Trailrider
Bachelor Dog
Eisbein is visiting! He is riding all the way from Cape Town to George on his new TTR250 (named Wasibi) to introduce the bike to the Trailrider bikes. ;D
So on Saturday I set out to meet Eisbein en route. Sir Gravellot lend me his GPS for the trip to Hogsback and I took this trip to get used to the GPS. After about 20km I realized that Iâ??m missing my whole ride. :-\ Iâ??m looking at and fidgeting with the GPS all the time instead of looking in the road and appreciating the scenery. The next thing, with the very first picture I wanted to take, my cameraâ??s batteries went flat. Not a good start.
At Diesel & Dust near Eight Bells I stopped at the shop and bought some batteries. Not long after I came across this fellow:
Contrary to popular believe these guys are not after you. All it wanted to do was get away. When it moved in a direction Iâ??d step in front of it and it would move away again.
Then I took a stick and played with it a bit. This fellow just would not get angry. All it wanted to do was get away. How on earth do people get bitten by a snake like this? Of course â?? they step on them. I took the stick and pressed on itâ??s back (without hurting it) simulating a step. Geez! The snake is lightning quick! It bit the stick so quickly itâ??s unbelievable. When I saw how big the fangs were I realized that this might not be the smartest game to play when youâ??re on your ownâ?¦ : Riding onâ?¦
There were some amazing scenery, but the storm clouds were threateningâ?¦
â?¦and sure enough just before I rode into Herbertsdale it was bucketing down. I took refuge at the only Café. I wasnâ??t the only one and the bike was cause for some excitement. ;D
I was soaked and needed medical attention. Hypothermia is not something you play with... Off to the emergency ward for some supplies:
Something to warm me up and something to cool me down. ;D
I lost some time so Eisbein and I decided to meet in Albertinia. On the road again:
And finally when I reached Albertinia the GPSâ??s batteries were flat. :-\ This was the useful information it contributed before I switched it off:
Check the top speed. Must have been a downhill. ;D
After filling up I got a nice spot to enjoy my beer and wait for Eisbein.
Not long after he and Blikners showed up. Nice to meet you Blikners! Nice ride. :thumleft:
Scramblers! Africa is not for sissies
Blikners headed back home and Eisbein and I set of to Gouritsmond. Unfortunately the road there was tarred. Man I hate tar! And now I have all the more reason â?? the tar road cruelly exposed how superior the TTR is to the CTX in the speed and power departments. When my bike runs â??vaskasâ? full throttle the TTR still has a fistful left PLUS a top gear. Man itâ??s a nice bike!
Gourits also is a nice little town. Would you believe Iâ??ve never been here?
These bikes are going to do a lot of trips together ;D
Next up, the road to Vleesbaai
Then we saw a gravel road that seemed interesting, and another, and anotherâ?¦ :
Well, we were heading in the â??general" direction of George. ;D
We rode some beautiful roads I havenâ??t been on before. We were racing daylight so we were traveling faster than I wanted to, but Iâ??ll return again and ride them at my leisure. Near Botlierskop (Kleinbrak) at sunset we ran into these boys:
Check out the NXR. Looks way different from the one I have at home.
This kid could ride it too! ;D
Of course Eisbein liked the TTR
By the time we got home it was 8 â??o clock already. I had traveled 340km for the day and Eisbein over 500km. Luckily Mrs. TR had dinner and drinks waiting. ;D :thumleft:
We chatted the evening away and then got a great idea! Letâ??s ride some more! Letsgofishing once suggested that we do a Montagu Pass night ride one day. This was to be the day (donâ??t worry LGF â?? weâ??ll do it again ;D). Totally spur of the moment we phoned Sweeper and Wingman (they live a block away) and soon four Wild Dogs set out to look for the ghosts of Montagu Pass. (Night time pics courtesy of Eisbein).
For the guys riding in formation itâ??s just a night ride. For me in front it was hair-raising. You canâ??t see much and the lights behind you create all kinds of shapes and shadowsâ?¦ :
Higher up where you have a cliff face on the one side and a sheer drop on the other itâ??s worse. Shapes and shadows on the one side and a black void on the otherâ?¦ : Well, I guess you had to be there.
On top at Amandaâ??s grave the stars were brilliant and the view to George spectacular. The closest thing we saw to a ghost was this:
Ghost rider? ;D
We got home at 11:30 and went to sleep at 1:30.
Sunday we had to be up early. Eisbein still had to get to Cape Town as he had a set appointment at 16:00. I decided to give him a honorable escort out of the Southern Cape and my youngest son and I rode with Eisbein over Montagu Pass, towards Heroldâ?¦
â?¦through Paardepoort and along the Heimersrivier road. At Zebra we said our goodbyes. :hello:
My son and I took it easy home (just the way I like it) with lots of photo stops.
The clouds were clearing and a spectacular day lay ahead of us.
Boeta enjoying the view from Amandaâ??s Grave
This is a great pass. Check the road running away in the background:
The bigger picture:
Boeta also wanted to see â??die klip wat op die werker geval hetâ? ;D
And the white bones under itâ?¦ Damn that stone is heavy! ;D
Home Sweet Home
When this bike starts again, two days hence, SCP and I will leave the Garden route on a 7 day trip through the Klein Karoo, Langkloof, Baviaans, the Koup, Kamdeboo and the Eastern Cape to attend the Wild Dog Forum 2007 Annual Bash at Hogsback.
Man, I cannot wait! ;D ;D ;D
(and that concludes my 3000th post)
So on Saturday I set out to meet Eisbein en route. Sir Gravellot lend me his GPS for the trip to Hogsback and I took this trip to get used to the GPS. After about 20km I realized that Iâ??m missing my whole ride. :-\ Iâ??m looking at and fidgeting with the GPS all the time instead of looking in the road and appreciating the scenery. The next thing, with the very first picture I wanted to take, my cameraâ??s batteries went flat. Not a good start.
At Diesel & Dust near Eight Bells I stopped at the shop and bought some batteries. Not long after I came across this fellow:
Contrary to popular believe these guys are not after you. All it wanted to do was get away. When it moved in a direction Iâ??d step in front of it and it would move away again.
Then I took a stick and played with it a bit. This fellow just would not get angry. All it wanted to do was get away. How on earth do people get bitten by a snake like this? Of course â?? they step on them. I took the stick and pressed on itâ??s back (without hurting it) simulating a step. Geez!
The snake is lightning quick! It bit the stick so quickly itâ??s unbelievable. When I saw how big the fangs were I realized that this might not be the smartest game to play when youâ??re on your ownâ?¦ : Riding onâ?¦There were some amazing scenery, but the storm clouds were threateningâ?¦
â?¦and sure enough just before I rode into Herbertsdale it was bucketing down. I took refuge at the only Café. I wasnâ??t the only one and the bike was cause for some excitement. ;D
I was soaked and needed medical attention. Hypothermia is not something you play with... Off to the emergency ward for some supplies:
Something to warm me up and something to cool me down. ;D
I lost some time so Eisbein and I decided to meet in Albertinia. On the road again:
And finally when I reached Albertinia the GPSâ??s batteries were flat. :-\ This was the useful information it contributed before I switched it off:
Check the top speed. Must have been a downhill. ;D
After filling up I got a nice spot to enjoy my beer and wait for Eisbein.
Not long after he and Blikners showed up. Nice to meet you Blikners! Nice ride. :thumleft:
Scramblers! Africa is not for sissies
Blikners headed back home and Eisbein and I set of to Gouritsmond. Unfortunately the road there was tarred. Man I hate tar!
And now I have all the more reason â?? the tar road cruelly exposed how superior the TTR is to the CTX in the speed and power departments. When my bike runs â??vaskasâ? full throttle the TTR still has a fistful left PLUS a top gear. Man itâ??s a nice bike!Gourits also is a nice little town. Would you believe Iâ??ve never been here?
These bikes are going to do a lot of trips together ;D
Next up, the road to Vleesbaai
Then we saw a gravel road that seemed interesting, and another, and anotherâ?¦ :
Well, we were heading in the â??general" direction of George. ;D
We rode some beautiful roads I havenâ??t been on before. We were racing daylight so we were traveling faster than I wanted to, but Iâ??ll return again and ride them at my leisure. Near Botlierskop (Kleinbrak) at sunset we ran into these boys:
Check out the NXR. Looks way different from the one I have at home.
This kid could ride it too! ;D
Of course Eisbein liked the TTR
By the time we got home it was 8 â??o clock already. I had traveled 340km for the day and Eisbein over 500km. Luckily Mrs. TR had dinner and drinks waiting. ;D :thumleft:
We chatted the evening away and then got a great idea! Letâ??s ride some more! Letsgofishing once suggested that we do a Montagu Pass night ride one day. This was to be the day (donâ??t worry LGF â?? weâ??ll do it again ;D). Totally spur of the moment we phoned Sweeper and Wingman (they live a block away) and soon four Wild Dogs set out to look for the ghosts of Montagu Pass. (Night time pics courtesy of Eisbein).
For the guys riding in formation itâ??s just a night ride. For me in front it was hair-raising. You canâ??t see much and the lights behind you create all kinds of shapes and shadowsâ?¦ :
Higher up where you have a cliff face on the one side and a sheer drop on the other itâ??s worse. Shapes and shadows on the one side and a black void on the otherâ?¦ :
Well, I guess you had to be there.On top at Amandaâ??s grave the stars were brilliant and the view to George spectacular. The closest thing we saw to a ghost was this:
Ghost rider? ;D
We got home at 11:30 and went to sleep at 1:30.
Sunday we had to be up early. Eisbein still had to get to Cape Town as he had a set appointment at 16:00. I decided to give him a honorable escort out of the Southern Cape and my youngest son and I rode with Eisbein over Montagu Pass, towards Heroldâ?¦
â?¦through Paardepoort and along the Heimersrivier road. At Zebra we said our goodbyes. :hello:
My son and I took it easy home (just the way I like it) with lots of photo stops.
The clouds were clearing and a spectacular day lay ahead of us.
Boeta enjoying the view from Amandaâ??s Grave
This is a great pass. Check the road running away in the background:
The bigger picture:
Boeta also wanted to see â??die klip wat op die werker geval hetâ? ;D
And the white bones under itâ?¦ Damn that stone is heavy! ;D
Home Sweet Home
When this bike starts again, two days hence, SCP and I will leave the Garden route on a 7 day trip through the Klein Karoo, Langkloof, Baviaans, the Koup, Kamdeboo and the Eastern Cape to attend the Wild Dog Forum 2007 Annual Bash at Hogsback.
Man, I cannot wait! ;D ;D ;D
(and that concludes my 3000th post
)
