Kruger fence run

[Koet]

Enjoying the RR as usual.  Thanks Marin!

 

[Osadabwa]

[member=9492]Xpat[/member] - Glad to see you posting something again! Don't get why you'd choose to ride that big buffalo for any reason, but I won't judge. I also won't judge your wise decision to stay at a posh lodge with a pool for a bit!

We just did 8 days in the North again. Highlights: Sent home a guy on a helicopter, rode the Suguta Dunes again, and a super posh lodge to top it off! Go see... stuck at the bottom of my ongoing 2020 Pigs thread. You gotta get up here with your 500 when the world returns to normal... if it ever does!

Ok, more please.
:snorting:

 

[sidetrack]

I have never seen Xpat camping, with a tent I mean  :biggrin: Seem to remember he is not a fan  :lol8:

 

[Xpat]

[member=9492]Xpat[/member] - Glad to see you posting something again! Don't get why you'd choose to ride that big buffalo for any reason, but I won't judge. I also won't judge your wise decision to stay at a posh lodge with a pool for a bit!

We just did 8 days in the North again. Highlights: Sent home a guy on a helicopter, rode the Suguta Dunes again, and a super posh lodge to top it off! Go see... stuck at the bottom of my ongoing 2020 Pigs thread. You gotta get up here with your 500 when the world returns to normal... if it ever does!

Ok, more please.
:snorting:

I'm working on it - trying to figure out how to become man of leisure permanently, my calling in this life. Give me year or 5 to get filthy rich, and I will move to your corner as it promises juicy riding that can keep me busy for many months  :thumleft:

 

[Xpat]

I have never seen Xpat camping, with a tent I mean  :biggrin: Seem to remember he is not a fan  :lol8:

True, when fixed accommodation is readily available, I will always opt for that one - I prefer ride hard whole day and not waste energy and time on setting up / breaking camp.

However if there is no alternative to get good ride in, I will definitely do it. For example in June / July when places were closed or required some kind of permit, I did manage two overnight weekends in the bush:

And another one:

 

[throttle jockey]

Fannnn tastic!

There is such a special feeling being out there on one's own!

 

[sidetrack]

I have never seen Xpat camping, with a tent I mean  :biggrin: Seem to remember he is not a fan  :lol8:

True, when fixed accommodation is readily available, I will always opt for that one - I prefer ride hard whole day and not waste energy and time on setting up / breaking camp.

However if there is no alternative to get good ride in, I will definitely do it. For example in June / July when places were closed or required some kind of permit, I did manage two overnight weekends in the bush:

And another one:

De Wildt ?

 

[Xpat]

De Wildt ?

No, somewhere north of Borakalalo NP.

 

[Xpat]

Day 4 - Exploring towards Crook's corner

Plan for day 4 was to explore the north-eastern most corner of RSA adjacent to the Crook's corner. Originally I thought I was doing Crook's corner but got explained on FB that the corner itself is where the borders of RSA, Moz and Zim meet, i.e. inside the KNP on SA side. So I have made it as far as I could - i.e. to the KNP fence.

This is the area that [member=15496]Minxy[/member] and [member=2800]Hondsekierie[/member] explored few weeks back and includes Jack's pass. I knew from Minxy that this is army area and called an army officer for permission to ride there. He told me that army doesn't like people driving on the border patrol route running along the Limpopo border km or few inland but admitted (I think - I was making the call next to noisy local and didn't get everything 100%) that they cannot really prevent you driving on the road as long as you stay on the road. I might have got that wrong, but my guesstimate is that the patrol route is boundary on the outside of the army area and their zone is really only north of the road (because there was barbed wire running along the border side of the road) and covers the area between the patrol road and Limpopo river / border.

If somebody here knows for sure where the boundary of army zone is, I would appreciate the information as I would like to go back there and explore some more, however ideally outside of the army zone. If I'm right the area south of patrol road is free to ride and there are plenty of very enticing tracks there that I want to explore.

I couldn't get to patrol route directly from Popallin ranch as they didn't have a key to th gate at the boundary of ranch so instead got back on the main Pafuri - Messina tar road, road few km east and in the first village took double track north that winded through low hills for many km before it delivered me to the patrol route. The track running through the hills again reminded me closely of scenery in the nortnern Kaokoland on the way to Van Zyl's pass. There were plenty of criss-crossing tracks and I will be back to explore those properly:

On the patrol route I straight away came upon an army camp and they stopped me reiterating that they don't like people driving there. I have mentioned the officer who gave me permission and they relaxed and we chatted a bit about my bike before I continued on. I have run into another troop within few km and went through the same routine:

 

[Xpat]

I might have wandered a bit off the patrol route here and there, as the instruction wasn't completely clear (should I not move off the patrol road or any road - and there were plenty of tracks running to the river), but I didn't want to cause trouble to the officer who gave me permission so usually turned back as soon as it was clear that the tracks are runnin straight for the border. But the riding there is just sublime - it would be fantastic if somebody in the know can make a deal with the army that would allow bikers to explore there.

I tentatively tried also tracks that I tought head for Jack's pass, but they all eventually got quite misused and overgrown with thorns. On day 4 of riding I wasn't keen to be crashing through thorns (something I was doinb every weekend over the past 2 months north of GP), so always turned back.

 

[Xpat]

I believe that I have eventually stumbled upon the Jack's pass by coincidence by exploring one of the side tracks off the patrol road. To my surprise it was very easy ride on that track without any drama I have expected based on some reports I have seen. The reason I believe was that I came on the side cheat road from the south, instead on coming on the original west-east road that had to climb and descent up and down the pass from the nearby lowland. I came from the high ground on which patrol road run.

I rode a bit up and down and about the pass, but eventually returned back to patrol road as the track to the east of the pass became again overgrown by thorns.

 

[Minxy]

Stunning photos!

You need to please send me your track log please Xpat :biggrin:

I'm not sure you were on Jack's Pass, it is difficult to tell from just those photos as near the end of the pass a lot of things all looked the same. If you approached it from West to East like we did though you'd go past the military base, also you'd go past the Fort Ghost Pop sign, shortly after that you are in the tricky sections. I'd like to compare what you did to what we did. It is a real pity they didn't have the key for you. Just riding on the farm and next to the Limpopo is magic. Will have to go back there again to explore more!

 

[Noneking]

Excellent report as always. Thank you!

 

[Xpat]

Past Jack's pass I continued on patrol route past the entrance to the Army area all the way to the end at the KNP fence. There I turned south and followed the fence to the Pafuri gate about 10 km south.

From the gate I pushed on south through a village towards the Makuyu Reserve main gate. I did hit the Makuyu fence after about 10 - 15 km and followed it all the way to the gate, where I checked if they might let me go in on  the bike, but no bueno.

At the Makuyu gate I was more or less done for the day and took the main dirt / tar road to Masisi, where I filled up and headed back to the Zebra camp for another night. At the ranch crossing over small side river (probably lake at this time of the year) I spotted few crocks lazing about:

Back at the camp it was braai and chill time again.

 

[Xpat]

Stunning photos!

You need to please send me your track log please Xpat :biggrin:

I'm not sure you were on Jack's Pass, it is difficult to tell from just those photos as near the end of the pass a lot of things all looked the same. If you approached it from West to East like we did though you'd go past the military base, also you'd go past the Fort Ghost Pop sign, shortly after that you are in the tricky sections. I'd like to compare what you did to what we did. It is a real pity they didn't have the key for you. Just riding on the farm and next to the Limpopo is magic. Will have to go back there again to explore more!

I think I was on the pass at least based on my (admitedly not very good and of uncertain origin) track - just using a chicken route I have happened upon. I will send you the tracks and you can check  :thumleft:

 

[throttle jockey]

I would love your tracks too please if you dont mind. Very unlikely I will be up there any time soon but will be a nice to have if by chance one day I am.

 

[XTJoe]

Thanks Martin- really enjoyed

 

[Osadabwa]

That Southern African bush is something else. Looks just like where I was in Zambia... dry this time of year, not a chance of rain, not a cloud in the sky all day long... and windy. I can smell it! But again, Xpat, why the hell didn't you just take the 500? You could have been drifting all those corners, launching over all those rocks! Maybe you did with the big KTM, but not with the same big grin!

Fak. Got home from my long ride less than a week ago and I'm already gagging to be back out there again! What an addiction!

:snorting:

 

[JonW]

Very nice Martin

 

[Xpat]

Day 5 - Popallin Ranch to Gangsta's Paradise

The most challenging day of the trip because of over 300 km of N1 was upon me. Luckily I still had some good tracks to ride to Louis Trichardt through fantastic Venda-land. How this area with sandy roads and mountain passes isn't the main hotspot for adventure riding in SA is beyond me. At the same time I'm glad - adventure ridings should be exclusive, once an area is overran by mainstream masses it loses its appeal to this snob. I will definitely be back and am busy plotting little track crisscrossing the mountains as I'm writing this.

I will let the pictures show what is on offer in Venda-land: