- Joined
- Sep 9, 2012
- Messages
- 9,338
- Reaction score
- 2,534
- Location
- Palm Bay, Florida, USA.
- Bike
- Honda XL500S
I had 10 days off between contracts and was suffering from a severe case of PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome) as the GSA has been parked up in the garage while I was at work in Zambia. The only medicine for this was to take my Beloved and the bike and go for a ride.
As usual the budget was very limited so we had to do it as cheaply as possible. We had previously visited Graskop, but had not had the time to visit the canyon and it was on the wife's bucket list. She also enjoys the mountain passes as much as I do, so we wanted to ride as many of them as possible.
We packed up the GSA quite heavily, the weather forcast predicted rain and cold weather, so extra warm clothing was needed, as well as some way to waterproof the sleeping bags and inflatable matresses, so I cut up a piece of vinyl sheeting that was lying in the garage and wrapped them up in it. As waterproofing it worked well, the sleeping bags stayed dry, and we were able to use the bits around the tent to stop treading mud into it.
The bike loaded and ready to go!
Myself and the wife about to hit the road.
We headed north up the N1, stopped at the Wimpy at Kranskop for a brekkie and coffee, and then continued on to Polokwane/Pietersburg. Then we headed east towards Magoebaskloof. And that was where the first bits of rain started. The road is also being repaired, and a few stop-and-go restrictions are in place. But we persevered, and made the first stop at the Magoebaskloof Hotel for a coffee and a smoke break.
The view from the deck at the hotel
Posing at the waterwheel
The name of the pub is quite apt, seeing as the hotel burned down a few years ago
Feeling a little warmer we continued down Magoebaskloof pass, taking it slow in the treacherous conditions. Then onwards to Tzaneen. We came across this roadsign just before Tzaneen, the wife just had to get a pic.
The weather had cleared a little, and from Tzaneen we headed southwards down the R36. A roadside stop was a good place for a smoke-break. Note how small the wife looks alongside the loaded GSA ;D
The obligatory stop at the entrance to the JG Strijdom tunnel. Pity about all the curio shacks built there now...
We were able to push it a bit harder along the dryer road, and the passes were exhilarating to say the least. Finally we arrived at the Forever Resorts Blyde River Canyon. We booked into the campsite without any hassles about being on a bike. Camping costs R85/person/night. The campsite is pretty well maintained, and we had a nice piece of grass to set up the little tent on. Each campsite also has a brick braai with a light, an electricity connection point, and a table and benches. Lots of big trees make sure that its nice and shady.
We had a great buffet dinner in the resort restaurant, and the resort shop is well-stocked with just about everything one could want. There is also a bottle-store, fuel pumps, and an ATM onsite. We just made it back to the tent after dinner before the heavens opened up again, but the tent remained dry inside and we slept well after a long day's riding.
As usual the budget was very limited so we had to do it as cheaply as possible. We had previously visited Graskop, but had not had the time to visit the canyon and it was on the wife's bucket list. She also enjoys the mountain passes as much as I do, so we wanted to ride as many of them as possible.
We packed up the GSA quite heavily, the weather forcast predicted rain and cold weather, so extra warm clothing was needed, as well as some way to waterproof the sleeping bags and inflatable matresses, so I cut up a piece of vinyl sheeting that was lying in the garage and wrapped them up in it. As waterproofing it worked well, the sleeping bags stayed dry, and we were able to use the bits around the tent to stop treading mud into it.
The bike loaded and ready to go!
Myself and the wife about to hit the road.
We headed north up the N1, stopped at the Wimpy at Kranskop for a brekkie and coffee, and then continued on to Polokwane/Pietersburg. Then we headed east towards Magoebaskloof. And that was where the first bits of rain started. The road is also being repaired, and a few stop-and-go restrictions are in place. But we persevered, and made the first stop at the Magoebaskloof Hotel for a coffee and a smoke break.
The view from the deck at the hotel
Posing at the waterwheel
The name of the pub is quite apt, seeing as the hotel burned down a few years ago
Feeling a little warmer we continued down Magoebaskloof pass, taking it slow in the treacherous conditions. Then onwards to Tzaneen. We came across this roadsign just before Tzaneen, the wife just had to get a pic.
The weather had cleared a little, and from Tzaneen we headed southwards down the R36. A roadside stop was a good place for a smoke-break. Note how small the wife looks alongside the loaded GSA ;D
The obligatory stop at the entrance to the JG Strijdom tunnel. Pity about all the curio shacks built there now...
We were able to push it a bit harder along the dryer road, and the passes were exhilarating to say the least. Finally we arrived at the Forever Resorts Blyde River Canyon. We booked into the campsite without any hassles about being on a bike. Camping costs R85/person/night. The campsite is pretty well maintained, and we had a nice piece of grass to set up the little tent on. Each campsite also has a brick braai with a light, an electricity connection point, and a table and benches. Lots of big trees make sure that its nice and shady.
We had a great buffet dinner in the resort restaurant, and the resort shop is well-stocked with just about everything one could want. There is also a bottle-store, fuel pumps, and an ATM onsite. We just made it back to the tent after dinner before the heavens opened up again, but the tent remained dry inside and we slept well after a long day's riding.
