schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
The rest of the RR with photos to follow soon
Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip
- Thread starter schalk vd merwe
- Start date
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Down to the Cape
I left the Wilddog bash the Sunday morning and as I pulled out of the gate of the River Destiny Camp Site my clutch cable broke. It broke in Addis Abeba in Ethiopia before and I fixed it temporary with a Clutch repair kit. So now the same thing happened, the small round end at the end of the cable broke off. I got off the bike to look for the missing part in the sand behind the bike and found it about 10 metre back. It took me about an hour to fix it again as I had to unpack the whole bike first in order to get to the tools.
I was on my way to Mossel Bay to meet up with my wife where we would spend a week together after my long absence from home. At Graaff-Reinet I had a nice steak at the Spur and it was just wow to be back in my own country and have good quality food on the way instead of stopping at Spaza shops. There were other Wilddog members at the Spur as well and after a good lunch and chat I was off again to try and get the 600 km for the day under the belt. I must say these rides felt like breakfast runs after all the distance I have travelled through Africa.
At Willowmore I filled up again and as it started to rain I put my rain suite on. An old guy with a VW Combi came chatting to me after he saw all my memorabilia on the bike and he was highly impressed when he heard of all places I have been to. We left at about the same time on this winding road and boy this old guy in the Combi could motor. I stayed with him and were doing speeds of around 140km-150km an hour and it was only in the mountains of Uniondale that I left him behind as the little 660 was to potent through all the bends. I was really in my element. Unlike Africa there are no animals and people to look out for and no cars coming in your lane from the front. I really felled one with the bike and I also felled so at home, this is my country the most beautiful country in the world. Then it was over the most spectacular Outeniqua Pass with a smooth surface. At times it felled like I was going to touch the luggage bags on the ground.
At George I took a short cut towards George Airport. Just 200 metre before the stop sign my bike gave a jerk and then the bike revved up. I know what that means, a broken chain. I bought the chain in Nairobi and it was not the best of quality as it was stretching all the time and I often had to adjust it along the way. I was busy offloading the bike in order to get to the tools when a car stopped next to me. It was Herman Neethling from Country Trax in George. He insisted to go and fetch a bike trailer and to take my bike to Tergniet near Mosselbay where I was going to spend a week. I on the other hand wanted to fix the bike there next to the road but in the end Herman won. He was back in two ticks and the bike delivered to my doorstep at no cost. I only experienced good will from the people of the Cape where ever I went. I fixed the chain the following day within one hour as I had all the right stuff with me.
The week went flying and we managed to go for lunch with Ian of Great Brak who is also on the forum. We have been communicating for a long time and at last we met up. He was on his way to Namibia on a bike trip and after lunch I join him for about 10 km on the dirt road towards Robinson Pass.
After the week of rest my wife flew back to Johannesburg and I was on my way to meet up with Coxwain and mates on the forum at Cape Agulhas the most southern point in Africa. The road down the N2 at this time of the year was just too beautiful and I took photos of the scenery every now and then even though I have been down this road many times before. As I said before since being back everything looked twice as nice.
At Cape Agulhas Coxwain, Xt Joe and Kawaki and his wife were waiting for me. As they all did over 400km for the day to come and meet me their names definitely will be in my book as well. We took all the necessary photos and then we were off on a gravel road towards Hermanus through a little town called Baardskeerdersbos. At one stage we were stopped by the traffic police to check on our drivers licences. My bikes licence got lost already halfway up towards Cairo and I never replaced it on the bike since then but then the magic happened again and the lady cop never saw that it was missing and we were on our way again. At the turnoff towards Kleinmond XT Joe decided to go towards Botrivier while the rest of us carried on towards Kleinmond. At Kleinmond we stopped at the restaurant on the beach to have a brunch. The food was good the scenery over the beach was good and the company was good.
From Kleinmond Coxwain and I decided to go over my most favoured road in the world all along the sea to Gordons Bay while Kawaki and his wife decided to take the quicker route over Sir Lowry’s Pass. Another road that reminds me of the road passed Rooi Els is the road from San Francisco to Los Angeles over Big Sir. This road has also got the sea on the one side and the mountain next to it but the road is just much higher above the sea. At Gordons Bay we turned up the mountain towards the Steenbras dam with more short little bends in the road also a biker’s paradise.
That night Coxwain and family and friends spoilt me with a monster homecoming braai and a social and it was so good to be back among my own people again. In attendance from the Wilddogs was Coxwain , XT Joe, Voltaire and Half Job and their families.
NEXT UP CAPE TOWN THE GREAT KAROO AND THEN FINALLY HOME
I left the Wilddog bash the Sunday morning and as I pulled out of the gate of the River Destiny Camp Site my clutch cable broke. It broke in Addis Abeba in Ethiopia before and I fixed it temporary with a Clutch repair kit. So now the same thing happened, the small round end at the end of the cable broke off. I got off the bike to look for the missing part in the sand behind the bike and found it about 10 metre back. It took me about an hour to fix it again as I had to unpack the whole bike first in order to get to the tools.
I was on my way to Mossel Bay to meet up with my wife where we would spend a week together after my long absence from home. At Graaff-Reinet I had a nice steak at the Spur and it was just wow to be back in my own country and have good quality food on the way instead of stopping at Spaza shops. There were other Wilddog members at the Spur as well and after a good lunch and chat I was off again to try and get the 600 km for the day under the belt. I must say these rides felt like breakfast runs after all the distance I have travelled through Africa.
At Willowmore I filled up again and as it started to rain I put my rain suite on. An old guy with a VW Combi came chatting to me after he saw all my memorabilia on the bike and he was highly impressed when he heard of all places I have been to. We left at about the same time on this winding road and boy this old guy in the Combi could motor. I stayed with him and were doing speeds of around 140km-150km an hour and it was only in the mountains of Uniondale that I left him behind as the little 660 was to potent through all the bends. I was really in my element. Unlike Africa there are no animals and people to look out for and no cars coming in your lane from the front. I really felled one with the bike and I also felled so at home, this is my country the most beautiful country in the world. Then it was over the most spectacular Outeniqua Pass with a smooth surface. At times it felled like I was going to touch the luggage bags on the ground.
At George I took a short cut towards George Airport. Just 200 metre before the stop sign my bike gave a jerk and then the bike revved up. I know what that means, a broken chain. I bought the chain in Nairobi and it was not the best of quality as it was stretching all the time and I often had to adjust it along the way. I was busy offloading the bike in order to get to the tools when a car stopped next to me. It was Herman Neethling from Country Trax in George. He insisted to go and fetch a bike trailer and to take my bike to Tergniet near Mosselbay where I was going to spend a week. I on the other hand wanted to fix the bike there next to the road but in the end Herman won. He was back in two ticks and the bike delivered to my doorstep at no cost. I only experienced good will from the people of the Cape where ever I went. I fixed the chain the following day within one hour as I had all the right stuff with me.
The week went flying and we managed to go for lunch with Ian of Great Brak who is also on the forum. We have been communicating for a long time and at last we met up. He was on his way to Namibia on a bike trip and after lunch I join him for about 10 km on the dirt road towards Robinson Pass.
After the week of rest my wife flew back to Johannesburg and I was on my way to meet up with Coxwain and mates on the forum at Cape Agulhas the most southern point in Africa. The road down the N2 at this time of the year was just too beautiful and I took photos of the scenery every now and then even though I have been down this road many times before. As I said before since being back everything looked twice as nice.
At Cape Agulhas Coxwain, Xt Joe and Kawaki and his wife were waiting for me. As they all did over 400km for the day to come and meet me their names definitely will be in my book as well. We took all the necessary photos and then we were off on a gravel road towards Hermanus through a little town called Baardskeerdersbos. At one stage we were stopped by the traffic police to check on our drivers licences. My bikes licence got lost already halfway up towards Cairo and I never replaced it on the bike since then but then the magic happened again and the lady cop never saw that it was missing and we were on our way again. At the turnoff towards Kleinmond XT Joe decided to go towards Botrivier while the rest of us carried on towards Kleinmond. At Kleinmond we stopped at the restaurant on the beach to have a brunch. The food was good the scenery over the beach was good and the company was good.
From Kleinmond Coxwain and I decided to go over my most favoured road in the world all along the sea to Gordons Bay while Kawaki and his wife decided to take the quicker route over Sir Lowry’s Pass. Another road that reminds me of the road passed Rooi Els is the road from San Francisco to Los Angeles over Big Sir. This road has also got the sea on the one side and the mountain next to it but the road is just much higher above the sea. At Gordons Bay we turned up the mountain towards the Steenbras dam with more short little bends in the road also a biker’s paradise.
That night Coxwain and family and friends spoilt me with a monster homecoming braai and a social and it was so good to be back among my own people again. In attendance from the Wilddogs was Coxwain , XT Joe, Voltaire and Half Job and their families.
NEXT UP CAPE TOWN THE GREAT KAROO AND THEN FINALLY HOME
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2010
- Messages
- 3,605
- Reaction score
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- Location
- I would rather be in Great Brak...
- Bike
- Honda CRF-1000L Africa Twin
Wow, Schalk that is a great shot of me and my old man, thanks!
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