Barberton - Cape Town and the wrong way home, my Epic Solo ride (Finally done)

[Chrissie B]

My better half has never seen the Cape either, so I'll be taking her down in May for her birthday treat. I'm getting so many ideas for the trip from you  :thumleft:

does she gale force winds,  and sea too cold to swim in?
why not take her somewhere nice?

Yip... she was born in Northern Germany, where the sea freezes over  :eek7:  She loves the cold and the wind... so I'll bite the bullet and take it like a man   :ricky:

Ach, it wasn't so bad.  The scenery made up for it!  But I would not want to go there in winter!

 

[Ganjora]

thanks for the report,  ChrissieB.

 

[roxenz]

Thanks for entertaining me for a couple of hours Chrissie!  Looking fwd to the rest.

 

[HB 9]

:sip: Enjoying every moment...  :thumleft:

 

[Chrissie B]

I was planning to join some of the WC Wild Dogs for lunch on Wednesday, so Wanita suggested that I take a ride to a Butterfly Park near Stellenbosch.  So I headed off in that direction, but once again took the darn Highway, not knowing there was actually a better route from Bergvliet to Stellenbosch.  And by this time I was getting a bit gatvol of city roads and peak hour morning traffic.  I was longing to get out into the country side.  But yeah, I just had to be patient a little longer and then the next part of my adventure would start.  :biggrin:

In the end I only had breakfast at the Butterfly place, as I was more interested in riding around there, looking at all the Vineyards and such.  But all too soon it was time to head back towards Cape Town, to find the venue for the WD Wednesday lunch, the Spur at a Shopping Centre near Century City.  And as per usual, I got myself a bit entwined and ended up going in circles again.  But eventually I found the place and was the first one there.

(PS... My Corel Draw and Corel Photo Paint are on the blink after yet another power failure last night... eish... now I can't edit my pics anymore  :'( )

 

[Chrissie B]

Eventually the first Dog arrived, Heddles on his KTM 950SE.  Rynet and I were texting and she said she was on her way too.  Heddles and I chatted for a while until the others arrived, I hope I got them all right: Heddles, Rynet, Andy660, Crossed-up and Kneelo, oh and Christy… but there were a few more guys and a gal whose names I don’t recall.  We helped Christy decide on a suitable WD forum name so she can register, but now I can’t remember what it was?  And I wonder if she did register?  ???

Anyway, we had a nice lunch and some drinks, after which most of the people had to go back to work.  It was really nice to meet you all, and hopefully it won’t be too many years before I can come down that way again.   :laughing4:

 

[Chrissie B]

Obviously Heddles didn't have an urgent job to get back to, ‘cos he offered to take me for a tour around Cape Point and after that lead me to the Tavern on Main Street to meet Wanita and friends for drinks at 18h30.  So off we went, and that’s when I learned that his KTM front tyre probably lasts for many years, as it’s rarely on the ground.  But yeah man, Heddles, you can wheelie for sure!  :headbang:

(If you don't believe me, watch this video: Heddles Video https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=102713.0)

The first stop was a beach in Hout Bay, where I could take a few pics and sit on the KTM.  He did offer to let me ride it, but it’s just too tall, I can only get one foot on the ground when I stop and that makes me a little nervous, I don’t want to drop someone else’s bike! 

A little while later we stopped for ‘a’ drink at a pub, as riding bike is really thirsty work.  :bar:
I don’t have a friggin’ clue where we were, but I’m guessing we were still near Hout Bay somewhere, he did point out Kommetjie in the distance? 
Heddles… a little info here please, or I will tell everyone that the KTM decided to go to sleep in front of the Pub!  eepwall:

And so one drink led to another and then we realized I was now gonna be late for my friends, so we had to skip the long tour and go from Chapman’s Peak to Boyes Drive. 

 

[Chrissie B]

And then the short cuts became quite adventurous… we diced on the M3 (the KTM got a speed wobble at 180kph), but my old Broom made it to that speed too! Impressive!!    :3some:  

Then Heddles got us a bit lost, first we went in circles and then we hopped over pavements and stuff, through a park and finally back on familiar territory, Main Street.  

We pulled up on the pavement in front of the Tavern as Wanita and friends arrived and so we all proceeded to drink and be merry, as one does in Cape Town.   :bar:  :hello2:

It was a lovely evening, but also a little depressing, as I was going to be leaving Wanita in the morning, to stay somewhere on the West side of CT, closer to the sea, before starting my cruise up the West Coast on Friday.  I had no real plan though, thought I’d figure it out 'tomorrow'.   :-\

I was quite sad   to say good-bye to my new found friends, but hopefully we will all see each other again one day.  I did have the crazy notion that I might celebrate my 50th Birthday near Gariep Dam next year, then they could get there too... but lets see, it's still more than a year away.  

 

[Rynet]

Great report Chrissie  :thumleft:, I have been reading it in chunks.  Enjoying the female perspective , like the penguins and the dassies and the horses. You really had an epic trip . :drif:

Was great to meet you  :3some:, and glad Oupa Heddles could take you for a ride . 

Yes he sure can wheelie . 

And btw you look hot on that KTM , it suits you .  :ricky:

 

[Chrissie B]

Great report Chrissie  :thumleft:, I have been reading it in chunks.  Enjoying the female perspective , like the penguins and the dassies and the horses. You really had an epic trip . :drif:

Was great to meet you  :3some:, and glad Oupa Heddles could take you for a ride . 

Yes he sure can wheelie . 

And btw you look hot on that KTM , it suits you .  :ricky:

Thanx Rynet, was so nice to finally meet you too.  Ja Oupa Heddles... hehehe, a lunatic, but heaps of fun!  :lol8:

As for that KTM... mmmm I kinda have my eye on getting a 990Adv one day, when finances pick up or I find a rich husband!  :imaposer:

I hope we see you up in the north/east one day.  It's really beautiful here too!  :biggrin:

 

[Chrissie B]

It was a rather tearful early morning as I loaded up my broom for the next part of my adventure.  But I was also very excited, as tomorrow I would be riding into even more unknown territory, more places I have never seen, more bike riding… so yes, it was a bit of an anti-climax and I will miss my Roomie.  One last hug and she had to go off to work…  :'(

Now getting through CT peak morning traffic and lane splitting was fine without my luggage, but doing this fully loaded was not as easy, but at least this time I knew where I was headed and didn't go around in circles again.  I did touch 2 cars (that I know of) when I was lane splitting…. Ooops sorry… luckily I don’t have alu panniers!  

So the plan was to find some place to stay near Bloubergstrand, since that seemed like a nice place with a great view of Cape Town and Robben Island.  Well that was easier said than done!  I Googled, not much luck… I went to the Tourism Office, still no luck unless I wanted to pay R500+ just to sleep somewhere!  Apparently there was a conference and the Para-sailing competition on the go!  But now I had a problem, I had all my luggage on my bike, so I couldn’t even go to the beach as I had planned.  Bummer… at this point I had not set foot on the beach once!  And I also wanted to meet Vosperd from Namibia and whoever else could make it, for drinks at Mitchells that evening, so I did not want to venture too far north just yet.

So first I rode around a bit, sight-seeing, watching the para-surfers (oooh, some sexy beach boys out there) and checking what’s happening where.  And then I had a late breakfast at a cool little place (Pakalolo) in Table View, overlooking the bay and tried to figure out my options.
Ok, so came up with the idea to put a post on WD… and wait for responses, but what to do in the meantime?  It was already around lunch-time and I still had no place to go?  :-\
 
But thank goodness for Piston Pete, he messaged me to say I should pop by his shop in Paarden Island, so at least that gave me something to do and of course I got lost again!  But finally got proper directions from him and went to meet Pete.  When I got there Pete informed me that  Desert Dueller had left a message on WD’s to say he has space at a Backpackers he runs called Ashanti.  So I called him right away and booked my room.  Yay, I had a place to sleep.  Pete and I chatted for a while and he gave me directions how to get to Ashanti in Greenpoint.  At least it was close enough so I could go for drinks at Mitchells that evening.  :laughing4:  

 

[Chrissie B]

Thanks Desert Dueller, Ashanti was perfect.  :biggrin:  Just a pity you had to leave before I got there and we didn't get to meet, hopefully next time.  :3some:

 

[Rynet]

Lekker reading this Chrissie , you certainly did a lot of sight -seeing . :thumleft:

I see Heddles took to the Red Herring, in Noodhoek . And yes Blouberg is stunning . And so is Green Point . I love Cape Town .And its great seeing it through someone else's lense. Thanks that you took so many photos . :thumleft:

Yes would be great to see you in Barbeton sometime . I haven't travelled outside the Cape Provinces ( Northen Cape and EC)  on my bike yet , oh and a few hours across the Free State border. I have to change this! 

So yes , epic trip Chrissie . :3some:

 

[JACOVV]

Very nice to follow.

:sip:

 

[Chrissie B]

Apologies for the delay, but between the power failures here and suddenly having too much work to do since we have started on the other 3 websites (What'z Up Lowveld is the original one).  The new websites are What'z Up Highveld, Cape and Zululand and it's taking up a lot of my time to design and lay them out properly, start the Facebook pages, re-design the original logo, plus design new backgrounds, stationary and graphics... and learning how to Twitter!  :

Anyway, the next installment is coming up... right now.  :laughing4:  :deal:

 

[Chrissie B]

So I settled into my overnight accommodation, chatted to some of the other tourists there and got ready to go out on the town.  And no, I did not wear all my ATGATT, I left out the boots & knee guards and wore my takkies.
I managed to find my way back to the V&A Waterfront.  One may think that’s really easy, since Greenpoint is just down the road, but I was trying to find a way to get there without having to cross the main road and turn right.  It was really busy and I didn’t trust these Capetonians any more than the Gautengers!   I went around in circles a bit, which was a bit nerve wrecking since the roads around there are steep, uneven and narrow.  But eventually I did end up crossing the main road, somehow there seemed no way around it!  

I did finally arrived at Mitchells, which is ideally situated for bikers, since the bike parking is right in front of the pub.  Once again, Cape Town is very organized (I wonder if Helen had anything to do with this?  Maybe she’s a closet biker?)  :3some:

But now I didn’t really know who to look for!  Pete said he can’t make it, had other arrangements and I have no idea what Vosperd looks like and no idea who, if anyone, else is joining us on a Thursday night.  It is a pity I had to leave the next day, but I still had a whole adventure to take care of, so it really was time to leave Cape Town and skip the Friday drinks.

So I decided just to sit down somewhere and see if anyone noticed me or the horse I rode in on, it does have dog paw prints all over it!  And yes, someone did notice me, Vosperd was there and he obviously figured I must be the crazy chick who rides around alone on her Africa Twin.  So we drank and chatted and waited for Andrew to arrive, which he did after we’d already had a few!  Andrew had actually planned to go bicycle riding (Really, people do that? Ride things without engines?), but fortunately Vosperd reminded him that he is supposed to rather come and drink.  The sun went down, Andrew analyzed me (?), we chatted, ate drank and were merry until it was time for the two of them to leave.  It was really nice meeting you guys, and Andrew, you can analyze me again next time, I give you permission!  It was quite insightful, although I know I am competitive, I just didn’t realize it was so noticeable, lol.

 

[Chrissie B]

After their departure I decided to stroll around a bit before trying to find my way back to Ashanti.  I just knew that would be a mission again.  I watched some live entertainment, strolled around and watched the people, had a chat with some random tourists and eventually got lonely and decided I may as well go to sleep, since I had a long ride ahead of me the following day.  And yes, I did get lost again on the way back to my quarters… not lost exactly, but the roads just never wanted to go where I wanted to go.  So I went sight-seeing instead and stopped at a beach at some point.  At least I was on a beach very briefly… at night, alone, ok.. that was boring!  :-\

Eventually I found my way back and settled in for the night.  But sleep didn't want to come.  The butterflies were back!  The way to Cape Town was exciting, but I knew a lot of the route, Cape Town was cool too, but I had friends there so I was not alone.  But going up the West Cast to places that you only hear of in those weird Afrikaans songs and movies… Springbok, Pofadder, Kakamas… now that was a more daunting thought!  And the distances between Towns was so much greater too, I figured I’d be pretty alone a lot of the time!  Fortunately Rynet had contacted TGG (Trevor) and given him my number and he had offered me a place to sleep in Vredendal.  Thanks Rynet, much appreciated it.  :thumleft:

(Distance traveled around Cape Town +/- 610km)

 

[Chrissie B]

I awoke quite tired, but eventually got my a$$ into gear, drank my Strawberry & Oats Yogi Sip for breakfast, loaded up my bike and bid my fellow dwellers goodbye.
At least now I knew which direction I should head in and found my ride up the Coast quite scenic and relaxing.  The original idea was to go along the coastline for a while and then eventually get onto the N7 north somewhere around Malmesbury.  :deal:

But I don’t really know where the plan changed, somehow I found myself riding along the coastline and never actually bothered to look at my route schedule or map… Actually, I don’t think I really knew where I was going, I was just enjoying the ride.  I figured that as long as the Atlantic Ocean was on my left, all is good.  :biggrin:

I passed Koeberg Power Station, ah… so this is where it is.  I’d heard about it but didn’t actually know where this controversial Nuclear Power Station was situated.  Cool, I just learned something else.  Actually that was the thing I enjoyed most about my trip, learning new things, putting places and distances into perspective and discovering what I am capable of as well.  8)

Some time after Koeberg, on a long straight road, I found the opposite of Nuclear Power... huge Wind Turbines turning in the wind!  Now this was more like it!
:thumleft:  I just had to stop to take a picture, as this was something close to my heart... renewable energy sources and power saving!

 

[Chrissie B]

The landscape had changed quite a bit now, it was very different and interesting, not as lush as before, sand and sea on the one side and sparse vegetation on the other.  This was unlike any place I’d ever been before.  Nice, I was liking this.  And I had still not realized that I was not on the route I planned to take, well actually I only realized that earlier today, when I looked at my original route schedule.  But somehow it never occurred to me to be going anywhere else.  This was perfect!  Then I saw signs coming up to Saldanha!  Ok, I must admit I was a little confused as I really had not planned to go there, but what the hell, I was so close now, I may as well go and have a look and see what this place is all about!

So I turned left towards the town, passing a huge factory on the left, kind of an eye sore if you ask me!  But I guess there is not much else employment around there!   By this time I was getting quite hungry, so I decided to find a place to eat.  I figured near the bay would be good and thus continued in that direction until I got to a boom gate by a little harbor, where I had to pay R5 to get in!  Weird… I asked the guard if there is a place to eat and he pointed to the left.  Eish, I wondered what kind of food I’d find here?  But never mind, this was my adventure, so I must just enjoy it!

To my surprise I found a really appealing little restaurant over-looking the harbor.  First things first… I needed a drink!  It had been rather hot out there and a Smirnoff Storm would go down really well around now.   :bar:

After perusing the menu, I decided on the spicy baby prawn starter, I rarely order main meals, I just cannot fit that much food into my little body and besides, I’d been doing too much eating on this trip anyway.   :violent4:

While I waited for the food, I looked around a bit and found the sight of a sunken fishing vessel, still tied to its moorings, a rather hilarious sight!  :snorting:
Why did they just leave it there?  I also discovered that there must be some wealthy people around here, judging by the large yacht and the cabin catamaran.
 
Then my meal arrived and I must say it was delicious; the drink was ice cold and the scenery interesting… what more could a girl want?  Ok, maybe some nice company?  But I quickly put that thought out of my mind, I was having fun, so this was no time to get depressed!   :crybaby2:
I had a quick look at my map (finally!), to establish where I am, and so discovered that I was really close to Paternoster;  mmm, to go or not to go, that was the question?  It was really quite a bit out of my way and I did plan to be in Vredendal by about 16h00.  

In the end I decided 'stuff it', there is a good chance I will never come to this side of the country again, so I may as well take the detour and go and see what this place looks like in real life!  

 

[Chrissie B]

Spot the sunken ship?  And to give everyone a good appetite, I've attached the menu as well... and of course proof that Heksie's Broom was there too!