Cave Girl
Race Dog
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2007
- Messages
- 2,506
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Croydon - Kempton Park
- Bike
- Kawasaki KLR 650
I wonâ??t bore you with a long trip report because most of it was done on tar â?? as this was only my 3rd trip of more than 700km it was a great learning experience for me.
Some Facts: Total KM = 3838 â?? Petrol cost = R1372 â?? Km/L = R16.89
Considering my bike was fully loaded â?? female on a camping trip â?¦â?¦.
Day one 25th Dec
Left home around midday, headed off for Vereeninging â?? it took me 45 min and 73km to find my way out on the R82 headed for Heilbron, Reitz with a short detour to Bethlehem my first stop - ~250km or so. Managed to miss the rain.
Day two 26th Dec
Left after a great breakfast headed to Queenstown on the R26 through Ficksburg to Rouxville where I joined the N6 to Queenstown. Got into Queenstown riding round to find a camp site the bolt holding my gear leaver thingy snapped off managed to find a really helpful tow truck driver who managed to persuade a friend to open shop to get the bike sorted â?? R60 and 2 hours later I was set to go again. It was now to late to find a camp site so stayed in a B&B, except they didnâ??t offer breakfast â?¦..
Somewhere before Queenstown â?? the storm I just missed.
Day three 27th December
As I had promised family and friends I would stick to tar because I was alone, I did try and according to my map book I didnâ??t break my promise, however the road between Tarkastad & Adelaid looked more interesting started out as tar for about 15 min or so, then I got to a boom gate and a gravel road, it was a good gravel road so I figured it would be okay as long as I took it slowly, it stayed a great road for at least the first hour, there were a few iffy patches through the shady areaâ??s but I managed them with my stomach in my throat â?? we then hit our fist mud monster â?? had great fun keeping the bike in the upright position fortunately it was only 2/3m or so. 2nd stretch was a little longer â?? 5/10m or so â?? that one we didnâ??t get through that easily â?? managed to end up in a mud puddle with my foot trapped under the bike. Lay there in the mud for 2/3 min or so wondering how I would get out of this hoping someone would come passed soon to help, another 5min or so and the bike was starting to get very heavy and my ankle was starting to complain big time â?? with lots of effort managed to dig the mud out under my boot to get the buckles undone, and lifting the bike a few mm managed to pull my foot out my boot YaY I was free â?? full of mud, but free.
No way I could pick up the bike so thought it best to unpack it to see if it was any easier â?? it wasnâ??t so I walked down to the stream and had a wash â?? got most the mud off â?? an hour or so later my prince charming in a white sedan came to my rescue along with his son they managed to pick the bike up and push it through the rest of the mud puddle to dry ground â?? of course it would not start so I figured it must be flooded from lying on itâ??s side for so long and a few hours later it would be fine. Fortunately by the time I had re-packed it started no problem. Next muddy stretch had me off the bike in the car track wondering if I was going to be able to make it â?? on the hill in front was my prince charming sliding sideways through the next muddy patch â?? I was wondering if I was going to make it but figured at least they were close by so if I fell again help was at hand. Made it through okay and got to the start of the next stretch, Prince charming had walked back down the hill to tell me their car had got stuck â?? great for my confidence â?? he then proceeded to explain what line I should take â?? i.e. not in this tyre tracks â?? with lots of encouragement and sheer determination managed to get through PHEW. That fortunately was the last muddy section and the rest of the trip went really well though the twisty windy bit a few km later was a little challenging.
The view from the top of the pass.
The rest of the trip down through Cradock and into JBay was uneventful as it was completed on the N10 & N2.
Day four 28th Dec
Met up with the guys to plan the Baviaans tripâ?¦.. There were a few of us that needed to discuss things in more detail which took most the afternoon.
Day five 29th Dec
Met at 7am and headed out to Humansdorp to meet the rest of the group.
Had breakfast at the Wimpy and we were on our way just after 8am. Went through Paqtensie and into the reserve, I was having an amazing if slow ride â?? THANKS SO MUCH Arthur for patiently staying with me and offering LOTS of encouragement â?? I would not have attempted the trip if all the guys & Chrissie had not made me feel so welcome, and I appreciate me going at 40/60km max must have been frustrating at best!!!
Got to the long water crossing at Smitskraal â?? waited to Arthur to go through and followed him â?? as I got into the water I realized I was in 2nd gear and was to scared to change gears â?? that would have meant releasing the handlebarsâ?¦ so when the bike wanted to falter I was forced to open up â?? what fun, got through in style and very pleased with myself.
Unfortunately Skalk had put a hole in his sump so the trip was over for him, after some gentle persuasion I managed to trade him my bike for the spot on the bakkie he had arranged for himself and off I went in luxury. I have to admit I was having fun looking at all the scenery taking lots of photoâ??s and generally getting my stomach to settle back into place â?? after the first stop we made I started to worry that Skalk had not caught up and it was only when we got to camp that I found out my bike had decided it was not gay and was not going to allow a man to ride it â?? Frustrating but both our bikes ended up having to be trailed back to JBay in the middle of the night â?? Just want to say thanks to Skalk for arranging everything and getting me and David (I have decided to call my bike David as we faced Goliath and won) back safe and sound.
Day 6 30th Dec
I was feeling very down â?? stuck in a town I didnâ??t know with a bike that didnâ??t go and no idea what to do. Fortunately my landlord made one phone call and help arrived 30min later â?? the switch on the side stand was stuck as we found out an hour or so later after all plugs, fuses, electrics had been checked for water (the bike had not started after my water crossing â?? and I had been wet to my armpits) that the safety switch on the side stand was faulty â?? They managed to get it forced into the my stand isnâ??t down and then taped it out the way and my bike was back on the road and ready for the rest of the trip.
Went to have a look at the waterfall in JBay â?? defiantly a place to spend the day with family if you are ever there â?? Really great fun sliding down the waterfall on a tube or floatable item.
Day seven 31st December
Set off for CT at 6am via Oudsthoorn on the R62 the plan was to go via Ladysmith to Woster, but the road just outside Oudshoorn had been closed so had to detour down to Mosselbay on the 353 (I think) beautiful ride â?? Sorry didnâ??t take photoâ??s then joined the N2 all the way into CT â?? the section round Houhoek was stressful as the wind was trying hard to blow me off the side of the mountain.
Spent the next couple of days with family.
Day ten 3rd January
Left CT at 3pm with intention of getting to Laingsburg as I was on the N1 unfortunately the wind was not about to let me go much faster than 80km per hour, well put it this way no way I was going to let go of the handle bars to change gears so when I got stuck behind a truck I just did what ever speed they were doing â?? Mmmmm think I will be better next trip!!
So only managed to get to De Doorns totally mentally and physically exhausted!
Day 11 4th January
Kept to the N1 all the way to three sisters and then up the N12 to Kimberly â?? by this stage I was pretty much doing 120/140 even in the wind â?? I am defiantly a much more confident rider and have to admit it is easier to keep the bike on the road in gusting winds at 100km than it is at 80km. Stayed at the backpackers in Kimberly â?? defiantly a great place to stay specially if you are interested in history the lady of the place has a wealth of information to share and is really keen to chat â?? only got to bed very late.
Day ten 4th January
Kept to the N12 and apart from the delayâ??s due to road works had a great ride home.
Although I have put 30 000km on my bike in the last 18months most of it has been commuting to and from work so this trip on my own was a great experience and I still LOVE riding my bike enough to have enjoyed the trip even though it was mostly on tar, however the thrill of the 80km leg between Tarkastad & Adelaid makes me excited about doing the BMW off road course in March so I will be more confident and able to take on dirt roads for my next trip â?? I just really need to get my head around the standing up thing â?? you have to fall harder from up there â??
Some Facts: Total KM = 3838 â?? Petrol cost = R1372 â?? Km/L = R16.89
Considering my bike was fully loaded â?? female on a camping trip â?¦â?¦.
Day one 25th Dec
Left home around midday, headed off for Vereeninging â?? it took me 45 min and 73km to find my way out on the R82 headed for Heilbron, Reitz with a short detour to Bethlehem my first stop - ~250km or so. Managed to miss the rain.
Day two 26th Dec
Left after a great breakfast headed to Queenstown on the R26 through Ficksburg to Rouxville where I joined the N6 to Queenstown. Got into Queenstown riding round to find a camp site the bolt holding my gear leaver thingy snapped off managed to find a really helpful tow truck driver who managed to persuade a friend to open shop to get the bike sorted â?? R60 and 2 hours later I was set to go again. It was now to late to find a camp site so stayed in a B&B, except they didnâ??t offer breakfast â?¦..
Somewhere before Queenstown â?? the storm I just missed.
Day three 27th December
As I had promised family and friends I would stick to tar because I was alone, I did try and according to my map book I didnâ??t break my promise, however the road between Tarkastad & Adelaid looked more interesting started out as tar for about 15 min or so, then I got to a boom gate and a gravel road, it was a good gravel road so I figured it would be okay as long as I took it slowly, it stayed a great road for at least the first hour, there were a few iffy patches through the shady areaâ??s but I managed them with my stomach in my throat â?? we then hit our fist mud monster â?? had great fun keeping the bike in the upright position fortunately it was only 2/3m or so. 2nd stretch was a little longer â?? 5/10m or so â?? that one we didnâ??t get through that easily â?? managed to end up in a mud puddle with my foot trapped under the bike. Lay there in the mud for 2/3 min or so wondering how I would get out of this hoping someone would come passed soon to help, another 5min or so and the bike was starting to get very heavy and my ankle was starting to complain big time â?? with lots of effort managed to dig the mud out under my boot to get the buckles undone, and lifting the bike a few mm managed to pull my foot out my boot YaY I was free â?? full of mud, but free.
No way I could pick up the bike so thought it best to unpack it to see if it was any easier â?? it wasnâ??t so I walked down to the stream and had a wash â?? got most the mud off â?? an hour or so later my prince charming in a white sedan came to my rescue along with his son they managed to pick the bike up and push it through the rest of the mud puddle to dry ground â?? of course it would not start so I figured it must be flooded from lying on itâ??s side for so long and a few hours later it would be fine. Fortunately by the time I had re-packed it started no problem. Next muddy stretch had me off the bike in the car track wondering if I was going to be able to make it â?? on the hill in front was my prince charming sliding sideways through the next muddy patch â?? I was wondering if I was going to make it but figured at least they were close by so if I fell again help was at hand. Made it through okay and got to the start of the next stretch, Prince charming had walked back down the hill to tell me their car had got stuck â?? great for my confidence â?? he then proceeded to explain what line I should take â?? i.e. not in this tyre tracks â?? with lots of encouragement and sheer determination managed to get through PHEW. That fortunately was the last muddy section and the rest of the trip went really well though the twisty windy bit a few km later was a little challenging.
The view from the top of the pass.
The rest of the trip down through Cradock and into JBay was uneventful as it was completed on the N10 & N2.
Day four 28th Dec
Met up with the guys to plan the Baviaans tripâ?¦.. There were a few of us that needed to discuss things in more detail which took most the afternoon.
Day five 29th Dec
Met at 7am and headed out to Humansdorp to meet the rest of the group.
Had breakfast at the Wimpy and we were on our way just after 8am. Went through Paqtensie and into the reserve, I was having an amazing if slow ride â?? THANKS SO MUCH Arthur for patiently staying with me and offering LOTS of encouragement â?? I would not have attempted the trip if all the guys & Chrissie had not made me feel so welcome, and I appreciate me going at 40/60km max must have been frustrating at best!!!
Got to the long water crossing at Smitskraal â?? waited to Arthur to go through and followed him â?? as I got into the water I realized I was in 2nd gear and was to scared to change gears â?? that would have meant releasing the handlebarsâ?¦ so when the bike wanted to falter I was forced to open up â?? what fun, got through in style and very pleased with myself.
Unfortunately Skalk had put a hole in his sump so the trip was over for him, after some gentle persuasion I managed to trade him my bike for the spot on the bakkie he had arranged for himself and off I went in luxury. I have to admit I was having fun looking at all the scenery taking lots of photoâ??s and generally getting my stomach to settle back into place â?? after the first stop we made I started to worry that Skalk had not caught up and it was only when we got to camp that I found out my bike had decided it was not gay and was not going to allow a man to ride it â?? Frustrating but both our bikes ended up having to be trailed back to JBay in the middle of the night â?? Just want to say thanks to Skalk for arranging everything and getting me and David (I have decided to call my bike David as we faced Goliath and won) back safe and sound.
Day 6 30th Dec
I was feeling very down â?? stuck in a town I didnâ??t know with a bike that didnâ??t go and no idea what to do. Fortunately my landlord made one phone call and help arrived 30min later â?? the switch on the side stand was stuck as we found out an hour or so later after all plugs, fuses, electrics had been checked for water (the bike had not started after my water crossing â?? and I had been wet to my armpits) that the safety switch on the side stand was faulty â?? They managed to get it forced into the my stand isnâ??t down and then taped it out the way and my bike was back on the road and ready for the rest of the trip.
Went to have a look at the waterfall in JBay â?? defiantly a place to spend the day with family if you are ever there â?? Really great fun sliding down the waterfall on a tube or floatable item.
Day seven 31st December
Set off for CT at 6am via Oudsthoorn on the R62 the plan was to go via Ladysmith to Woster, but the road just outside Oudshoorn had been closed so had to detour down to Mosselbay on the 353 (I think) beautiful ride â?? Sorry didnâ??t take photoâ??s then joined the N2 all the way into CT â?? the section round Houhoek was stressful as the wind was trying hard to blow me off the side of the mountain.
Spent the next couple of days with family.
Day ten 3rd January
Left CT at 3pm with intention of getting to Laingsburg as I was on the N1 unfortunately the wind was not about to let me go much faster than 80km per hour, well put it this way no way I was going to let go of the handle bars to change gears so when I got stuck behind a truck I just did what ever speed they were doing â?? Mmmmm think I will be better next trip!!
So only managed to get to De Doorns totally mentally and physically exhausted!
Day 11 4th January
Kept to the N1 all the way to three sisters and then up the N12 to Kimberly â?? by this stage I was pretty much doing 120/140 even in the wind â?? I am defiantly a much more confident rider and have to admit it is easier to keep the bike on the road in gusting winds at 100km than it is at 80km. Stayed at the backpackers in Kimberly â?? defiantly a great place to stay specially if you are interested in history the lady of the place has a wealth of information to share and is really keen to chat â?? only got to bed very late.
Day ten 4th January
Kept to the N12 and apart from the delayâ??s due to road works had a great ride home.
Although I have put 30 000km on my bike in the last 18months most of it has been commuting to and from work so this trip on my own was a great experience and I still LOVE riding my bike enough to have enjoyed the trip even though it was mostly on tar, however the thrill of the 80km leg between Tarkastad & Adelaid makes me excited about doing the BMW off road course in March so I will be more confident and able to take on dirt roads for my next trip â?? I just really need to get my head around the standing up thing â?? you have to fall harder from up there â??
