Day 4
I slept well at Sani Tops and woke up early, rode to the lodge and then walked to the edge of the mountain in the most appalling cold winds I have ever experienced. I was seriously worried about getting too close to the edge of the mountain, thinking my equipment could be blown over the edge and lost for ever. However I had not come all this way to be stopped by some cold wind, and eventually found a crevice into which I carefully climbed and was out of the wind enough to take these pictures.
Early Morning Sani Pass
Early Morning Sani Pass a miserable experience and the low point of this trip.
I had come to take pictures of this Pass and it was so cold and the wind blowing so hard that I could barely hold the camera still. I also made the mistake of wearing only my BMW jacket and had left my gloves back at the cabin, a big mistake. I could not stay longer than 40 to 50 minutes on the exposed mountain before shaking uncontrollably from the cold and wind. I hastily beat a retreat back to the lodge, and parked off in front of the fire to get warm again, wow did I pay for those pictures.
This all happened befor 7.30am!! After warming up I rode back to pack up and go down Sani.
Looking back at Sani Tops, I tried to capture the ruggedness of the place.
This was not my first time going down Sani, I have done it in the wet, and mist conditions, but this was completely different. I have never seen Sani so ripped up, rocky and rutted. Getting a fully loaded GS Adventure down this mountain took all of my skills and then some!
The beauty of the Mountain Kingdom, stretched out be for me.
The difficult part now behind, but don’t go off line into one of those ruts on the right.
More of the same from a different angle.
I eventually wrestled the bike down, and got to the bottom without incident, but there were some heart stopping moment that would have turned nasty, if one strayed off the chosen line! This was almost like a free-fall on a tightrope, I was glad I’d fitted the knobblies!
I savoured the freedom that the new tarred road at the bottom on the way to Himeville offered and almost found myself over stepping the limit that the little sticker on the handle bars warns about. Yes that one, 160Km/h on Knobblies! The thermometer on the bike had gone from 7° to 34°C in less than an hour, amazing.
I stopped and had coffee and a cheese scone in Himeville. The sun was shining, it was hot!
This a view back at Himeville
I wound my way up through the Underburg keeping as close to the mountains, as the road would allow.
The beautifully maintained roads nestling just under the Drakensburg.
More of those gravel highways captured in a 3 picture HDR.
Another without the Bike.
The view from the bridge across Woodstock Dam looking up onto the Drakensburg.
The roads in the Underburg are like gravel highways compared to the roads in Lesotho.
I eventually arrived at the Royal Natal Drakensburg National Park.
The sun was casting long shadows across the mountains and I hastily took these pictures with what light was left.
Inside the park looking up at the amphitheatre.
It was dark and this fellow came out to greet me as I was un packing,
My camp site at 8PM
A tree at around 8PM, yes the dots in the sky are stars, and no its not during the day.
What about the shadow? Yes it’s from the moon, not the sun, no there were no beers to be had that evening!!!
Day 5 to follow………………..
