Koës and beyond 2016

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

NIMMO

Race Dog
Joined
Jun 16, 2009
Messages
3,265
Reaction score
334
Location
Colesberg
Bike
KTM 990 Adventure
Nimmo does Koës & beyond

After the EC Bash (the first trip with the 990) I was keen on doing another.  I hoped the Verneukpan trip would materialize but the interest was too little to make it worthwhile.  As a joke I threw this into the Verneukpan planning a ride thread:

Nimmo said:
Gaan dit voorlopig uitstel na 'n latere datum - te veel ouens het dinge aan. Ons kan kyk na Aug / Sept ?
Kom JC en Peter ons ry Koës toe - is mos net entjie verder  :pot:

Both jumped on board before I even had my thinking cap on and as the saying goes “Die koeël was deur die kerk.  :pot:
Step one: WHERE the hell is Koës?  :imaposer:

Lesson one it is XOIS not Koes

After reading ChrisL’s RR I had a fair idea at least. The group that wanted to go started to look more like an Amageza training pack.  :peepwall:

weskus said:
1. Weskus
2. Blinkes
3. Ball & Chain
4. David Santana
5. Anthony Santana
6. Anthony se chommie
7. Jan Lochner - Kawala
8. Whitefish
9. Nimmo
10. JC
11. Parkinhoff
Time was now the enemy and seemed to stand still.
Finally the day arrived and I left a cold Colesberg for Pofadder on Thursday morning travelling alone as per usual.  I had done most of the routes before and made good time.
Colesberg to De Aar:

IMG_4668 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4670 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4672 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

De Aar to Vosburg was a short section tar and when I reached Vosburg I decided to break my usual habit of helmet on till days end and have some breakfast.  What a nice little place to have a breakfast.  I decided just there and then to break habit more often on this trip and really take it more casual.  I was so relaxed I even had a second tea.  After paying a mere R60 for a huge meal I took some photos of the town.

IMG_4675 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4682 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4683 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

While taking this one I could not but help remember the westerns my dad use to love watching with guys falling of the second balcony and being thrown out of windows.  At this stage I was unaware I was soon to be part of a group in which bar fighters lurked.  :peepwall: :lamer:

IMG_4677 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr
 
IMG_4684 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4686 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4690 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4691 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

The wind was starting to pick up and I hoped I was leaving it behind as I travelled north.  Arriving at Van Wyksvlei I was 6 minutes late for the fuel pumps.  This guys and gals is what you get when you drink tea, if it was a beer I would have been in time.  :patch: :imaposer:

IMG_4693 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

I waited out the hour with the normal begging and rift raft that I have now come to expect from Bachus town.  The one would just not let up.  After I properly stripped my m@er for him he comes walking up to me and says: “Ek gee op meneer ek gaan nie meer bedel nie, ek gaan et hier sit dan chat ons maar so rukkie”  :patch:
I mentioned that I had enough friends and sat waiting out the time for the pumps to open in the worst dust storms running through town.  Just as I saw the Koop guys came walik closer my new found friend remarked: “Ek sien meneer  is n stil man, ek like dit – hoe lyk dit met ‘n R2 OF R10”.  :eek7:
In one of Leon Schuster’s movies he gets dressed as a Indian man and koers Callie Knoetze’s m@er – His remarked rang through: “PW Botha says bou die nasie, bou die nasie, hoe de m@er bou mens ‘n nasie met sulke mense”  :pot:

I filled up and left for Kenhardt.

This from past experience is the WORST road, despite 2 graders working on sections it was a pain in the ass.  The wind was something to experience, if would blow in HARD gusts forcing you over the grader’s middelman and making for bad riding. :(

IMG_4694 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4695 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4697 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

I reached Kenhardt and filled up.  I still had no detail as to the gravel road to Pofadder and asked one of the local farmers filling up what the road was like and how far it was.  “
I think the road is in a very poor state because of the truck transporting kalk and would guess about 140 – 240 km”.  I had about 2 hours of day time left (calculated on Colesberg) and figured what the hell, let’s see the country.  :thumleft:

Gents this road turned out to be probably the finest road in the whole of South Africa.  It was PROPPERLY fenced in on both sides and I could easily see people doing speed testing on it instead of the N14.  I thought of the draadmakers that made it possible for some fast safe travelling and did GOOD time until I turned onto the R358.  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

IMG_4701 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4704 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

IMG_4708 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

This road turned out to be the opposite of what I had just experienced and I only made Pofadder as dark set in.
:-\
IMG_4712 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

I found the Hotel where Weskus had made arrangements and wasn’t long before everyone were there. 

IMG_4714 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr

BoetieBike had issues with a loose wire and soon the panels were of and the fault attended to.  JC’ had broken his sub frame but made a boere plan to support it and it lasted the whole of the trip in the end. 

IMG_4717 by Jean van der Walt, on Flickr
 
Top