, right on the beach. It couldn't be nicer. We have really been lucky during this trip with the weather, the experiences and the places. We have the sun setting on the sea just behind a palmtree. After a delightful shower, am sitting outside in clean clothes, with my eyes closed, listening to the wind in the tree, the waves breaking and the sun in my face.
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 23
We rode to Strandfontein today, all tar. The wind was not our friend, lazy day today but a great ride!!
Taking a break that evening in Doringbay
Abrie as we know him;
We rode to Strandfontein today, all tar. The wind was not our friend, lazy day today but a great ride!!
Taking a break that evening in Doringbay
Abrie as we know him;
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 24
We took a very nice ride along the coast to Laaiplek, some very nice dirt riding.
Fabian reflecting on the past 23 days of riding
We took a very nice ride along the coast to Laaiplek, some very nice dirt riding.
Fabian reflecting on the past 23 days of riding
hennielowe
Race Dog
Day 25
Laaipek back to Worcester 8615 km no problems, not even a flat tyre!!!
We were blessed, thanks guys, it was great sharing this with you and it was a epic trip!!
Laaipek back to Worcester 8615 km no problems, not even a flat tyre!!!
We were blessed, thanks guys, it was great sharing this with you and it was a epic trip!!
What an amazing trip you guys had - loved every minute of it! :thumleft:
hennielowe
Race Dog
letsgofishing said:
THANKS :ricky:
MILADY
Pack Dog
- Joined
- May 6, 2009
- Messages
- 196
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Robertson
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
Ek was bevoorreg om di RR te ontvang van Fabian en was lekker om dit te kon lees terwyl julle op die trip was en geweet waar julle is of was, en het darem gehelp met die verlange.
Eerste paar dae se RR was in Frans en o gaats hier kon ek nou niks uitmaak ni ???, gelukkig het hy toe als oorvertaal in Engels ........Thanks Fabian!
Dankie tog jul is veilig terug... mt geen probleme gehad ni.... icon_thumleft
En stunning foto's!!
Eerste paar dae se RR was in Frans en o gaats hier kon ek nou niks uitmaak ni ???, gelukkig het hy toe als oorvertaal in Engels ........Thanks Fabian!
Dankie tog jul is veilig terug... mt geen probleme gehad ni.... icon_thumleft
En stunning foto's!!
hennielowe
Race Dog
Archangel said:
Thanks dit was n gtreat trip, nie eers n pap wiel nie!!
Het jou op onrus gemis, het jou pa gesien.
stuur vir victor dar langsaan groete!!
Similar threads
