Lekker man en nice foudies :thumleft:
Cave Girl and LeonDude goes forth, north.
- Thread starter LeonDude
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LeonDude
Bachelor Dog
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- Sep 26, 2007
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Back on the road after having a rest,
Doing what we do and love doing best.
Riding all day on roads we don’t know,
Today we will follow the Limpopos’ great flow.
Pafuri River camp to Ratho Bush camp
During the night Cave Girls wakes me up. We had sorted our riding gear the day before and left it on the ground sheet, and now we could hear rain falling. Shit. With bleary eyes we crawl out of the tent and get everything out of the rain, then crawl back into tent and try to sleep a bit more before morning comes.
Bikes ready to leave
We leave very early, intent on getting as far as possible before the heat of the day forces us off the bikes. I want to try and reach Ratho Bush camp, but on the way there I want to ride a road that hugs the Limpopo river, and I want to pass the most northern point of South Africa which, by the way, is not Beit Bridge. All this is new terrain to me, and from previous ride reports I am expecting nothing other than the thickest sand for mile upon mile.
We head west from Pafuri, and when we turn off on the first dirt road there was a boomgate, but it was opened with no questions asked or anything. We find no sand. Instead it is a very well maintained road that runs next to the Limpopo river. What does surprise me is the amount of razor wire between the road and the river, there are three rows of wire, each a few meters apart. And all three with great big holes in them every few hundred meters where the Zimbabweans are entering the country.
We stop for coffee at a fishing spot (above), then continue.
At another place where I stop for photies we climb up a little hill to take photos of our bikes next to the river. From this height we can hear a lot of shouting and a lot of it sounds angry. There is also a baby crying not far from us, and all of this is coming from the river. I walk to where I can see the river, and I’m not too surprised to see a person swimming across the river from Zim to SA. It makes me deeply uncomfortable, and I hurry Cave Girl along and down to the bikes to get out of there. The people coming over that river have nothing to lose by attacking the two of us, who have everything to lose. It really puts a damper on events.
The bikes next to the Limpopo river
You cannot see it too well on the photo, but that is a swimmer in the river
We reach Beit Bridge without any further incident. Here we have a bit of difficulty finding the road that I want to take, but Cave Girl finds it for us, and we head off on the road that a lot of people refer to as the Sisal line because of a row of sisal plants that was planted there many years ago. Just for the record, even though I searched and kept my eyes open, there was not one sisal plant to be seen on that road.
From here it’s only a few kilometers to the most northern point in South Africa. When we find it, I am not too impressed to find that of course there are three rows of razor wire, each with a great big hole in it. And down by the river, the angry shouting of Zimbabweans as they make their way over the river. Is there anybody still left in that country? Cave Girl wants to stay for a coffee, but I’m a bit disgusted. I piss on the northern most point and we get back on our bikes and head further.
Cave Girl at the northern most point
LeonDude at the northern most point
LeonDude showing his disgust with the border control. Groenie would have been so proud of me.
The bikes
Soon after I miss a turnoff point on the GPS, so we have to backtrack and sneak through a farm to get to the road that I want to be on, but soon we are riding through the Mapungubwe game reserve. Here the road is littered with elephant dung, and we ride carefully. The road is also very corrugated, and it gets worse and worse until we are forced to ride next to the road instead of on the road. I start remembering stories of shock absorbers packing up from corrugations, but by the time I start wondering if we should turn around we are already halfway into the park, and we might as well continue on. Man, that road could do with a serious bit of scraping. When we hit the tar we’re both glad the corrugations are over, but there’s more to come.
Sorry for the shitty quality of this pic, but I was in a bit of a hurry to get going again because whatever left those balls on the ground could still be lurking around, and the bush is so thick you cannot see them.
The dirt road to Ratho Bush camp is only fifteen kilometers long, but once again it’s badly corrugated, and this road is covered with marbles, so that the bikes are forever slipping and sliding under us. Then the marbles starts making way for sand. Lovely thick patches of sand waiting to grab us. We’re having none of it, we are tired and hot and we want to get off the road, so we beat the sandmonster into submission and ride and ride. The fifteen kilos feels like a hundred miles of sliding around and then getting into sand patches, but at last we get to Ratho Bush camp, where a shower awaits us.
Sunset over the Limpopo river. I did no photochopping on these pics, the clouds were really that colour, and happened to match the colour of Cave Girls top perfectly.
I discover my second disastrous failure of the trip. Getting off my bike, I notice something is leaking out of my tail bag and all over my left saddle bag. Where is this water coming from, I think, and stick my finger into it. It’s not water, it’s oil. The good old can of GTX did not make the corrugations alive, and has sprung a small leak, and I’ve got half a can of GTX all over everything that was in my tail bag. Oh the beauty of biking.
Cave Girl’s turn to cast for supper. Check her top and the clouds and sky.
I try my hand at fishing again, but still with no luck. No matter, we have now fished the Limpopo river. That night we join the rest of the people in the camp for a communal braai, but as Cave Girl fetches our meat for a braai we get plates placed in our hands, and the other campers insist we share their meal with them. It is a lovely and unexpected gesture, thanks people.
If you are wondering why there are no fences between the camp and the river, it is because the opposite bank here is not Zimbabwe, it is Botswana. Bots people would rather stay where they are than come swimming over the river.
Under the stars of the African sky,
The flames of a campfire leap and fly.
Dancing and chasing the shadows around,
An African night our adventure has found.
Doing what we do and love doing best.
Riding all day on roads we don’t know,
Today we will follow the Limpopos’ great flow.
Pafuri River camp to Ratho Bush camp
During the night Cave Girls wakes me up. We had sorted our riding gear the day before and left it on the ground sheet, and now we could hear rain falling. Shit. With bleary eyes we crawl out of the tent and get everything out of the rain, then crawl back into tent and try to sleep a bit more before morning comes.
Bikes ready to leave
We leave very early, intent on getting as far as possible before the heat of the day forces us off the bikes. I want to try and reach Ratho Bush camp, but on the way there I want to ride a road that hugs the Limpopo river, and I want to pass the most northern point of South Africa which, by the way, is not Beit Bridge. All this is new terrain to me, and from previous ride reports I am expecting nothing other than the thickest sand for mile upon mile.
We head west from Pafuri, and when we turn off on the first dirt road there was a boomgate, but it was opened with no questions asked or anything. We find no sand. Instead it is a very well maintained road that runs next to the Limpopo river. What does surprise me is the amount of razor wire between the road and the river, there are three rows of wire, each a few meters apart. And all three with great big holes in them every few hundred meters where the Zimbabweans are entering the country.
We stop for coffee at a fishing spot (above), then continue.
At another place where I stop for photies we climb up a little hill to take photos of our bikes next to the river. From this height we can hear a lot of shouting and a lot of it sounds angry. There is also a baby crying not far from us, and all of this is coming from the river. I walk to where I can see the river, and I’m not too surprised to see a person swimming across the river from Zim to SA. It makes me deeply uncomfortable, and I hurry Cave Girl along and down to the bikes to get out of there. The people coming over that river have nothing to lose by attacking the two of us, who have everything to lose. It really puts a damper on events.
The bikes next to the Limpopo river
You cannot see it too well on the photo, but that is a swimmer in the river
We reach Beit Bridge without any further incident. Here we have a bit of difficulty finding the road that I want to take, but Cave Girl finds it for us, and we head off on the road that a lot of people refer to as the Sisal line because of a row of sisal plants that was planted there many years ago. Just for the record, even though I searched and kept my eyes open, there was not one sisal plant to be seen on that road.
From here it’s only a few kilometers to the most northern point in South Africa. When we find it, I am not too impressed to find that of course there are three rows of razor wire, each with a great big hole in it. And down by the river, the angry shouting of Zimbabweans as they make their way over the river. Is there anybody still left in that country? Cave Girl wants to stay for a coffee, but I’m a bit disgusted. I piss on the northern most point and we get back on our bikes and head further.
Cave Girl at the northern most point
LeonDude at the northern most point
LeonDude showing his disgust with the border control. Groenie would have been so proud of me.
The bikes
Soon after I miss a turnoff point on the GPS, so we have to backtrack and sneak through a farm to get to the road that I want to be on, but soon we are riding through the Mapungubwe game reserve. Here the road is littered with elephant dung, and we ride carefully. The road is also very corrugated, and it gets worse and worse until we are forced to ride next to the road instead of on the road. I start remembering stories of shock absorbers packing up from corrugations, but by the time I start wondering if we should turn around we are already halfway into the park, and we might as well continue on. Man, that road could do with a serious bit of scraping. When we hit the tar we’re both glad the corrugations are over, but there’s more to come.
Sorry for the shitty quality of this pic, but I was in a bit of a hurry to get going again because whatever left those balls on the ground could still be lurking around, and the bush is so thick you cannot see them.
The dirt road to Ratho Bush camp is only fifteen kilometers long, but once again it’s badly corrugated, and this road is covered with marbles, so that the bikes are forever slipping and sliding under us. Then the marbles starts making way for sand. Lovely thick patches of sand waiting to grab us. We’re having none of it, we are tired and hot and we want to get off the road, so we beat the sandmonster into submission and ride and ride. The fifteen kilos feels like a hundred miles of sliding around and then getting into sand patches, but at last we get to Ratho Bush camp, where a shower awaits us.
Sunset over the Limpopo river. I did no photochopping on these pics, the clouds were really that colour, and happened to match the colour of Cave Girls top perfectly.
I discover my second disastrous failure of the trip. Getting off my bike, I notice something is leaking out of my tail bag and all over my left saddle bag. Where is this water coming from, I think, and stick my finger into it. It’s not water, it’s oil. The good old can of GTX did not make the corrugations alive, and has sprung a small leak, and I’ve got half a can of GTX all over everything that was in my tail bag. Oh the beauty of biking.
Cave Girl’s turn to cast for supper. Check her top and the clouds and sky.
I try my hand at fishing again, but still with no luck. No matter, we have now fished the Limpopo river. That night we join the rest of the people in the camp for a communal braai, but as Cave Girl fetches our meat for a braai we get plates placed in our hands, and the other campers insist we share their meal with them. It is a lovely and unexpected gesture, thanks people.
If you are wondering why there are no fences between the camp and the river, it is because the opposite bank here is not Zimbabwe, it is Botswana. Bots people would rather stay where they are than come swimming over the river.
Under the stars of the African sky,
The flames of a campfire leap and fly.
Dancing and chasing the shadows around,
An African night our adventure has found.
Billbob
Race Dog
Nice trip LD and CG :thumleft: :drif:
Awesome :thumleft:
Keep it coming
Keep it coming
Chrissie B
Race Dog
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Great RR so far... when can we expect the rest? 
Man, one of these days I need to find a way to take leave and do a trip longer than 2 days... and find a suitable travel companion...
Man, one of these days I need to find a way to take leave and do a trip longer than 2 days... and find a suitable travel companion...
Great stuff Leon. Keep it coming.
I hope to be tracing some of those tracks in Oct - I may bug you for info !
I hope to be tracing some of those tracks in Oct - I may bug you for info !
Lekker Leon julle, moes n belewenis gewees het!!
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great trip so far, I wonder if that Zimbo swimmer was aware of the size of the reptiles in that mudhole? I have seen some monster crocs in the Limpopo river.
Panjo
Race Dog
I am Green :biggrin: with envy. :drif:
LeonDude
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
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- Gauteng - Centurion
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- Suzuki DR650
Sunrise on the river has a magic of its own,
That cannot by words or by pictures be shown.
Get out and go see for yourself how it glows,
Where the mighty Limpopo sweeps and flows.
Ratho Bush Camp to Tzaneen
We get up early, but I want to go have coffee on the banks of the Limpopo river. On the way there I take a wrong bush path and we end up wasting about half an hour walking through beautiful if rather clammy bushes. When we do get going we’re very worried about the condition of the road that we have to ride out, but a good nights’ rest has seen us right, and we fly over the stuff we were battling with yesterday.
Early morning next to the Limpopo river
Once on the tar I pick up the speed to Alldays, where we stop to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Leisurely for the waiter and waitress, not for us. Man, it always gets to me in these small towns how slow the service is. There are at least twenty people eating in this restaurant, and they have one waiter and one waitress doing all the work. Laid back, very laid back.
From Alldays we head due south, townhopping to see how far south we can get before the sun goes down. At Vivo we turn east to Louis Trichardt, a town that surprises me. Riding into town I think hell, this is what all towns in SA could look like. Everything is clean and neat and well looked after. But we don’t dilly dally, and we head out of town and find a dirt road that takes us South past the dam wall of the Albasini dam.
From there it’s a mixture of dirt and tar, passing through the scenic Duiwelskloof all the way to Tzaneen, where we end up spending yet another night at the Ivory tusk lodge, after a few phone calls convinced us that the B&B’s in the area was way more expensive than the hotel.
Once again the staff is great, going so far as to organize us a place to braai and setting us up with a nice fire. We have a great meal before retiring to bed once again happy with the days riding.
Not much of a plan, but to carry on riding,
Just us and our bikes, over Africa gliding.
The sights and the smells and things that we hear,
For a while in our minds will burn bright and clear.
That cannot by words or by pictures be shown.
Get out and go see for yourself how it glows,
Where the mighty Limpopo sweeps and flows.
Ratho Bush Camp to Tzaneen
We get up early, but I want to go have coffee on the banks of the Limpopo river. On the way there I take a wrong bush path and we end up wasting about half an hour walking through beautiful if rather clammy bushes. When we do get going we’re very worried about the condition of the road that we have to ride out, but a good nights’ rest has seen us right, and we fly over the stuff we were battling with yesterday.
Early morning next to the Limpopo river
Once on the tar I pick up the speed to Alldays, where we stop to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Leisurely for the waiter and waitress, not for us. Man, it always gets to me in these small towns how slow the service is. There are at least twenty people eating in this restaurant, and they have one waiter and one waitress doing all the work. Laid back, very laid back.
From Alldays we head due south, townhopping to see how far south we can get before the sun goes down. At Vivo we turn east to Louis Trichardt, a town that surprises me. Riding into town I think hell, this is what all towns in SA could look like. Everything is clean and neat and well looked after. But we don’t dilly dally, and we head out of town and find a dirt road that takes us South past the dam wall of the Albasini dam.
From there it’s a mixture of dirt and tar, passing through the scenic Duiwelskloof all the way to Tzaneen, where we end up spending yet another night at the Ivory tusk lodge, after a few phone calls convinced us that the B&B’s in the area was way more expensive than the hotel.
Once again the staff is great, going so far as to organize us a place to braai and setting us up with a nice fire. We have a great meal before retiring to bed once again happy with the days riding.
Not much of a plan, but to carry on riding,
Just us and our bikes, over Africa gliding.
The sights and the smells and things that we hear,
For a while in our minds will burn bright and clear.
LeonDude
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
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- Messages
- 10,495
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- Gauteng - Centurion
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Go South, go South, for friends are awaiting,
At convivial fires with their talk not abating.
The African Twin is a legend of old,
With a soul of passion and a heart of gold.
Tzaneen to Graskop
Right from the start we don our rain gear. We leave early and push on, because Cave Girl wants to get to Graskop early so we can watch the other Africa Twin group members arrive.
First photo stop at the business end of the Albasini dam.
A bit further on, the Olifants river, again.
A stop just after the JG Strydom tunnel.
The ride along the Blyde River Canyon is fantastic, and I can go back and do that ride again and again.
En route we stop off at the three rondawels to take some photos of this natural wonder. Fantastic view huh? I hope you people enjoy it, we rode a long way to bring you these pics!
Cave Girl enjoying the view of the Three Rondavels. At least we found a quiet spot in the mist to enjoy an early lunch, then we headed off to Graskop.
Some waterfall along the way. Damn, for the life of me I cannot remember which one this was!
After booking in and unpacking at Panorama we were off to the bar at the big swing, where the views were a bit more rewarding. And don’t even ask, no I did not do the big swing.
The view from the bar at the big swing.
Then the Africa Twin group started arriving, and the night was spent meeting new friends and greeting old ones.
Stories are told and tales unfold
Next to glowing warm fires in a night dark and cold.
Old friends are greeted and new friends are made,
Until the coals in the cold night fade.
At convivial fires with their talk not abating.
The African Twin is a legend of old,
With a soul of passion and a heart of gold.
Tzaneen to Graskop
Right from the start we don our rain gear. We leave early and push on, because Cave Girl wants to get to Graskop early so we can watch the other Africa Twin group members arrive.
First photo stop at the business end of the Albasini dam.
A stop just after the JG Strydom tunnel.
The ride along the Blyde River Canyon is fantastic, and I can go back and do that ride again and again.
En route we stop off at the three rondawels to take some photos of this natural wonder. Fantastic view huh? I hope you people enjoy it, we rode a long way to bring you these pics!
Cave Girl enjoying the view of the Three Rondavels. At least we found a quiet spot in the mist to enjoy an early lunch, then we headed off to Graskop.
Some waterfall along the way. Damn, for the life of me I cannot remember which one this was!
After booking in and unpacking at Panorama we were off to the bar at the big swing, where the views were a bit more rewarding. And don’t even ask, no I did not do the big swing.
Then the Africa Twin group started arriving, and the night was spent meeting new friends and greeting old ones.
Stories are told and tales unfold
Next to glowing warm fires in a night dark and cold.
Old friends are greeted and new friends are made,
Until the coals in the cold night fade.
Misty
Race Dog
Nice one L&S!!! Sjoe that was some mud there - well done!
Leon, I always enjoy your (and CaveGirl's) trips, for you take the time to appreciate the areas you ride through. The leisure of that comes through in the pix and your writing. Great!
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Enjoying this RR guys! :thumleft:
Nice one people - thanks for posting! :thumleft:
Cave Girl
Race Dog
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Thanks LD for doing all the work on the ride and the report - Really lucky to have you to ride with ;D
Looking forward to the last bit
Looking forward to the last bit
DRAZIL
Race Dog
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I thoroughly enjoyed the RR ,thanks to you both. :thumleft: :thumleft:
I vote we get a croc breeding program on the go. >
I vote we get a croc breeding program on the go. >
