Cave Girl
Race Dog
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2007
- Messages
- 2,506
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Croydon - Kempton Park
- Bike
- Kawasaki KLR 650
Okay so I got into trouble for not posting a ride report …. So don’t blame me if you get bored especially as out or the 800 odd km’s only 100 odd were on dirt.
Having had a big debate recently about girls doing solo rides and believe me even if I have 100 000kms under the belt I am still a kak newbie rider and probably will never be anything else – but what the hell there are probably few people that LOVE riding as much as I do
So lesson learnt: Trust LeonDude …… …
Sorry not many photo’s – took them on my phone and uploaded to face book and then deleted them so DON’T ask for photo’s – SORRY!!! Perhaps LD can post the ones I sent to him
So went on a bat outing – had to get to a place called Thiane – a private game lodge about 6km from Mokolo dam – 68km from Vaalwater. LD had worked out a route for me on tar as I could only leave work at 12 … didn’t get to leave before 1 … why is it that even on tar 350km’s still takes 5 hours ….. I know since the accident I am a sissy! When it comes to speed especially on my own …
So got to Vaalwater in time to stop for supplies at the bottle store then had a bit of a conflict between the printed directions and the GPS – followed the printed directions in the wrong direction for 20kms and eventually turned around and listened to the GPS – now the printed directions said about 50km from Valwater you will find a PURPLE shop on the right ….– the post office was Brown and the shop Maroon very far from purple … anyway the GPS told me to go passed which I did – eventually turned onto a road to Mokolo dam – GPS said 6.75km to Sable echo lodge …. The road was sandy – I was on the DR – me and the DR have a problem with sand …. So I ended up taking it very slow and paddling through most (read as all) the sandy patches. Ended up outside Sable Echo gate at about 6.30 and could not find a sign that said Thiane … so phoned Julio our fearless coordinator for the weekend – told him where I was – his reply nope didn’t see that (Sable echo) so I figured had come in from a different angle and was probably lost – phoned home with “I’m lost” … BUT never fear Julio had given me GPS co-ords for the camp which was 19kms away on a patchy sandy road – me with a loaded bike and not much confidence in sand – and it was now getting dark …. But what the hell I was nearly there so lets not take LD’s advice and stay over at Sable echo …… 6km’s later I reached the dam – now I have to say I had a vague feeling that I was probably headed in the wrong direction but having asked if Thiane was on the Mololo dam road and got a vague answer of “I don’t remember seeing the dam” – I figured the road must split ahead – about 7km passed the dam the road became a great gravel road with very little sand – it was now about 8pm – yes it took me that long to paddle 13km’s remember in my defense I was alone and not keen to fall with a loaded bike with no cell phone reception and having not seen a car for the last 3 hrs …… Okay so ended up back at the Purple – very brown shop at 20.48 with cell phone reception – another long call to Julio reveled that Sable Echo was exactly opposite Thiane – I had just done a full circle – oh well nothing but to start all over again……. Opted for the 23odd km of tar and 6.75km of dirt … 4ks onto the dirt or should I say sand I managed to fall over and could not pick up the bike – now I know I can pick up the DR on my own and just my luck no cell phone reception –fortunately I had picked up a six pack so … unpacked the bike, sat down in the middle of the road next to the bike and had a beer, dug around in my luggage and found my light to discover I was surrounded by red roams, there is nothing I hate more than spiders or spider looking things …. You have no idea how easy it is to pick up a bike when your worst fear is running round your feet …. The fact that I was in a game reserve where a leopard had been spotted the week before was not the driving force – I mean I had made myself comfortable for the night had managed to drag the bike out the centre of the road, and was about to start on the second beer … anyway amazing what a spider can do for one – Ok ok I know a red roman is not technically a spider but hell it looks like one
Anyway finally got to the camp side around 11pm to be met at the gate with a beer – mmmmm chairman is well trained
For the record we had a great bat evening having caught 12 bats – 4 species, what more could you ask for … got to bed at 5am – defiantly a great evening!
Saturday I decided to go take on that sand monster without a load on the bike – managed to get 2km down the road before my first fall – and yes I was doing the stand up. Look up. Speed up thing which is why I am now nursing a bruised rib …..
Sunday’s 19km dirt ride was un-eventful with me only having to paddle once – yes I did the stand up look up thing at 20km an hour – okay it worked for me
Got to see some awesome wild life on the way back to Bela Bela (on tar) – decided to stick to tar but off the freeway – I hate riding through long sections of township ….. so turned off the R101 a few kms from the casino sorry didn’t take note of the road but had been in the area a few weeks before so knew the road … amazing how different the ride is on a different bike the 250 vs the DR 650 …. Much easier on the 250.
If I can get this rite some photos to follow …………..
Having had a big debate recently about girls doing solo rides and believe me even if I have 100 000kms under the belt I am still a kak newbie rider and probably will never be anything else – but what the hell there are probably few people that LOVE riding as much as I do
So lesson learnt: Trust LeonDude …… …
Sorry not many photo’s – took them on my phone and uploaded to face book and then deleted them so DON’T ask for photo’s – SORRY!!! Perhaps LD can post the ones I sent to him
So went on a bat outing – had to get to a place called Thiane – a private game lodge about 6km from Mokolo dam – 68km from Vaalwater. LD had worked out a route for me on tar as I could only leave work at 12 … didn’t get to leave before 1 … why is it that even on tar 350km’s still takes 5 hours ….. I know since the accident I am a sissy! When it comes to speed especially on my own …
So got to Vaalwater in time to stop for supplies at the bottle store then had a bit of a conflict between the printed directions and the GPS – followed the printed directions in the wrong direction for 20kms and eventually turned around and listened to the GPS – now the printed directions said about 50km from Valwater you will find a PURPLE shop on the right ….– the post office was Brown and the shop Maroon very far from purple … anyway the GPS told me to go passed which I did – eventually turned onto a road to Mokolo dam – GPS said 6.75km to Sable echo lodge …. The road was sandy – I was on the DR – me and the DR have a problem with sand …. So I ended up taking it very slow and paddling through most (read as all) the sandy patches. Ended up outside Sable Echo gate at about 6.30 and could not find a sign that said Thiane … so phoned Julio our fearless coordinator for the weekend – told him where I was – his reply nope didn’t see that (Sable echo) so I figured had come in from a different angle and was probably lost – phoned home with “I’m lost” … BUT never fear Julio had given me GPS co-ords for the camp which was 19kms away on a patchy sandy road – me with a loaded bike and not much confidence in sand – and it was now getting dark …. But what the hell I was nearly there so lets not take LD’s advice and stay over at Sable echo …… 6km’s later I reached the dam – now I have to say I had a vague feeling that I was probably headed in the wrong direction but having asked if Thiane was on the Mololo dam road and got a vague answer of “I don’t remember seeing the dam” – I figured the road must split ahead – about 7km passed the dam the road became a great gravel road with very little sand – it was now about 8pm – yes it took me that long to paddle 13km’s remember in my defense I was alone and not keen to fall with a loaded bike with no cell phone reception and having not seen a car for the last 3 hrs …… Okay so ended up back at the Purple – very brown shop at 20.48 with cell phone reception – another long call to Julio reveled that Sable Echo was exactly opposite Thiane – I had just done a full circle – oh well nothing but to start all over again……. Opted for the 23odd km of tar and 6.75km of dirt … 4ks onto the dirt or should I say sand I managed to fall over and could not pick up the bike – now I know I can pick up the DR on my own and just my luck no cell phone reception –fortunately I had picked up a six pack so … unpacked the bike, sat down in the middle of the road next to the bike and had a beer, dug around in my luggage and found my light to discover I was surrounded by red roams, there is nothing I hate more than spiders or spider looking things …. You have no idea how easy it is to pick up a bike when your worst fear is running round your feet …. The fact that I was in a game reserve where a leopard had been spotted the week before was not the driving force – I mean I had made myself comfortable for the night had managed to drag the bike out the centre of the road, and was about to start on the second beer … anyway amazing what a spider can do for one – Ok ok I know a red roman is not technically a spider but hell it looks like one
Anyway finally got to the camp side around 11pm to be met at the gate with a beer – mmmmm chairman is well trained
For the record we had a great bat evening having caught 12 bats – 4 species, what more could you ask for … got to bed at 5am – defiantly a great evening!
Saturday I decided to go take on that sand monster without a load on the bike – managed to get 2km down the road before my first fall – and yes I was doing the stand up. Look up. Speed up thing which is why I am now nursing a bruised rib …..
Sunday’s 19km dirt ride was un-eventful with me only having to paddle once – yes I did the stand up look up thing at 20km an hour – okay it worked for me
Got to see some awesome wild life on the way back to Bela Bela (on tar) – decided to stick to tar but off the freeway – I hate riding through long sections of township ….. so turned off the R101 a few kms from the casino sorry didn’t take note of the road but had been in the area a few weeks before so knew the road … amazing how different the ride is on a different bike the 250 vs the DR 650 …. Much easier on the 250.
If I can get this rite some photos to follow …………..
