Lords of the gravel: The fellowship of the grondpad

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

The world famous Klip Sop

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Day Five
Today was Sani's pass and then onto Katse dam for our overnight stay. Everyone had slept too much, except for Gom Gat who moaned about Bles snoring him out of a bed. Bles doesn't snore; he dreams he is driving a bike, so no one knew what Gom Gat was on about. We were once again warned about sudden sharp turns, loose rocks, and water streams that might be deeper than you think, but for the first time since we started, we were all ready by seven that morning. Bles wasn't wrong about the water streams.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

The gravel road leading to the SA border was a mixture of loose gravel, stones, mud(It rained the previous night) and the a lot of water crossings.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Going into Lesotho you only need a passport.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

The road up to the top was challenging, with short sharp turns and lots of rocks in the turns, but after Tiffendale, Sani's pass was a breeze, and we all arrived alive at the top. There you had to pay R30 bucks and then you were through. No one asked or even checked any bike papers, which left me wondering, how many of my two bikes were brought this way…no questions asked. I was slightly pissed off that everyone made it up alive, this report would have been so much better if that bloody Gom Gat Gerrit or ferken Bossie had fallen off and died, but allas…no luck for this reporter.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

The view from the top…it will all be tar soon, so hurry if you want to go and die at Sani.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Gom Gat immediately headed for the bar, so I took this picture for evidence…let those bloody Jehovah people come knocking on my door, will show em what their main Priest is up too if he isn't busy sacrificing some virgin or something.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

From the highest pub in the world, it is now tar for about twenty kays, but along the route you get the highest point. They are working on the roads and there is no warning, you just go around a turn and there they are, but I would love that road on road tires and a R1 under my ass…if they were dry.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Once at the bottom of the pass, you have a choice; three hours gravel or continue on for five hours on tar, guess which one we chose… Look at the road there in the distance.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

The start of this pass is quite rough, lots of stones going up and down, traffic, animals and locals throwing stones and shit at you.

 

[DirtRebell]

Its mos a lekker RR!

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Then because of the rain, you suddenly find a few mud spots which can catch you out.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

It is green everywhere, and about halfway to Katse dam, they are busy getting the roads ready for tar, so now you have very smooth gravel, but slippery as hell around the corners.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Then whenever you get close to a town or settlement, the gravel becomes rocky again, obviously due to all the traffic. The fuel is cheap though…under R10 a litre.

 

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The road works ends at this bridge, from there on it is the usual rocky gravel, but Eric Bin Laden had to pop a wheelie or two…sober and all.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

A few kays before you reach the dam wall, you find this tavern….and look who is front inline again to buy some Maluti beer….the usual ferken suspect. And another thing, their money the Loti, is the same value as the rand, except no one in SA wants Loti's.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Finally, the Katse Dam wall…three hours later, but those were good hours, and you could have stopped anywhere to take a picture, the scenery is always hilly and stunning. All this place needs is a Teazers, and then it would be complete.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

We arrived at Katse Lodge, where the G4S security is all around you. The houses was the left over houses from the contractors building the dam wall, so they are a lot like old mine houses. Inside the lodge main building is a restaurant, bar, and lounge. The view of the dam is good.

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Our house with DSTV and all, leaving me a very happy chappy, having missed all my programs, the first Moto GP race…everything. They wanted me to share a bed with Bossie, but he is far too innocent for me, so he quickly made other arrangements, which left me sleeping on the floor. The restaurant prices were okay, but not much choice, and then when we left some white biker trash stole the grass Lesotho embroider hat, which they used as a centre piece….

 

[RoughRiders_Jakes]

Day 6
It ferken rained right through the night, so everything was muddy and covered by mist. We made a choice to go via the tar road, where the scenery was just as nice, but with them huge knobbies a wet tar road can be more dangerous than a wet gravel road, and the road was twisty as hell. Everyone took it easy, especially since the taxi's likes cutting the road. The guy on the other side of the damm wall had too many beers.