- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
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- Location
- Hilton KZN
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- Boss Hoss (all models)
My friend Ross had asked me a few days ago whether I fancied a ride up Sani and through Lesotho sometime as he has had his GS 1200 for a few months now, done the training, but still not been up Sani. I told him I am keen, but only if good weather is guaranteed, as I hate riding in the rain.
So he phones me Tuesday night and says that according to weatherphotos.co.za , there is no rain forecast for Lesotho the next day, so am I keen. I tell him I'm not too sure, coz it's been pissing down the whole day and rain has been predicted for tomorrow. Ok, he says, I'll phone you at 05h00 and we can see how it looks.
Anyway, as it turns out i get woken at 05h00 the next morning by his call and I find myself agreeing to meet him and Allan at the Merrivale Shell garage at 06h00.
Here are Ross on his GS 1200 and Allan on his GS 650 at Merrivale.
We make pretty good time to the Sani border post, taking a little shortcut through Pevensey, where we encountered some lekker thick slippery mud, a sign of all the rain we have had.
We got to the border at 08h00 as planned, and after getting the passports stamped we were through. It was pretty cloudy at the bottom of the pass, but blue sky was visible, a good omen for the trip.
The pass was in pretty good condition considering all the rain the previous day, but no mud at least.
At the top
Paid our R4 road tax at the Lesotho border and headed straight to Sani Top Chalets
Where we headed straight for the deck and a Maluti lager for breakfast.
And then the obligatory photy at the highest pub in Africa
We left Sani Top Chalets at around 09h00 and headed for Black Mountain, where we stopped for some breakfast at the side of the road (thanks Allan, those were damn fine porkies).
The weather was brilliant, clear blue skies and a bracing cold wind to keep you concentrating. The road to Mokhotlong was really lekker, and we reached the tar at Mokhotlong far too quickly for my liking, as it meant it was tar road from here for the rest of the way.
There had obviously been stacks of rain here recently, as there were rivers everywhere, and they were pumping.
We carried on through Tlokoeng and onto Oxbow pass, and then onto the Caledonspoort border post where we exited Lesotho. There is tar all the way from Mokhotlong to Caledonspoort, but sections are really crappy, full of pot-holes, to such an extent that it would have been easier riding on dirt.
From Caledonspoort we headed for Clarens and lunch
We left Clarens just before 15h00 and had an uneventful ride back through Golden Gate and over Oliviershoek Pass. I don't really approve of okes who "skiet" toll gates, but as the car in front of me at the Mooi River Toll Plaza pulled away, I don't know why I did, but I decided that I'm not gonna pay, and I just followed the car through. I felt a bit guillty for about five seconds, but I have to admit, it felt fucking good!
Anyway, I arrived home in Hilton at 17h30, having done 740km for the day, weather was perfect, except that it started raining as I got into Hilton (typical), but this was not enough to make me wet.
Everyone needs to take a day off every now and then
So he phones me Tuesday night and says that according to weatherphotos.co.za , there is no rain forecast for Lesotho the next day, so am I keen. I tell him I'm not too sure, coz it's been pissing down the whole day and rain has been predicted for tomorrow. Ok, he says, I'll phone you at 05h00 and we can see how it looks.
Anyway, as it turns out i get woken at 05h00 the next morning by his call and I find myself agreeing to meet him and Allan at the Merrivale Shell garage at 06h00.
Here are Ross on his GS 1200 and Allan on his GS 650 at Merrivale.
We make pretty good time to the Sani border post, taking a little shortcut through Pevensey, where we encountered some lekker thick slippery mud, a sign of all the rain we have had.
We got to the border at 08h00 as planned, and after getting the passports stamped we were through. It was pretty cloudy at the bottom of the pass, but blue sky was visible, a good omen for the trip.
The pass was in pretty good condition considering all the rain the previous day, but no mud at least.
At the top
Paid our R4 road tax at the Lesotho border and headed straight to Sani Top Chalets
Where we headed straight for the deck and a Maluti lager for breakfast.
And then the obligatory photy at the highest pub in Africa
We left Sani Top Chalets at around 09h00 and headed for Black Mountain, where we stopped for some breakfast at the side of the road (thanks Allan, those were damn fine porkies).
The weather was brilliant, clear blue skies and a bracing cold wind to keep you concentrating. The road to Mokhotlong was really lekker, and we reached the tar at Mokhotlong far too quickly for my liking, as it meant it was tar road from here for the rest of the way.
There had obviously been stacks of rain here recently, as there were rivers everywhere, and they were pumping.
We carried on through Tlokoeng and onto Oxbow pass, and then onto the Caledonspoort border post where we exited Lesotho. There is tar all the way from Mokhotlong to Caledonspoort, but sections are really crappy, full of pot-holes, to such an extent that it would have been easier riding on dirt.
From Caledonspoort we headed for Clarens and lunch
We left Clarens just before 15h00 and had an uneventful ride back through Golden Gate and over Oliviershoek Pass. I don't really approve of okes who "skiet" toll gates, but as the car in front of me at the Mooi River Toll Plaza pulled away, I don't know why I did, but I decided that I'm not gonna pay, and I just followed the car through. I felt a bit guillty for about five seconds, but I have to admit, it felt fucking good!
Anyway, I arrived home in Hilton at 17h30, having done 740km for the day, weather was perfect, except that it started raining as I got into Hilton (typical), but this was not enough to make me wet.
Everyone needs to take a day off every now and then
