NIMMO
Race Dog
Doing Baviaans and the EC BASH have both long been a bucket list thing with me. 
However every year for some reason the EC Bash falls the same weekend as a shooting competition I attend and as part of a team I could not drop the other guys. This year however the stars aligned and the venue was Baviaans and the competition date changed – I took it as a sign. ;D
I made arrangement with Jupiter to join his party and to meet them at Tolbos the Friday morning.
But wait I am getting ahead of myself. By Wednesday I had not packed a single thing but at least the bike was checked, full of fuel etc. Late Wednesday night I remembered having taken a photo of my kit for the Reedsdale Bash and printed it out – what a help that was. :thumleft:
I simply read the list and had the packing done and dusted in less than an hour. By 11pm I was snoring away…
Transporter and I made arrangements to leave here on the Thursday and ride down to P.E. together and then spend Thursday night there. He however had some work related problems and withdrew at 99. :deal:
Cave girl and co. spent the Wednesday night at my place and they left before eight hitting gravel straight away. I however got away at 09H00 and hit the N9 to Cradock to give me enough time for the rest of the route I had sort off mapped out in my head.atch:
It was COLD (notice the bold lettering) so cold that when I got to Middelburg to fill up I had already cursed myself repeatedly for not zipping in the thermals. :-\ I filled up and set off to Cradock. By the time I got there I was famished (must have been the cold) and had a brunch at the Wimpy. As I was leaving Cave Girl and co. arrived.
We said our goodbyes and off I went.
I filled up, deflated the TKC’s and hit the R337 – What a way to really start the trip. The passes were fairly well maintained and the scenery on a overcast day beautiful.
From Swaershoek Pass you could almost see tomorrow…
When I got the junction to Somerset East / Pearston I decided to take the sub route to S/E. Apparently there were some Lion farms.
They must have had some rains because every now and then the road made for some interesting mud sections. ;D
Roaring up a section I was confronted with a boom across the road it took some braking to stop in time, it opened on its own and just as I was going through it closed. It just missed my head – these things aren’t very bike friendly.
I filled up in Sumerset East and hit the road to the R335 leading to the R400.
The roads were beautifull and made for some nice fast sections.
When I got to the R400 I went across to the Suurberg road.
Just past this junction I came across 2 Kudu Bulls and 6/7 cows. I even had time to stop take out the camera and still managed to take a picture of 2 in the road. I made a mental note to slow down a bit.ot:
Somehow I missed the Suurberg Pass road and ended up at the N10 – I doubled back and found a farmer as he was exiting a camp. “Boetie you are not the first one, every now and then I get a biker riding through my veld chasing his GPS” :imaposer:– he however directed me and when I asked him about the condition of the road he just said “Common, but with a capital K boetie”. I took it as bad…
Starting up the pass I became very aware what security lay in traveling with a mate, I really wished for one then. The Pass was tough in places but overall just course (skurf) with plenty of loose rocks.
It started to rain before I reached the summit and I was already thinking I was a puncture (cut) away from spending the night there in my little green tent. :deal:
Things however eventually cleared up a bit and I made it to the Hotel in the Pass (the name eludes me). From here the roads were much better. I pushed a bit and soon found myself pushing it a bit too much trying to out-race the dark.
atch:
However every year for some reason the EC Bash falls the same weekend as a shooting competition I attend and as part of a team I could not drop the other guys. This year however the stars aligned and the venue was Baviaans and the competition date changed – I took it as a sign. ;D
I made arrangement with Jupiter to join his party and to meet them at Tolbos the Friday morning.
But wait I am getting ahead of myself. By Wednesday I had not packed a single thing but at least the bike was checked, full of fuel etc. Late Wednesday night I remembered having taken a photo of my kit for the Reedsdale Bash and printed it out – what a help that was. :thumleft:
I simply read the list and had the packing done and dusted in less than an hour. By 11pm I was snoring away…
Transporter and I made arrangements to leave here on the Thursday and ride down to P.E. together and then spend Thursday night there. He however had some work related problems and withdrew at 99. :deal:
Cave girl and co. spent the Wednesday night at my place and they left before eight hitting gravel straight away. I however got away at 09H00 and hit the N9 to Cradock to give me enough time for the rest of the route I had sort off mapped out in my head.
atch:It was COLD (notice the bold lettering) so cold that when I got to Middelburg to fill up I had already cursed myself repeatedly for not zipping in the thermals. :-\ I filled up and set off to Cradock. By the time I got there I was famished (must have been the cold) and had a brunch at the Wimpy. As I was leaving Cave Girl and co. arrived.
We said our goodbyes and off I went.
I filled up, deflated the TKC’s and hit the R337 – What a way to really start the trip. The passes were fairly well maintained and the scenery on a overcast day beautiful.
From Swaershoek Pass you could almost see tomorrow…
When I got the junction to Somerset East / Pearston I decided to take the sub route to S/E. Apparently there were some Lion farms.
They must have had some rains because every now and then the road made for some interesting mud sections. ;D
Roaring up a section I was confronted with a boom across the road it took some braking to stop in time, it opened on its own and just as I was going through it closed. It just missed my head – these things aren’t very bike friendly.
I filled up in Sumerset East and hit the road to the R335 leading to the R400.
The roads were beautifull and made for some nice fast sections.
When I got to the R400 I went across to the Suurberg road.
Just past this junction I came across 2 Kudu Bulls and 6/7 cows. I even had time to stop take out the camera and still managed to take a picture of 2 in the road. I made a mental note to slow down a bit.
ot:
Somehow I missed the Suurberg Pass road and ended up at the N10 – I doubled back and found a farmer as he was exiting a camp. “Boetie you are not the first one, every now and then I get a biker riding through my veld chasing his GPS” :imaposer:– he however directed me and when I asked him about the condition of the road he just said “Common, but with a capital K boetie”. I took it as bad…
Starting up the pass I became very aware what security lay in traveling with a mate, I really wished for one then. The Pass was tough in places but overall just course (skurf) with plenty of loose rocks.
It started to rain before I reached the summit and I was already thinking I was a puncture (cut) away from spending the night there in my little green tent. :deal:
Things however eventually cleared up a bit and I made it to the Hotel in the Pass (the name eludes me). From here the roads were much better. I pushed a bit and soon found myself pushing it a bit too much trying to out-race the dark.
atch:
