My 'Mother' of a Solo ride to Namibia

[mother]

We are owed a nice long ride report. I can still remember your last Nam report when you used your inflatable matress as a floatation device for swimming.

Why did you take your rear seat along? I would normally remove it on a solo trip for extra packing space. Maybe you were hoping to pick up a blonde hitchhiker halfway between Walvisbaai & Solitaire.

that trip river rafting on my mattress was unforgettable....i lost my wedding band in that river trying to stop by digging fingers into the sand....i have a before pic having it on and an after pic walking back upstream....no ring....

hahaha see my new pillion hitch hiker

 

[mother]

Augrabies water fall is always something to see….the Orange river cutting its way to the coast relentlessly


the ride to Onseepkans from Augrabies was ok and it didn’t take me long to get back into the rhythm with the sand…no one passed me on the gravel to the border and i wouldn’t want it any other way a great start to my solo adventure


SWA sign you don’t see every day

the border crossing at Onseepkans was painless and pleasant i was the only person there…thats why i love to use that post to cross into Namibia

 

[mother]

as i said earlier i didn’t really have a clear plan for my trip i just wanted a break away ride and Namibia was my destination and with  time on my hands... so no pressure there…Its amazing how things just start to fall into place
as i crossed into the country i thought Fish River Canyon was a great place to start so headed up to Hobas to camp for the evening
Camping is relatively cheap and they have a small store for refreshments ….lots of time so i went to see the Canyon early next morning

 

[mother]

after viewing the Canyon i decided Ai Ais hot spring was a good place to chill and only some 60 odd km down the road….thats the joy of riding alone you need no debate with anyone and the days ride was set at only 60km
Ai Ais has great camping and ablutions also restaurant ,bar hot spring pool
life couldn’t be better and a great choice to stop over for the night



the bar had no Coke so had to settle for Spa Berry with my Rum…..had thoughts of Leo and the gang over my Rum and Spa Berry that evening

 

[mother]

the next day i decided Luderitz was the place to go…but via the Orange river this has to be one of the most scenic rides
riding in this harsh landscape SA on the other side and this magnificent river next to you like a green oasis in the middle of no where

so up early as i knew it was going to be a long ride and the road next to the Orange can be twisty and hectic at times

so that days plan was from Ai Ais to Noordower to Rosh Pinah to Aus then on to Luderitz


the wild horses near Aus were the closest to the road i had ever seen on my trips



Kolmanskop ghost town just outside Luderitz was a thriving town back in the old days….to think they picked diamonds up off the ground….the trip to the place now a museum is well worth a visit and you will see pictures of folks lying on the ground searching for diamonds

 

[badballie]

Great trip Mother - subscribed

 

[ClimbingTurtle]

This is so awesome! Namibia is my absolute favourite place!!

Can't wait for the rest!!

:thumleft:  :thumleft:  :thumleft:

 

[mother]

in Luderitz i decided a break from camping was in order so decided to back pack it and ended up in the old Backpackers i have stayed on a few occasions
was nice change had my own room beats a tent any day….
Nice room at the Backpackers ...Next day i took a rest day to walk around the town and down to Shark island also took a ride out to Diaz Cross as it was the only place i could get a decent Coffee and Cake….hehehehe

 

[mother]

people asked me a lot how did you take the selfie pics if you were on a solo trip….
well i took my trusty Gorilla tripod a great tool it can stick to about anything and then you got ten seconds to run like hell….it often made me laugh trying to get the correct shot
also the camera i used was a Sony cybershot with wifi
i could send pics to my Iphone and down load if i found a wifi connection
also used an App on my Iphone were i could take pictures remotely using wifi from my camera….all cool gizmos if you travelling alone

 

[Piston Pete]

sub

robc  :sip:

 

[Jacobsroodt]

Another sub. I took my wife and 3 young sons to Nam June last year to tour the southern parts in two weeks. They speak fondly of the trip. Enjoy! :thumleft:

 

[mother]

after the rest day in Luderitz i headed back inland to Aus about 120km of tar road...left Luderitz in heavy mist
From Aus i took the dirt to Helmeringhausen ...this is a very scenic section of road....was looking forward to my visit to the hotel as they make great toasted sandwiches there….from there i bought some supplies i.e. braai pack and refreshments as i was heading for a farmers camp i had stayed at many times before some 50km from Helmeringhausen direction Sesriem called Aubures

 

[Pietcoke]

:sip:

 

[Frannarossi]

Sub :thumleft:

 

[mother]

its a crazy place we live in …about 40km north of Helmeringhausen i come across a young couple in a sedan rent a car….definitely not made for those roads…..in fact the roads i noticed were substantially worse than my previous visits….very sandy ….very rocky and badly corrugated
especially this particular section…..so here is this young couple late twenties i recon in their Hertz rent a car standing stranded on the side of the road with two rims buckled and flat in the middle of no where ….MMMMM

so i stop to assist ….out comes the pump repair kit etc after a while of using the wheel spanner as a hammer to try bend the rim we were going nowhere slowly….some RSA tourists pull up all rigged
now whats the odds
as they get out of the vehicle i notice its my good friends from Cape Town with whom i often ride Harleys….they been on a tour of Namibia……really i ask what are the chances of that encounter….was so Cool to see Rigardt and Maddie
Rigardts mate was rigged properly sand in no time we had the young couple on the road again hopefully they knew to take it easy and get off those roads asap

what is the chances of bumping into old friends in the middle of the desert road?

 

[mother]

i been camping a number of years at this camp site Aubures it was no different this time and i had the whole place to myself
that evening supper was an awesome braai pack and a few refreshments i had picked up in town before
the stars were crystal clear and i saw in the night sky the satellites racing around as if on some mission to nowhere they looked like travelling stars on a busy highway even saw a shooting star to top it all…sitting alone in the desert under the stars is something hard to describe…but it was soul food for me….something i will remember for a long time

 

[woody1]

:ricky:

 

[Carrots]

Ek het gevolg op Vleisbroek maar ek volg sommer weer ook hier!  :3some:

 

[JACOVV]

Nice - I'll take the pillion's seat - Thanks  :thumleft:

 

[mother]

next day after Aubures Camp headed to Betta then Sesriem and finally decided Solitaire would be where i would camp for the night

just for the record bikes are not allowed into the Dunes or park of Sossusvlie and because i have been there a few times it didn’t bother me…but if you haven’t its worth a visit…you will just have to leave your bike at reception and get a lift into the park with a 4x4
Stopped at Betta for breakfast nice little shop and they have fuel

Just after Betta was chugging along enjoying the scenery and this movement in front caught my eye and it was a 'mother' of a cobra crossing the road .....me and snakes not big mates but i couldnt resist taking a pic