Lowvelders to the Richtersveld

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

As expected, we run out of daylight, luckily just as we finish the sand stretch

 

[Noneking]

We have had a very tough day on the bikes and some bodies have taken a beating. As daylight fades the riding becomes very difficult…..

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

The last hour of riding is almost unbearable….. it gets pitch dark. Large herds of donkeys roam the areas along the road, visor almost impossible to see through due to insect smudges and dust.

We ride into Hondeklipbaai at 20:30, more than 12 hours after leaving Oasis. We head straight to Kreef & Dop for a well deserved beer and great meal.

 

[wooly bugger]

View attachment 916099

Awesome foto Canzius @Noneking

 

[wooly bugger]

The last hour of riding is almost unbearable….. it gets pitch dark. Large herds of donkeys roam the areas along the road, visor almost impossible to see through due to insect smudges and dust.

We ride into Hondeklipbaai at 20:30, more than 12 hours after leaving Oasis. We head straight to Kreef & Dop for a well deserved beer and great meal.

View attachment 916252

Ditto.

 

[Noneking]

Arriving in Prince Albert from Nelspruit, we offloaded all the bikes and moved our kit into our assigned cottages. My by now very familiar routine started and I unpacked my kit bag and double checked my Nomad Barrel bag to make sure everything was ready for our departure early the next morning. I opened my electronics bag, put my phone, comms and Gopro batteries on charge. Checked all my sd cards, made sure tracks show on my GPS, filled drinks bladder and packed my backpack. Everything was set out and the, as I took my Arai helmet out of it’s bag, I noticed that my Gopro was not in the chin mount on my helmet. My heart sank…… I immediately phoned home and my wife confirmed that I left the Gopro on my bedside table where I fine tuned some settings the night before.

At first I was very upset. Couldn’t believe that I was going to miss out on capturing an epic trip like this on video! Everyone started suggesting plans to get it to somewhere on our route or we could even deviate from route to fetch it or buy a new one……. STOP!

I made a conscious decision to accept it and focus on enjoying the trip. What a fantastic decision that turned out to be! I don’t think I realised how much effort goes into capturing footage, managing batteries and storage on a long trip like this!

Going to miss editing and reliving every moment, but very happy that I was “in the moment” for every special moment on the trip.

 

[petri oosthuizen]

Ek ry lekker saam
Maar baaaaie stadig
En GLAD nie op daai sand nie
Thanks again, nice TR!!

 

[Noneking]

The next morning we brave the cold wind to do some maintenance on the bikes. Chain lube, replace pre filters and Gustav finds his 990 with a a flat rear.

 

[Noneking]

My 890 needs help from a battery pack to start and Jesse get’s towed around the block to get the 950 going

 

[Noneking]

Gustav is struggling to walk on an injured left ankle an Janus’ rib are very tender. Both very unsure whether they will be able to complete the day’s planned route.

 

[Noneking]

We fuel the bikes after a short ride to Koingnaas

 

[Noneking]

The instant coffee falls straight through and we stop for a toilet break before exiting Namakwa National Park

 

[Noneking]

It’s only about 60km before we refuel again in Kommagas, knowing that there will be no more fuel on our route until late the next morning, when we pass through Steinkopf

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

The route for the day is probably my favourite part of the trip, heading over Namakwaland mountains, sandy tracks in the valleys and then on to the Richtersveld ending up next to the Orange River for the night.