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

[Chrissie B]

The landscape was quite flat from Saldanha to Vredenburg and then I turned off to Paternoster.  Actually it was quite a boring ride and I had to go back the way I came in, as I couldn’t find the road I saw on my map which comes out near Stompneusbaai.  And I didn’t have much time, I was now running quite late.  I had agreed to meet TGG at his work at 16h00… but it was increasingly looking like I would not make that deadline!  :confused1:

Paternoster is VERY pretty, it must be quite relaxing to spend a weekend here, as there seems to be very little to do, although I did pass an interesting looking pub!  And I would have liked to have gone to Tittiesbaai as well, but it was a very sandy looking road and like I said, I was running out of time to mess about.  So all I managed was a couple of pictures and then I had to hit the road again… pity! 

 

[Chrissie B]

To be honest, I was actually not quite sure of my route any more at this point!  My map book is VERY old and not too detailed and I knew at some point I have to start heading inland.  I figured if I find Clanwilliam and get onto the N7 there, then it should be a breeze to get to Vredendal before night fall!  ???
 
So for the next many kilometers I actually didn't have a friggin’ clue where I was going!  But it didn't stress me out too much, sooner or later I would find the way… or not!  Even now, as I’m typing this, trying to see where I went, it took me a while to figure it out, since I was nowhere near where I should have been!  In fact, it’s taken me an hour to try to figure out where and when I went through a place called Wamkilekile?  And I still don’t know!  The only reason I know I was there is because I took a photo as I passed through!  According to my phone I took that picture at 14h35… but as I was in a rush now, I also didn't take many more pics.  :dontknow:

I know I stopped for fuel in Veldrift as my card receipt says so!  There I had a chat with a chap on a scooter,  I told him I have to go to Clanwilliam, so he told me just to continue straight for a while and then I would eventually find a turn to the right, blah blah blah… I don’t think I was really paying attention!  Stupid, especially when I wasn't totally sure about my location!   :

Oh boy, the road seemed never ending, but at some point I remember getting to a T-Junction, Lamberts Bay left and I think it said Graafwater to the right… not a word about Clanwilliam!!  But I figured I’m not supposed to go near the ocean again, so I turned right.  Good choice!  I Think maybe it was around here that I passed through Wamkilekile… but really, I’m not sure.  I vaguely remember Graafwater… and eventually I saw signs to Clanwilliam.  Good, I was on the right track after all.  From there it should be an absolute breeze to get to Vredendal!  :thumleft:

* It's really tricky to match up and find all the pics and somehow my camera's time was not set correctly and I deleted pics in-between so it slotted other ones in there and some I took with the phone.  So somewhere, I took these pics!  I just don’t quite know where?  If anyone recognizes anything… please enlighten me!  I think they were taken at some point after Paternoster, perhaps around Redlinghuys?  ???

 

[Chrissie B]

I finally got to Clanwilliam at around 15h30 and I figured I was going to be a little late, so I sent a message to TGG, advising him that I would run a few minutes late.  I figured it would take me about 40 minutes to get there on the N7.  So he told me to call him when I get into town and he would come and meet me.  :thumleft:

Cool, sorted… or so I thought!  For some obscure reason I couldn't find the N7!  Really?  It’s a big main road, how could I possibly miss it?  But then I saw a sign which said Klawer, well I knew that was close to where I should be going, so I took the road.  It looked like a nice little tarred country road, so it would not slow me down too much.  :lol8:

But to my surprise, after a few kilos the nice little road turned to gravel.  Oh crap… that would really slow me down!  But I decided to rather take the gravel road than go all the way back to find the main road.  I thought it can’t be that long, surely it must meet up with the main road somewhere!  Mostly it was a pretty good road, a bit loose in places and a bit twisty as it kept following a river, and now I know that was the Olifants River.  :-[

It was actually quite hilarious, because eventually I could see the N7 to the left of me.  At the time that confused me terribly, how on earth did I manage to cross it and not know?  But there was no way to get there, the Olifant was in the way!  But what a beautiful ride!  Sometimes getting lost is not such a bad idea at all!  It forced me to do something that I would have missed out on if I took the easy way.  :biggrin:

 

[Chrissie B]

At some point I crossed this bridge, I'm quite sure it was towards the end of the gravel road, before I got back onto the tar. 

It was just really odd, on the one side there was water... and on the other side of the bridge was sand!  But I could see that as I headed further north, it became drier and drier.  And also much less populated!  I had passed even fewer people than I did in the Karoo!  Of course I could see that the N7 was fairly busy, but until then, the roads had been almost empty and very few houses between towns.
 
I actually loved it, I enjoy that feeling of being out there alone.  It's a bit daunting sometimes and I would imagine it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I guess I am a bit of a loner.  For anyone wanting to do a long solo trip, just remember, you have to be very ok with your own company!  Although I tend to make up for the alone times by talking too much when I do get to see people again…  :lol8:… but then I’m just so excited about everything and I just have to tell someone.  :ricky:

 

[Rynet]

Thanks Chrissie , am loving your RR .  :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[Chrissie B]

Anyway, eventually the gravel road did turn back to tar, I finally landed on the N7 and raced the last bit to Klawer where I turned off to Vredendal.  I carried on at a good speed to make up for lost time and according to my petrol slip I filled up my bike in Vredendal at 17h50.   So actually I didn’t lose too much time on the gravel road.  ;D

I phoned Trevor to tell him where I was and waited for him to come and get me.  But in the meantime I got into an argument with the petrol attendant.  I told him NOT to touch my number plate and what does he do, he promptly wipes it clean to see the registration… I think I used more chain lube on my number plate than my chain!!  

And while I was doing the Rumpelstiltzkin dance, TGG arrived and watched with amusement.  So we did our introductions and I followed him home to his place.  We chatted for a while and then he had to go pick up Mrs TGG and some cold drinks for us.  So I settled in and when they came back I got an ice cold Storm and they proceeded to prepare a nice braai for us.

Eventually Mrs TGG and I sent Trevor off to bed so we could sit and chat on our own… sorry Trevor!   But eventually it really was time for bed, I had another long day ahead of me.

Unfortunately it didn’t occur to me at the time to take any photos.  Silly me!

(Distance from CT to Vredendal: 432km)

 

[Chrissie B]

Thanks Chrissie , am loving your RR .  :thumleft: :thumleft:

:biggrin:  And I am re-living it again all over!  Just makes me wanna get the bike out and start another trip!  :

 

[Rynet]

Thanks Chrissie , am loving your RR .  :thumleft: :thumleft:

:biggrin:  And I am re-living it again all over!  Just makes me wanna get the bike out and start another trip!  :

Great  :thumleft:, yes and we look forward to the next RR  :sip:
And yes Mr and Mrs Tgg are very hospitable.  :3some:

 

[drifter696]

Hi, I'm enjoying your RR !  :thumleft:

Seems we have the same tendancy to get lost ...  although I call it finding new roads, I'm never lost.  :biggrin:

 

[stevo]

I keep coming back to read the updates on this RR.... :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[Chrissie B]

Hi, I'm enjoying your RR !  :thumleft:

Seems we have the same tendancy to get lost ...  although I call it finding new roads, I'm never lost.  :biggrin:

I totally agree!  I never understood why Mario got cross with me when we did 4x4 competitions where I had to navigate off a route schedule!  I got lost a lot, or like you say, found new roads!  In the end I still got us to where we were supposed to be, just differently...  :lol8:

Now I just wanna do it again.  Have my sights set on Namibia and possibly Botswana.  Just not sure I would do that alone, just too little backup for me there.  I'm not as brave as Jo... she's leaving again soon.  Can't wait to read her updates!  :biggrin:

 

[Brink]

Riding with  :ricky:

 

[DRAZIL]

thoroughly enjoyable ride report,thanks :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[HB 9]

Incredible RR!  :thumleft:

 

[Geotraveller]

have not visited this for a few days. It just keeps getting better!!

 

[Chrissie B]

I will try to finish the rr next week, have been hectically busy, so no time to write.

 

[Tonteldoos]

Lekker. bit I was quite a bit confused by "Vredendal" as there is a Vredendal on the N2 as well..

 

[cheesy]

Chrissie, where on earth is the rest of this R R? We can understand that you work from 09-00 to 16-30 after that is R R time. 8)

 

[Chrissie B]

Chrissie, where on earth is the rest of this R R? We can understand that you work from 09-00 to 16-30 after that is R R time. 8)

It's coming right up, see below in a few min. 

 

[Chrissie B]

In the morning we all went to the Wimpy for breakfast, after which TGG and I picked up our bikes at the house and set off to do the stretch to Nuwerus, some of which entailed a dirt road.  TGG was going to ride with me up to Nuwerus and then do his own route back home.

We passed through Koekenaap, where we just had to stop for a photo, what a weird name for a village… Koek en Aap, hehehe.  Then it was on to Lutzville, which is so small I almost didn't notice it!   ???
Lutzville is a small wine growing settlement located by the Olifants River and at high tide it is possible to go on a flat-bottomed boat to Papendorp, about 30 km further downriver near its mouth.  Not that I had time to actually check out this piece of information!
 
The gravel road was not bad at all, except for the couple of surprise sand patches which appeared out of no-where!  I did have a bit of a ‘moment’ at the last one, but remembered all the training sessions, looked up, kept the power on and tried not to panic and made it through just fine.  Sand and mud are not my friends and I try to avoid them if at all possible!   :-\
 
In Nuwerus it was time to part ways and I was once again all on my own.  Thank you Mr & Mrs TGG for feeding and watering me, and letting me crash at your place.