Man from Nam
Race Dog
Enjoying the ride 
Post more :sip:
Post more :sip:
A little " clear the head " ride
- Thread starter Bill p
- Start date
Bill p
Pack Dog
Hi dawgs.
Sorry but my pictures keep on disappearing. Hope I have sorted the problem out now. Read through again as I have put in a few more pics.
Will post day 3 today. What an epic this was.
Sorry but my pictures keep on disappearing. Hope I have sorted the problem out now. Read through again as I have put in a few more pics.
Will post day 3 today. What an epic this was.
Bill p
Pack Dog
Day 3. Whiteriver to Groblersdal.
So woke up feeling very chewy. Did a slow ride along the tar to Hazyview. Well I say that but I found out that old faithfull could actually do 120 + through the bends, such is the feeling of freedom you get going through this beautiful countryside.
Went through Hazyview and on to Graskop. Stopped at the famous Pancake Place and had coffee.
Headed out toward Ohrigstad and saw all these beautiful sights.
I then found this interesting place and had to explore. There was a sign which said it was only open from Tuesdays and this was Monday. Damn! But I took a ride around anyway and here are a few photies.
Further on I saw Blyde River canyon and Blydepoort Dam.
Got to the T junction Ohrigstad left, Hoedspruit right, and pulled into this little take away place for some much needed breakfast.
My original idea had been to get to Groblersdal via Burgersfort and those places, but the owner of the take away told me it was not safe in that area as there had been plenty of muggings and hijackings of late, and a bike was an easy target.
So I decided to do Ohrigstad, Lydenberg and work my way to Groblersdal from there.
I head off towards Ohrigstad, all calm and relaxed, little realizing what lay ahead for me.
So I’m riding along admiring the scenery when I see this!!!
Now does that mountain not scream “ take me, ride up me and see what’s on the other side. Well who am I to refuse. Have the right bike, will climb. So I find a dirt road which leads there and when I get to the bottom I think, “ this could be interesting “
Now here’s the bad news dawgs. Try to take another photo but the camera informs me that it’s full. It’s my daughters camera, and being technologically challenged, I don’t realize that I could possibly have erased some photos from the memory or something.
Also tried my phone but there was no reception. So this is the last photo I took of my trip, but I think the best, what do you think.
Just refer to the picture as I explain to you my trials and tribulation of climbing the mountain.
So I start up the first 4 switchbacks, not to bad. Get to the 5th one and it just becomes mostly loose rock and shale and as I go through the bushed area it becomes steeper and looser but I’m hanging on and going upwards. I get to the middle s squiggle above the bushline and stall the bike. Now I’m in loose gravel with a kick start thumper on a 30deg. + slope. Not fun. But I role back against the side burn and before I start, I decide to switch the tank over to reserve as I had been running low on petrol and did not want anymore complications. So I reach down and turn the valve, kickstart and start making my way up. About 30m further, the bike cuts out and there I sit.
So no problem, roll back against the burn and start kicking. Nothing. Kick, kick, kick, nothing.
Now those of you who have one of these old thumpers will know that when you’re sitting on top of a mountain, in 30deg heat, on a steep incline in your riding jacket and kicking your moer off and nothing happens, you can have a serious sense of humour failure.
But I calm down and decide the first thing to do is to get back down the mountain before I try to see what the problem is. Try and turn a 180kg bike around on loose gravel on a steep incline. Not easy but I did it without falling and then tried to negotiate my way back down with no engine breaking, just brakes. Tried leaving it in gear to help, but back wheel just locked up and slid in any gear. What a nightmare this was trying to stop the bike from skidding out from under me but I made it to the flatter sections and then tried to roll start the bike. Nothing. Anyway, got to the bottom, parked the bike, and sat there in the blazing sun with no water, contemplating what to do next.
So I’m sitting there feeling very sorry for myself, when I happen to look up at the bike and then I just pack up laughing and start vloeking myself in my moerin. I have an inline valve between the tank and carburetor, and when I’d reached down and switched the valve on the mountain, in my tired state, I’d turned off the petrol on the inline valve instead of turning to reserve on the tank. What a d**s.
Anyway, switch on, 1 kick en daar gaat hy. I was so happy I could shit myself.
Bombed back into Ohrigstad, filled up and then found a bush pub just outside town. And there had even more fun.
I walk into the pub and there sits a brick shithouse of a man at the end of the counter. I could not believe how big this bugger was.
Anyway, get chatting and offer to buy him a drink. Ja, “dubble brandewyn en coke, dit sal lekker wees dankie” is the reply.
Now I was going to have a winhoek light but I think I would have got a p**sklap in this bar if I had drunk that, so when in Ohrigstad, do as the Ohrigstadians do. So one bouble b&c coming up. Boom. I was pretty thirsty after my episode on the mountain so the first one slid down like mothers milk.
I was just about finished when 2 of his mates walked in. And they were even bigger than him. I swear you could have used the three of them as the whole forward pack for the bulls.
Next minute there’s another double b& c in front of me, and then another and then another. 4 Down and now I’m thinking to myself,
“ hier kom kak”. If I don’t leave now, I don’t know if theres a b&b in Ohrigstad and if there is I’ll be to pissed to find it anyway.
So I inform them that I’m actually on my way to Groblersdal and had to leave and luckily the answer is “ goed meneer, jy beter nou ry want dis nog so 2 ure se ry daar” Thank goodness it wasn’t “ nee nog een vir die pad “ otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
Anyway, sneak out of there, clamber on to my bike and do the first couple of km at 50kph with the visor open, trying to clear my head, and then take a leasurely tar trip all the way to Groblersdal. I spotted some nice looking sand roads along the way and I think if I had had the time, I could probably have made my way to Groblersdal on dirt, but I had had enough fun for one day and just wanted to get there, clean up, have some supper and hit the sack. Found a nice b&b outside Groblersdal called Loskop Valley Lodge, booked in and called it a day. What a day This day really envigorated me like no other. Distance travelled. About 450km
Day 4
Had planned to go via Marble Hall, Settlers way but after the first 3 days I decided that nothing else could better this so I just gapped it home on tar and arrived about 12.00.
Conclusion.
This was a great experience for me and I hope you guys enjoyed the ride.
In hindsite it’s probably just as well I didn’t make it up the mountain.
I definitely want to go back there and see what’s on the other side, but this time with a few mates because if I had made it up there and there was a road on the other side, I would have gone which is a bit silly because if anything happened, nobody would have known I was there and it could have got ugly.
So woke up feeling very chewy. Did a slow ride along the tar to Hazyview. Well I say that but I found out that old faithfull could actually do 120 + through the bends, such is the feeling of freedom you get going through this beautiful countryside.
Went through Hazyview and on to Graskop. Stopped at the famous Pancake Place and had coffee.
Headed out toward Ohrigstad and saw all these beautiful sights.
I then found this interesting place and had to explore. There was a sign which said it was only open from Tuesdays and this was Monday. Damn! But I took a ride around anyway and here are a few photies.
Further on I saw Blyde River canyon and Blydepoort Dam.
Got to the T junction Ohrigstad left, Hoedspruit right, and pulled into this little take away place for some much needed breakfast.
My original idea had been to get to Groblersdal via Burgersfort and those places, but the owner of the take away told me it was not safe in that area as there had been plenty of muggings and hijackings of late, and a bike was an easy target.
So I decided to do Ohrigstad, Lydenberg and work my way to Groblersdal from there.
I head off towards Ohrigstad, all calm and relaxed, little realizing what lay ahead for me.
So I’m riding along admiring the scenery when I see this!!!
Now does that mountain not scream “ take me, ride up me and see what’s on the other side. Well who am I to refuse. Have the right bike, will climb. So I find a dirt road which leads there and when I get to the bottom I think, “ this could be interesting “
Now here’s the bad news dawgs. Try to take another photo but the camera informs me that it’s full. It’s my daughters camera, and being technologically challenged, I don’t realize that I could possibly have erased some photos from the memory or something.
Also tried my phone but there was no reception. So this is the last photo I took of my trip, but I think the best, what do you think.
Just refer to the picture as I explain to you my trials and tribulation of climbing the mountain.
So I start up the first 4 switchbacks, not to bad. Get to the 5th one and it just becomes mostly loose rock and shale and as I go through the bushed area it becomes steeper and looser but I’m hanging on and going upwards. I get to the middle s squiggle above the bushline and stall the bike. Now I’m in loose gravel with a kick start thumper on a 30deg. + slope. Not fun. But I role back against the side burn and before I start, I decide to switch the tank over to reserve as I had been running low on petrol and did not want anymore complications. So I reach down and turn the valve, kickstart and start making my way up. About 30m further, the bike cuts out and there I sit.
So no problem, roll back against the burn and start kicking. Nothing. Kick, kick, kick, nothing.
Now those of you who have one of these old thumpers will know that when you’re sitting on top of a mountain, in 30deg heat, on a steep incline in your riding jacket and kicking your moer off and nothing happens, you can have a serious sense of humour failure.
But I calm down and decide the first thing to do is to get back down the mountain before I try to see what the problem is. Try and turn a 180kg bike around on loose gravel on a steep incline. Not easy but I did it without falling and then tried to negotiate my way back down with no engine breaking, just brakes. Tried leaving it in gear to help, but back wheel just locked up and slid in any gear. What a nightmare this was trying to stop the bike from skidding out from under me but I made it to the flatter sections and then tried to roll start the bike. Nothing. Anyway, got to the bottom, parked the bike, and sat there in the blazing sun with no water, contemplating what to do next.
So I’m sitting there feeling very sorry for myself, when I happen to look up at the bike and then I just pack up laughing and start vloeking myself in my moerin. I have an inline valve between the tank and carburetor, and when I’d reached down and switched the valve on the mountain, in my tired state, I’d turned off the petrol on the inline valve instead of turning to reserve on the tank. What a d**s.
Anyway, switch on, 1 kick en daar gaat hy. I was so happy I could shit myself.
Bombed back into Ohrigstad, filled up and then found a bush pub just outside town. And there had even more fun.
I walk into the pub and there sits a brick shithouse of a man at the end of the counter. I could not believe how big this bugger was.
Anyway, get chatting and offer to buy him a drink. Ja, “dubble brandewyn en coke, dit sal lekker wees dankie” is the reply.
Now I was going to have a winhoek light but I think I would have got a p**sklap in this bar if I had drunk that, so when in Ohrigstad, do as the Ohrigstadians do. So one bouble b&c coming up. Boom. I was pretty thirsty after my episode on the mountain so the first one slid down like mothers milk.
I was just about finished when 2 of his mates walked in. And they were even bigger than him. I swear you could have used the three of them as the whole forward pack for the bulls.
Next minute there’s another double b& c in front of me, and then another and then another. 4 Down and now I’m thinking to myself,
“ hier kom kak”. If I don’t leave now, I don’t know if theres a b&b in Ohrigstad and if there is I’ll be to pissed to find it anyway.
So I inform them that I’m actually on my way to Groblersdal and had to leave and luckily the answer is “ goed meneer, jy beter nou ry want dis nog so 2 ure se ry daar” Thank goodness it wasn’t “ nee nog een vir die pad “ otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
Anyway, sneak out of there, clamber on to my bike and do the first couple of km at 50kph with the visor open, trying to clear my head, and then take a leasurely tar trip all the way to Groblersdal. I spotted some nice looking sand roads along the way and I think if I had had the time, I could probably have made my way to Groblersdal on dirt, but I had had enough fun for one day and just wanted to get there, clean up, have some supper and hit the sack. Found a nice b&b outside Groblersdal called Loskop Valley Lodge, booked in and called it a day. What a day This day really envigorated me like no other. Distance travelled. About 450km
Day 4
Had planned to go via Marble Hall, Settlers way but after the first 3 days I decided that nothing else could better this so I just gapped it home on tar and arrived about 12.00.
Conclusion.
This was a great experience for me and I hope you guys enjoyed the ride.
In hindsite it’s probably just as well I didn’t make it up the mountain.
I definitely want to go back there and see what’s on the other side, but this time with a few mates because if I had made it up there and there was a road on the other side, I would have gone which is a bit silly because if anything happened, nobody would have known I was there and it could have got ugly.
ALLEN I
Race Dog
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
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Now this just aint fair cous I go away to Nam to do these lekker rides and then you sommer find lekker places to ride close buy. Great RR cous pitty you ran out of pics, that would of made it even better. :ricky:
- Joined
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Great to see you found the Dinosaur falls!
Nice ride kid.
8)
Nice ride kid.
8)
Lem
Grey Hound
Goodness that Eastern Transvaal is so beautiful. One day I will buy myself a big-ass tourer and ride it up from the Cape.
Thanks for the report, I love it :thumleft:
Thanks for the report, I love it :thumleft:
Bill p
Pack Dog
Thanks for reading guys. Was a total jaul.
And thanks cousin Allen I for showing me how to post all these pictures and things.
And thanks cousin Allen I for showing me how to post all these pictures and things.
Dorsland
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2012
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- Nie van hier nie
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hehehehe, had a good laugh at your last day. :thumleft:
Bill p
Pack Dog
Thanks Dorsland. It was a day I wont forget in a hurry.Dorsland said:
