Halfadog
Pack Dog
My week-long solo trip through Lesotho:
So before I start this one off, I just want to thank everyone that helped me out on the forum with the planning, the advice was top class, it made the world of difference and it was highly appreciated :thumleft:
A bit of background:
A huge part of the focus of this trip was filming and photography, so plenty pretty pictures and hopefully some lekker video to follow. The reason for this was to get in some practice for a documentary we are making later in the year, needed to get used to filming the ride, the rest stops, and everything in-between, this can become quite a pain the arse for someone who just wants to tear up a dirt road, and camera gear is also not the most compact stuff on the planet to pack.
So... the doccie:
My wife (Megan) and I will be leaving in September to ride our donkeys from Antarctic to Arctic Circle (Argentina to Alaska) in aid of charity. The journey is called The Great American Trek (www.greatamericantrek.com), it will be done over the course of a year and is being filmed as a documentary. We are both doctors and will be raising funds for MSF (doctors without borders) and Kind Cuts for Kids. We're trying to improve the quality of life through adventure and motorcycles, and plan to have one hell-of-a-time doing it--- Please check us out on the website and Facebook if you are interested, we always appreciate any support.
Ok, enough with the electioneering...
eepwall:
Lesotho: A place of ups and downs – Part 1 – Home to Himeville
I first had the idea of venturing into Lesotho alone whilst I was busy (trying to) study for my surgery part one exam. As with most ideas, it was even more interesting and absorptive when surrounded by a looming exam. Megan had just taken some leave to go to a wedding in Cape Town, so I had a bit of leave to spare and no-one to spare it with. So on finishing up with exams, I threw everything I might need onto the spare room bed and gazed on with a mixture of excitement and ‘what the hell am I doing!?’. It took me about 2 weeks to plan and two days to pack. I had lots of fantastic advice, and some looney advice, this encompassed my route, my equipment, and my skill set amongst other things. I did have to purchase some extra gear for the trip, which we would be needing for The Great American Trek too, so I didn’t feel that bad about its impact on my trip-savings. This gear included a soft 5 Litre Desert Fox fuel cell, a Wild@heart 12V kit, a Hella to 12V adaptor, an air compressor, and a pair of inner-gloves (of which one made it home).
Packing: the usual chaos:
The decision to do the trip solo was a surprisingly easy one. Initially out of necessity, the solo aspect of the trip became central. I was looking forward to some alone-time on the bike, and in the wilderness, and as any biker knows ‘Sometimes it takes a whole tank of fuel before you can think straight’, and I was going to be needing a whole-lot of fuel.
The route I planned was around the East side of Lesotho via the beautiful Natal Midlands to Himeville, where I would bunk down for the night. From here I would make my way up the legendary Sani pass and on to Katse Dam for my second night on my own. My route would then go South West to Maletsunyane Falls. After this I planned to make my way up to the Afriski ski resort at 3200m where I would head home via a night in Golden Gate national park. This was what I had planned, and we all know what they say about the best laid plans.
My route (or so I thought)
Luckily I had everything packed and ready to go the night before. So when my alarm went off at 04h00 I jumped into my gear, activated my GPS, pounced on the bike and excitedly sped out of the Garage and into night, eager to leave Joburg in the rear-view mirror, along with all the thoughts of exams, finances and worldly troubles.
There really is something special about riding a motorcycle at night. With adventure on my mind, a whole trip ahead of me, cool air on my face, and the solitude of my helmet I started chipping away at the 640Km to Himeville. I looked forward to the sunrise that would greet me as I left the tar and hit the dirt, and what a sunrise it was.
Sunrise on day 1
The differences between solo riding and riding with Meg or mates hit me early. When stopping for breakfast, there was no-one to ask if they were ready, there was no-one else to suggest a time or spot to stop at. Already I had to get my arse into gear and be more decisive, it becomes easy to see a spot and quickly think- ‘Nah, there will be a better one over the next rise.’. If this is done enough you will completely miss breakfast and will be stopping for lunch instead. So I stopped for some breakfast on a quiet dirt rode forming the driveway to a farm.
Breakfast – dual-sport style
After getting the winter woolies off and realising I hadn’t left space for them in the panniers, I hit the road again. The Midlands are strikingly beautiful; wide, flat, fast dirt roads lead me through the most amazing scenery.
About to hit the dirt – smiles for miles
The roads are lined with cosmos, with green fields and trees stretching out into the hills on both sides. While riding there were about 3 times where duikers would bounce across the road and into the bushes and there were constantly flocks of pheasant and guinea fowl to be encountered. I felt like I was in a bloody Disney movie.
By the end of the day I had put a huge amount of distance under the tyres and made my way onto the tar roads of the sleepy little town of Himeville, where I stayed at the Himeville arms, lekker place with friendly staff, clean linen, and most importantly, a massive bar. (Seems to be a regular haunt for a Wilddog :drunken_smilie:
The KZN midlands – ugly as hell
The Mommy-frightener and I, on the way to Himeville
After getting changed back into people-clothes I made use of the bar and put a few away with a steak, egg, and chips. Whilst trying to get over the dodgy feeling of drinking on my own, I met a really cool guy who was already well on his way to stupor, as it turned out, he was a border-official at Sani Pass.
Just to top of the action of my first day on the road I received an injury. Being on a bike trip, I didn’t expect to twist an ankle and get carpet burns on my back and gear-changing foot from slipping on a water bottle whilst pissed in the dark, but that’s exactly what happened. At least there wasn’t anybody around to wet themselves laughing and further damage the ego. After the shock had left me I had a good laugh at myself and hit the hay in a happy, and very satisfied mood, after all, I had Sani to climb in the morning!
My room at Himeville Arms, the water-bottle is waiting for the opportune moment to strike
Get Part 2 here: https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=150557.20
Blog is also posted with plenty other cool content @ www.greatamericantrek.com
So before I start this one off, I just want to thank everyone that helped me out on the forum with the planning, the advice was top class, it made the world of difference and it was highly appreciated :thumleft:
A bit of background:
A huge part of the focus of this trip was filming and photography, so plenty pretty pictures and hopefully some lekker video to follow. The reason for this was to get in some practice for a documentary we are making later in the year, needed to get used to filming the ride, the rest stops, and everything in-between, this can become quite a pain the arse for someone who just wants to tear up a dirt road, and camera gear is also not the most compact stuff on the planet to pack.
So... the doccie:
My wife (Megan) and I will be leaving in September to ride our donkeys from Antarctic to Arctic Circle (Argentina to Alaska) in aid of charity. The journey is called The Great American Trek (www.greatamericantrek.com), it will be done over the course of a year and is being filmed as a documentary. We are both doctors and will be raising funds for MSF (doctors without borders) and Kind Cuts for Kids. We're trying to improve the quality of life through adventure and motorcycles, and plan to have one hell-of-a-time doing it--- Please check us out on the website and Facebook if you are interested, we always appreciate any support.
Ok, enough with the electioneering...
eepwall:Lesotho: A place of ups and downs – Part 1 – Home to Himeville
I first had the idea of venturing into Lesotho alone whilst I was busy (trying to) study for my surgery part one exam. As with most ideas, it was even more interesting and absorptive when surrounded by a looming exam. Megan had just taken some leave to go to a wedding in Cape Town, so I had a bit of leave to spare and no-one to spare it with. So on finishing up with exams, I threw everything I might need onto the spare room bed and gazed on with a mixture of excitement and ‘what the hell am I doing!?’. It took me about 2 weeks to plan and two days to pack. I had lots of fantastic advice, and some looney advice, this encompassed my route, my equipment, and my skill set amongst other things. I did have to purchase some extra gear for the trip, which we would be needing for The Great American Trek too, so I didn’t feel that bad about its impact on my trip-savings. This gear included a soft 5 Litre Desert Fox fuel cell, a Wild@heart 12V kit, a Hella to 12V adaptor, an air compressor, and a pair of inner-gloves (of which one made it home).
Packing: the usual chaos:
The decision to do the trip solo was a surprisingly easy one. Initially out of necessity, the solo aspect of the trip became central. I was looking forward to some alone-time on the bike, and in the wilderness, and as any biker knows ‘Sometimes it takes a whole tank of fuel before you can think straight’, and I was going to be needing a whole-lot of fuel.
The route I planned was around the East side of Lesotho via the beautiful Natal Midlands to Himeville, where I would bunk down for the night. From here I would make my way up the legendary Sani pass and on to Katse Dam for my second night on my own. My route would then go South West to Maletsunyane Falls. After this I planned to make my way up to the Afriski ski resort at 3200m where I would head home via a night in Golden Gate national park. This was what I had planned, and we all know what they say about the best laid plans.
My route (or so I thought)
Luckily I had everything packed and ready to go the night before. So when my alarm went off at 04h00 I jumped into my gear, activated my GPS, pounced on the bike and excitedly sped out of the Garage and into night, eager to leave Joburg in the rear-view mirror, along with all the thoughts of exams, finances and worldly troubles.
There really is something special about riding a motorcycle at night. With adventure on my mind, a whole trip ahead of me, cool air on my face, and the solitude of my helmet I started chipping away at the 640Km to Himeville. I looked forward to the sunrise that would greet me as I left the tar and hit the dirt, and what a sunrise it was.
Sunrise on day 1
The differences between solo riding and riding with Meg or mates hit me early. When stopping for breakfast, there was no-one to ask if they were ready, there was no-one else to suggest a time or spot to stop at. Already I had to get my arse into gear and be more decisive, it becomes easy to see a spot and quickly think- ‘Nah, there will be a better one over the next rise.’. If this is done enough you will completely miss breakfast and will be stopping for lunch instead. So I stopped for some breakfast on a quiet dirt rode forming the driveway to a farm.
Breakfast – dual-sport style
After getting the winter woolies off and realising I hadn’t left space for them in the panniers, I hit the road again. The Midlands are strikingly beautiful; wide, flat, fast dirt roads lead me through the most amazing scenery.
About to hit the dirt – smiles for miles
The roads are lined with cosmos, with green fields and trees stretching out into the hills on both sides. While riding there were about 3 times where duikers would bounce across the road and into the bushes and there were constantly flocks of pheasant and guinea fowl to be encountered. I felt like I was in a bloody Disney movie.
By the end of the day I had put a huge amount of distance under the tyres and made my way onto the tar roads of the sleepy little town of Himeville, where I stayed at the Himeville arms, lekker place with friendly staff, clean linen, and most importantly, a massive bar. (Seems to be a regular haunt for a Wilddog :drunken_smilie:
The KZN midlands – ugly as hell
The Mommy-frightener and I, on the way to Himeville
After getting changed back into people-clothes I made use of the bar and put a few away with a steak, egg, and chips. Whilst trying to get over the dodgy feeling of drinking on my own, I met a really cool guy who was already well on his way to stupor, as it turned out, he was a border-official at Sani Pass.
Just to top of the action of my first day on the road I received an injury. Being on a bike trip, I didn’t expect to twist an ankle and get carpet burns on my back and gear-changing foot from slipping on a water bottle whilst pissed in the dark, but that’s exactly what happened. At least there wasn’t anybody around to wet themselves laughing and further damage the ego. After the shock had left me I had a good laugh at myself and hit the hay in a happy, and very satisfied mood, after all, I had Sani to climb in the morning!
My room at Himeville Arms, the water-bottle is waiting for the opportune moment to strike
Get Part 2 here: https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=150557.20
Blog is also posted with plenty other cool content @ www.greatamericantrek.com
