EC Bash 10 - 14 May 2018: Purple Hooligan Rides Again!

[TVB]

Pragtig Ri  :thumleft:

Bly om te lees Anwar is ok!  :thumleft:

 

[Ri]

On the riding menu for today is the Attaquas Pass from south to west, and one of my favourites, Anysberg. I don't know much about Attequas Pass except that it is a bit challenging and very, very beautiful. As to Anysberg, I would still like to stay over one night and do some star gazing. Every time I pass through this reserve I buy a plot of land... or three. I hope to pass through it today unscathed.

From Groot Brak we head through to the Botlierskop Game Reserve, Dagbreek Pass up to Moordkuil Pass, where we turn left towards Bonnievale. These roads are welcome and familiar, old friends from my two Garden Route rides in December, wide and sweeping with sometimes steep up- and downhills with tight turns.

We stop in at Ruiterbos but unfortunately they aren't open.

Before we reach Bonnievale we turn left again at Haelkraal, and things become interesting. There are suddenly swooping and eroded little uphills and downhills covered in turns in lose gravel, sand, mud and little stones, at first sweeping through beautiful plantations and then suddenly out in the arid open. There are a few gates in our way, but we politely close all of them.

Soon we find ourselves at the Bonniedale farm gate, and the prospect of a nice cold beer.

My turn at opening the gate.

I'm too sexy for this shirt...

We skid to a halt on the lawns of Bonniedale Farm, and Keith heads off to find the owners, whom he knows well. Sadly they are overseas, but the caretaker kindly attends to us.

Bonniedale Farm has camping facilities and can cater for a fair number of people. Maybe at some point we should consider having a Bash at this lovely venue. Although it is not the most accessible - but isn't this the point? - you will truly be away from it all, and there are a range of activities from 4x4 route to hiking etc, and the old northern route is a great challenge for any plastics that rock up.

Some wood for Woody

Finally we can relax with beer in hand.

I'm too sexy for these glasses...

Keith and Kai cast an eye on the quad that won't start and gives the caretaker some advice.

 

[Ri]

Then it is time to suit up again and head for the hills, following the original ox wagon trail. Wait, WHAT? Good grief, my Boere ancestors were Ysters!

Pesky little loose rocks waiting for us again.

We pass a forgotten little "nedersettinkie", a toll house that served the original oxwagon trail.

Macho macho macho man!

I'm trying to popularise the moth-eaten look

I'm having an absolute adrenaline-fueled blast, to such an extent that on one corner I inadvertently open instead of ease the throttle and find myself careening towards a terrifying drop. At the last moment self-preservation kicks in, and I close the throttle, press lightly on the brake and throw my weight to the left to get Hooligan back on track. Keith tells me he had a momentary vision of me disappearing over the edge, a Hooligan-and-Ri version of Thelma & Louise.

Our naturalist stops to undress - the weather is becoming to hot for him.

 

[Ri]

At our next stop, Kai makes a distressing find - a little bird had crashed and gotten lodged in his bash plate.

This bridge has featured in all my ride reports since December, I think.

Our next stop is the Algerynskraal Restuarant on the R62 near Ladismith, where we have lunch, and I notice some of the damage I did to poor Hooligan in Baviaanskloof. We all have excellent soup and home made bread, and linger a bit too long in the cool shadows.

Thank goodness the indicator was still working!

Three well-used bikes

Back in cell phone range.

Yadda yadda...

 

[woody1]

By Bonnidale was julle daar deur die rivier onder by die kamp plekke...oor daai klippe in die rivier en to links op teen die berg uit ?

 

[Lou1]

Lekke!!

 

[Ri]

By Bonnidale was julle daar deur die rivier onder by die kamp plekke...oor daai klippe in die rivier en to links op teen die berg uit ?

Ek dink so maar [member=23621]ultraflight[/member] sal kan bevestig.

 

[woody1]

En jy praat al weer van Bonnievale toe dit Bonniedale is...dink seker weer aan SUIP.  :imaposer:  POST #121

 

[Ri]

In my defence werk ek van iemand anders se GPX af - ek is seker dit het gesê Bonnievale 

 

[woody1]

hick.... hick ... eepwall: :imaposer:

 

[Ri]

hick.... hick ... eepwall: :imaposer:

I neither confirm nor deny...  O0

 

[ultraflight]

By Bonnidale was julle daar deur die rivier onder by die kamp plekke...oor daai klippe in die rivier en to links op teen die berg uit ?

Nee, daai is die Noordelike roete, meer vir die plastics as ons groot bikes.
Ons het die westerlike ingang gebruik, van Haelkraal se kant af, en dan die Oosterlike uitgang tot amper by Cloetes Pas

 

[Ri]

We spend too long at lunch, and although much refreshed, we need to start hurrying. Our route winds around to incorporate as much gravel as possible, of which I fully approve, but the going is a little tedious. Kai or Keith pulls away, I'm in the middle and the other follows. I fall back to stay out of the leader's dust trail as it is exceptionally dry. He then slows down, possibly thinking I'm not coping with the speed. I speed up into his billowing dust cloud to encourage him to pick up speed. I then fall back again to stay out of the dust, and the cycle repeats.

At one point after we turn right towards Prinspoort Pass, Keith motions me to go ahead and I pull off, marveling in undusted views and beautiful fresh air up my nostrils. Eventually I stop to wait for Keith and Kai, to check that I'm still on the right route. I take a few action shots as they shoot past.

Sexy beast and beautiful rock

Last stretch before Anysberg

Taken just after the treacherous hairpin bend at the neck of the mountains, having nearly overshot it. They should really considering putting up some rails there...

Kai and Keith, having almost overshot the hairpin themselves, wait to make sure I make it OK

Fer faaaaark sakes, how many photo's is she still going to take?!!

Many, peeps. Many O0

My beloved Anysberg in the distance

Buffy, the Wannabe Gravel Slayer

We turn into the Anysberg Reserve and my heart speeds up in anticipation of the pebbly 2-spoor and long curvy stretch of thick sand my memory serves up. Keith motions me ahead again, and I grab the bull Hooligan by the horns handlebars and storm the castle 2-spoor track. To my surprise and slight disappointment, it's not nearly as challenging as I expect it to be. I wish I could say my riding has improved that much since I rode through here last, but in truth they are improving the road, and have scraped and built up significant stretches of it into hard packed gravel highway. In almost not time at all, I reach the office just this side of the middle of Anysberg, and head for the ablution facilities.

I'm always curious about the treasures that must be hidden in these mountain folds, and plan to one day come stay over and explore them. In a zillion years, when I've worked back my negative leave...

Great company :biggrin:

 

[Ri]

Keith nods and I head off again, straight into the stare of the sinking sun sulking above the horizon. I'm wearing dark glasses but they don't make much difference; I angle my head in all directions to keep the helmet's peak between the stabbing sun and my seeking eyes. The road becomes challenging again - this side clearly hasn't seen a grader yet - and I rise into attack position and storm ahead as fast as I dare - and then a little faster still. It becomes a long, magical moment of machine and motion, of speed and danger and beauty and harmony; a thrilling chase against encroaching darkness, peering into the dusty golden haze through slitted eyes. I feel like I'm riding to qualify for the Amageza. I charge ahead, feeling eternal and ephemeral, wishing this moment, this ride, would never end.

Too soon, the gate of Anysberg appears and I slide to a halt to wait for my companions, savouring this amazing adventure. I wait, and wait some more, and start to worry that one of them had taken a tumble. Finally they appear around the bend. Apparently Keith found it hard to believe my speed, and kept checking I hadn't fallen by the wayside. They don't look very happy; neither of them have peaks on their helmets, and Keith is riding with one hand shielding his face from the sun. It is hard going.

We turn towards Touwsrivier and speed into a thick dusty haze. At last the sun sinks behind the mountains, and we ride in gathering dusk. At Touwsrivier we stop to fill up, and to my deep dismay I realise that I'd lost my driver's licence and bank card somewhere in Anysberg. I use my banking app the cancel my bank card, and resign myself to applying for a new driver's licence when I get back from Namibia, maybe before if I have time. Keith graciously covers my fuel cost - thanks Keith, I still owe you! - and we climb onto the N1 and start the last leg home. It is cold, and we agree to take the Hugenot Tunnel, which I never take, never mind on a bike, because I love riding over Du Toits and I don't like the thought of all those exhaust fumes. The first few hundred metres into the tunnel is a gagging, suffocating experience but then it becomes fresher all the way to the other end of the tunnel.

Along the way, now fully dark, we stop to say good bye, and to my delight I receive hug after exhuberant hug. We'd survived this glorious, never ending day! What a journey, what a ride!

Salut, my compadres! We will ride again.

 

[Ri]

Epilogue

About 10 days after this trip I receive a phone call from a lady who works in the Anysberg reserve. Someone found my bank card and driver's licence, after they had apparently been ridden over and destroyed, and handed them over to her.

I'm stunned. I don't even know how she tracked me down. I thank her profusely and ask her to please post it to my sister, whom I'm visiting soon. Even a destroyed driver's license is better than nothing. When I come back from the Namibia trip my cards had arrived - by registered post. The bank card is indeed destroyed and unusable, but the driver's licence is completely fine.

How do you say thank you for such a generous act of tracking a person down and ensuring they receive their stuff?

 

[woody1]

By Bonnidale was julle daar deur die rivier onder by die kamp plekke...oor daai klippe in die rivier en to links op teen die berg uit ?

Nee, daai is die Noordelike roete, meer vir die plastics as ons groot bikes.
Ons het die westerlike ingang gebruik, van Haelkraal se kant af, en dan die Oosterlike uitgang tot amper by Cloetes Pas

Ek wou se, want ek het hom verlede Desember met die Jeep gery en EK sal hom nie met my bike aandurf nie.
Die hek is daar bo in elk geval gesluit so jy kan bo op die berg bietjie rondry en dan moet jy weer daar afkom.  :thumleft:

 

[ultraflight]

Ek wou se, want ek het hom verlede Desember met die Jeep gery en EK sal hom nie met my bike aandurf nie.
Die hek is daar bo in elk geval gesluit so jy kan bo op die berg bietjie rondry en dan moet jy weer daar afkom.  :thumleft:

Woody, jy kan reel met Nico by Bonniedale vir ‘n permit en hy sal n plan maak met daai hek.
Maar die res van daai pad noordwards is meer geskik vir n bergfiets (“mountainbike”?)

 

[Psycho Porra]

In Windhoek het ek 'n dosyn van daardie Jameson double tot botteltjies gekry

Daar is hy nou[emoji1360]dankie vir die ondersteuning Ri[emoji1374][emoji23]. Eendag sal ek maar vir jou 'n liter Jameson moet gee

 

[Ri]

In Windhoek het ek 'n dosyn van daardie Jameson double tot botteltjies gekry

Daar is hy nou[emoji1360]dankie vir die ondersteuning Ri[emoji1374][emoji23]. Eendag sal ek maar vir jou 'n liter Jameson moet gee

:laughing4:  Groot ondersteuner ;-)

 

[Snafu]

Nou eers weer terug op forum. Lekker report Ri!