Dads & Lads: Namaqualand & Karoo 2019 (Complete / Volledig)
- Thread starter Archangel
- Start date
Archangel
Race Dog
OK, so kom ons kry eers Sid, Spiekman en Brent se kant van die storie up to date...
Team North left Bloem early(ish) (or VERY early in Pittaway time), ready for the road ahead!
First stop was somewhere close to an old Shell garage sign?
Some bridge that I have no idea where it was... Will update when the info comes through. :imaposer:
Quick stop and a swing of the hip flask, somewhere between Luckoff and Hopetown.
Liquid courage...
40 km from Prieska, making steady progress...
Apparently "amper daar"...
And then Brent had his first puncture of the trip on a 400km old Heidi, starting a topic that ran throughout the remainder of the trip and is yet to be settled.
Apparently these tubeless tires can be fixed quickly and efficiently next to the side of the road?
atch:
But without too many other hickups, they made it to Carnarvon by around 17h30, which was the designated central meeting point for teams North & South.
Team North left Bloem early(ish) (or VERY early in Pittaway time), ready for the road ahead!
First stop was somewhere close to an old Shell garage sign?
Some bridge that I have no idea where it was... Will update when the info comes through. :imaposer:
Quick stop and a swing of the hip flask, somewhere between Luckoff and Hopetown.
Liquid courage...
40 km from Prieska, making steady progress...
Apparently "amper daar"...
And then Brent had his first puncture of the trip on a 400km old Heidi, starting a topic that ran throughout the remainder of the trip and is yet to be settled.
Apparently these tubeless tires can be fixed quickly and efficiently next to the side of the road?
atch:
But without too many other hickups, they made it to Carnarvon by around 17h30, which was the designated central meeting point for teams North & South.
Archangel
Race Dog
Btw, somebody conveniently left out that we had to stop just before Ouberg to pump up this guy again.
After Jo fixed his tire in Sutherland, we dropped a message on the WhatsApp group at around 3pm saying that we're leaving Sutherland and should be in Carnarvon at around 17h. Little did we know what we're up against!
As quickly as we left Sutherland, Fraserburg popped up and we briefly stopped to ask a lady how far the T-junction towards Carnarvon was from the town. Taking the only real road leaving town towards Loxton/Carnarvon at around 16h with the sun setting behind us (winter sunsets in this area is around 17h45), we had our hopes on being in Carnarvon within the hour. Being a bit tired of the fist day's riding (it turns out we're unfit and the daily commute doesn't quite work the same muscles) and with the road in the seemingly good condition, we unintentionally upped the speed to shorten the last stretch.
We were so close, I could almost taste the beer! So much so that I actually started driving like I was drunk, weaving from side to side on the road. Or wait, maybe my rear wheel is flat? Jip. Our 3rd flat for the group on the 1st (2nd?) day.
Needless to say, there's no cell reception on this road between Fraserburg / Loxton /Carnarvon, so we couldn't really give the rest of the team a heads up on our delay.
We fixed what we thought was the hole, pumped it up and went on our merry way, which lasted an entire 300m, before it was completely flat again.
I parked the bike on a little ridge to gain some height for the tire repair. During this 300m stretch, I also realised that when pushing the bike of the centre stand, the front wheel dug into a sand ditch and broke the speedo cable, so this was the last time on the trip that I had an odometer or speedo. :xxbah:
And so commenced the process of what we thought would be another 5 min stop to plug the next hole. But it wasn't to be...
And so, as the shadows were getting longer, with Carnarvon turnoff in the distance...
We made a call that Jo would ride to Carnarvon to go a get help, as this tire was obviously beyond repair. No amount of plugs would keep air in this guy. :-\
After Jo fixed his tire in Sutherland, we dropped a message on the WhatsApp group at around 3pm saying that we're leaving Sutherland and should be in Carnarvon at around 17h. Little did we know what we're up against!
As quickly as we left Sutherland, Fraserburg popped up and we briefly stopped to ask a lady how far the T-junction towards Carnarvon was from the town. Taking the only real road leaving town towards Loxton/Carnarvon at around 16h with the sun setting behind us (winter sunsets in this area is around 17h45), we had our hopes on being in Carnarvon within the hour. Being a bit tired of the fist day's riding (it turns out we're unfit and the daily commute doesn't quite work the same muscles) and with the road in the seemingly good condition, we unintentionally upped the speed to shorten the last stretch.
We were so close, I could almost taste the beer! So much so that I actually started driving like I was drunk, weaving from side to side on the road. Or wait, maybe my rear wheel is flat? Jip. Our 3rd flat for the group on the 1st (2nd?) day.
Needless to say, there's no cell reception on this road between Fraserburg / Loxton /Carnarvon, so we couldn't really give the rest of the team a heads up on our delay.
We fixed what we thought was the hole, pumped it up and went on our merry way, which lasted an entire 300m, before it was completely flat again.
I parked the bike on a little ridge to gain some height for the tire repair. During this 300m stretch, I also realised that when pushing the bike of the centre stand, the front wheel dug into a sand ditch and broke the speedo cable, so this was the last time on the trip that I had an odometer or speedo. :xxbah:
And so commenced the process of what we thought would be another 5 min stop to plug the next hole. But it wasn't to be...
And so, as the shadows were getting longer, with Carnarvon turnoff in the distance...
We made a call that Jo would ride to Carnarvon to go a get help, as this tire was obviously beyond repair. No amount of plugs would keep air in this guy. :-\
Archangel
Race Dog
So I think to myself, it's about 17h15 when Jo left to find help and it's approx. 110km to Carnarvon, so I'm guessing he'll get there at around 18h30 (riding the last 30 minutes in the dark), get a tire or tube or bakkie or something, leave at around 19h and hopefully be back at the intersection at around 20h.
Having time to kill and not much else to do, I pushed the bike down to the T-junction.
Note the helmet behind the bike, as I recently learnt that this is the internal distress signal.
It doesn't help much if nobody passes by though... ;D
These high flying business guys didn't want to stop for me either.
And without any big announcement or even somebody to share the Karoo sunset with, it was dark and quiet.
At this point, the temperature dropped very quickly and after moving my bike to a safer spot out of the road, I unpacked my gear, got into my sleeping bag and realized that I can't actually remember the detailed plot of Racheltjie De Beer.
A brief logic test of my vulnerability yielded the following:
It's too cold for snakes.
There are no people in a 30km radius, so human threats are limited.
Wild animals in this area include small dear, tortoises, hares, foxes/jackals and sheep, none of which are real threats to humans.
With the safety factor settled in my mind, I thought about what else I could do to better my situation. Statistically speaking, waiting at the agreed place yields the best results and provides the most likely opportunity of being helped. Could the other guys see where I am on the GPX files? Or was it the kml file? What's the difference between kml and kmz anyways? And why do they use three letters to denote file types, such as pdf, exe and so on? 26 letters in the alphabet yielding 26 to the power 3, or 17 576 different file types. And somewhere on my way to that number, knowing that I couldn't do more to aid my own situation, I fell asleep.
Having time to kill and not much else to do, I pushed the bike down to the T-junction.
Note the helmet behind the bike, as I recently learnt that this is the internal distress signal.
It doesn't help much if nobody passes by though... ;D
These high flying business guys didn't want to stop for me either.
And without any big announcement or even somebody to share the Karoo sunset with, it was dark and quiet.
At this point, the temperature dropped very quickly and after moving my bike to a safer spot out of the road, I unpacked my gear, got into my sleeping bag and realized that I can't actually remember the detailed plot of Racheltjie De Beer.
A brief logic test of my vulnerability yielded the following:
It's too cold for snakes.
There are no people in a 30km radius, so human threats are limited.
Wild animals in this area include small dear, tortoises, hares, foxes/jackals and sheep, none of which are real threats to humans.
With the safety factor settled in my mind, I thought about what else I could do to better my situation. Statistically speaking, waiting at the agreed place yields the best results and provides the most likely opportunity of being helped. Could the other guys see where I am on the GPX files? Or was it the kml file? What's the difference between kml and kmz anyways? And why do they use three letters to denote file types, such as pdf, exe and so on? 26 letters in the alphabet yielding 26 to the power 3, or 17 576 different file types. And somewhere on my way to that number, knowing that I couldn't do more to aid my own situation, I fell asleep.
Archangel
Race Dog
On the other side, things were not so peaceful, as they had a rescue mission under way...
Sid, Spiekman and Brent obviously realized that something was up and Sid was pacing up and down the Carnarvon hotel, trying to figure out what to do. Spiekman tried to calm the situation, but by 18h30, Sid was ready to get on his bike and hit the road to come and look for us.
Meanwhile, Jo has been in town from about 18h20 and the people at the petrol station pointed him to the Carnarvon hotel where they said the other bikers were staying. But when he got to the Carnarvon hotel, the music was pumping with a local 21st birthday party and there were no signs of bikes, so back to the garage where he could pull out his phone and look at the messages. Jip, back to the hotel and as he stopped there, Sid happened to come out the front door, almost ready for his "Search and Rescue" mission.
A quick evaluation of their options pointed towards getting a recovery vehicle, as tire repair or replacement options were unfruitful. "Julle kan my bakkie leen", says the lady behind the bar, who also happens to run the hotel. "Hy's bietjie hoog, maar hy sal mooi loop. Julle moet net petrol ingooi, hy's bietjie laag op die oomblik." It's an early 90's single cab, 1 Tonner Nissan Hardbody bakkie with high railing (like those used to transport sheep) all around the bak and lifted suspension. Lifting the bike onto the bakkie would be a mission, so they wanted as many guys as possible, but they can't all fit into the cab and sitting on the back was likely to result in hypothermia. The executive decision was made and Jo would take Sid with on the recovery drive, leaving Carnarvon with a full tank at around 19h.
Sid, Spiekman and Brent obviously realized that something was up and Sid was pacing up and down the Carnarvon hotel, trying to figure out what to do. Spiekman tried to calm the situation, but by 18h30, Sid was ready to get on his bike and hit the road to come and look for us.
Meanwhile, Jo has been in town from about 18h20 and the people at the petrol station pointed him to the Carnarvon hotel where they said the other bikers were staying. But when he got to the Carnarvon hotel, the music was pumping with a local 21st birthday party and there were no signs of bikes, so back to the garage where he could pull out his phone and look at the messages. Jip, back to the hotel and as he stopped there, Sid happened to come out the front door, almost ready for his "Search and Rescue" mission.
A quick evaluation of their options pointed towards getting a recovery vehicle, as tire repair or replacement options were unfruitful. "Julle kan my bakkie leen", says the lady behind the bar, who also happens to run the hotel. "Hy's bietjie hoog, maar hy sal mooi loop. Julle moet net petrol ingooi, hy's bietjie laag op die oomblik." It's an early 90's single cab, 1 Tonner Nissan Hardbody bakkie with high railing (like those used to transport sheep) all around the bak and lifted suspension. Lifting the bike onto the bakkie would be a mission, so they wanted as many guys as possible, but they can't all fit into the cab and sitting on the back was likely to result in hypothermia. The executive decision was made and Jo would take Sid with on the recovery drive, leaving Carnarvon with a full tank at around 19h.
Archangel
Race Dog
Not wanting to leave me out in the cold for too long, some of the communication was quite cryptic and as a result, Brent and Charles didn't really get the picture of how far Sid and Jo had to drive to come and retrieve the hampered steed and it's rider. By 21h the conversation between Spiekman & Brent went something like "Gab, Sid & Jo are the 3 most resourceful people we know. If they can't fix it or bring it back, there's no way we can change that. Our only option is to take sleeping bags, coffee and sarmies, so they are hot, fed and don't sleep out there alone" :3some:
Meanwhile, Sid & Jo rocked up at the T-juction at just after 20h and rudely woke me from my peaceful sleep with a "Hey, soek jy dalk 'n lift?"
They scouted a spot and drove the bakkie over a side of the road into a bit of a ditch, so that we can use the road sidewall as a ramp to get the bike onto the back.
It worked like a charm by roughly 20h30, we were loaded and ready to hit the road back to Carnarvon.
Meanwhile, Sid & Jo rocked up at the T-juction at just after 20h and rudely woke me from my peaceful sleep with a "Hey, soek jy dalk 'n lift?"
They scouted a spot and drove the bakkie over a side of the road into a bit of a ditch, so that we can use the road sidewall as a ramp to get the bike onto the back.
It worked like a charm by roughly 20h30, we were loaded and ready to hit the road back to Carnarvon.
Archangel
Race Dog
So we jammed three people (totaling well over 300kg) onto the front bench-type seat. Jo was driving with his right arm only, I was in the middle with my legs over Skoonpa Sid's legs towards the passenger side and I had to lift my but for every gear change, but even with lifting, we could only get 1st, 3rd and 5th. As it turns out, those Nissans don't have great lights, but the lifted suspension made up for the lack of vision. Even so, it was the longest 100km's I've ever had to endure. Just before 22h we rolled into Carnarvon and the ceremonious beers and steak welcomed us at the hotel. Finally the bulk of the crew was together, only missing Godfried that would join us the next day.
The welcomes were quickly replaced with stories of "what could have been" if things didn't work out or "what we should have done" to prevent this from happening. All in all, this trip started true to the theme of any Kroes/Pittaway holiday:
It's not an adventure, until something breaks.
And that, ladies and gentleman, concludes Day 1 of our trip, including a mere 4 punctures (give or take... :ricky: ), a complete breakdown, sleeping next to the road, and finally the recovery.
Did this trip peak too early? Or was there more adventure to come?
The welcomes were quickly replaced with stories of "what could have been" if things didn't work out or "what we should have done" to prevent this from happening. All in all, this trip started true to the theme of any Kroes/Pittaway holiday:
It's not an adventure, until something breaks.
And that, ladies and gentleman, concludes Day 1 of our trip, including a mere 4 punctures (give or take... :ricky: ), a complete breakdown, sleeping next to the road, and finally the recovery.
Did this trip peak too early? Or was there more adventure to come?
Klink my julle het omtrent 'n opwindende eerste dag gehad. Bly om te hoor almal het veilig by hulle bestemming uitgekom :thumleft:
woody1
Bachelor Dog
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Note to myself....
Myself moenie saam met Johan en Sid se groepie ry nie....nooit nie....hoor jy :3some: :ricky:
Myself moenie saam met Johan en Sid se groepie ry nie....nooit nie....hoor jy :3some: :ricky:
ClimbingTurtle
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En daai Staal Bruggie is net buite Oranjeville oor die Vaal Dam - well, a small piece of the Vaal dam anyway.....
En eks stem saam met [member=12971]woody1[/member]
Just saying.....
:thumleft:
En eks stem saam met [member=12971]woody1[/member]
Just saying.....
:thumleft:
woody1
Bachelor Dog
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Ek het Mei ook daar rondgery met die sidecar.
Gelukkig het die Bridgstone Run Flat agter en die Harley Davidson voor band daai klipperige paaie kon oorleef.
Wel 'n klip wat my sump a klein gaatjie ingeslaan het maar net so 10 druppels olie gelek het toe ek in Sutherland oorgeslaap het.
Die run flat het tussen Laingsburg en Ladismith pap geraak, maar ek kon hom ry tot in Ladismith en daar 'n proppie ingesit. :ricky:
Gelukkig het die Bridgstone Run Flat agter en die Harley Davidson voor band daai klipperige paaie kon oorleef.
Wel 'n klip wat my sump a klein gaatjie ingeslaan het maar net so 10 druppels olie gelek het toe ek in Sutherland oorgeslaap het.
Die run flat het tussen Laingsburg en Ladismith pap geraak, maar ek kon hom ry tot in Ladismith en daar 'n proppie ingesit. :ricky:
woody1 said:
Teensy jy wil leer hoe om probleme op te kos!!!
...op te "LOS"
woody1
Bachelor Dog
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Sien julle....sommige mense WIL maar sukkel... ek is op my oudag te sag :laughing4:
Archangel
Race Dog
Brucet said:
I had a TKC80 on the rear and we knew that this would be the last trip for this tire, but on Day 1, it was still in relatively good condition. Brent's Heidenau K60 Scout was brand new and Jo's Heidi K60 was probably about 60% spent, but still in OK condition too. I guess the roads just had many sharp rocks and perhaps we were a bit unlucky. :dontknow:
Anyways, after my flat, Jo's comment was "Get a Heidi", not knowing that Brent already had a flat on his brand new Heidi. :lol8:
I've always tripped with tubed tires, as my feeling was they can generally be repaired. Sure, it takes more time and effort, but you are less likely to be stranded next to the side of the road like this. I had a spare tube at home, but after all the promises of what tubeless tires should be, I tried to embrace it and left the tube at home. This was my first trip with tubeless tires and they confirmed what I have long feared... :dousing:
So for all those believers in tubeless tires or for those who claim that tubeless is a game changer in ADV bikes, my take is that they are in fact a game changer in the wrong direction IMHO. But hey, that's just my take on it...
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