GG
Race Dog
An overview of the trip:
Baviaans Kloof, Knysna, Victoria Bay, Montagu Pass, Prince Alfred Pass and the Tsitskama Forest. Whales in Hermanus and the Tradauw pass. Ronnies sex shop and Road kill café, Seweweeks poort all on the famed R 62, then the awesome Swartberg pass and journey into Hell (die Hel) and a run back home across a flower strewn Karroo!
Entering Baviaans
Baviaans River Crossing
I thought the road kill was worth a pomp!
Montagu Pass. George and back via Prince Albert Pass and the Knysna forest
The Monster & the Medem
Then Sewe weeks poort
Entering Die Hel
And descending into it â?¦
Home across the karoo in flower
Day 2: Into Baviaans
But its not only the places itâ??s the story, the buddies, the chafing, the dopping and the bikes. We live in a stunning place and we just touched at it as we rode across the Eastern part of our country, 7 of us, 6 bikes, Jake, Pierre and I (Sue riding pillion) on 1200 GS Adventures, Hein and Simon on 1200GS's and Seamus on a very battered (as we found out) 650 Daka. 4000 kmâ??s in 10 days and we only just touched a small part of a gods own biking country!
It started out at Doppies Bar!
No not actually it started in Jhb followed by a 1000km ride and overnight at the Royal Hotel in Willowmore, but then Pierre dropped his bike right outside Doppies bar, and that set the standard!
Its hard to describe Baviaans, a road gashing like a slithery snake under and over crumbling red granite cliffs, twisting and turning over bush covered steep and rocky passes and dropping dizzily back to deep treacherous river crossings!
The first part is quite populated, quaint farmhouses, little donkey carts and the odd beer at little trading stores
Not to mention Seamus who embarks on a 4000 km adventure with a fucked sprocket!
No sorry itâ??s a Shiruken Ninja weapon not a BMW part!
The beauty of the overpowering rocks and flowering landscape lulls one into thinking this is a walk in the park.
Then we got to the river crossing! The first clue was the large group of spectators, the KLR being towed by an HP2 and the KTM stripped on the side! The second clue was the glee with which the spectators eyed me as I rode up. Pierre had dropped his adventure to their vast appreciation!
Now there was another GSA but yay this one had a passenger, this was going to be fun! Two for the price of one! I hesitated, how deep is it and which route I asked a friendly looking biker? â??About knee deep and its all bad, just watch for the hole in the middleâ?, he added helpfullyâ?!
â??This needs training wheels downâ?, I mumbled not standing and looking hopefully at the other side. I felt like the paparazzi were here as ready as if it was Lady Di about to cross!
â??Shall I jump off?â? Said Sue in a mix of hope and fear.
â??Hold on,â? I said through gritted teeth and we shot forward. Except for one slight swerve off line we roared across, even the spectators begrudgingly shouting encouragement. It did require my training wheels in the form of a set of so called water proof Jim Green boots getting quiet wet, but not dropping the monster and Sue in the bog was a serious ego boost.
The others followed reluctantly with mixed results! Simon stopped in the middle and got a co driver to help
â??How long have you been ridingâ?, one of the spectators asked Hein?
â??Four monthsâ?, said Hein.
â??Oh, Ohâ?. said the crowd as one! But no! Hein was determined, he knew if he stopped his short legs wouldnâ??t hold him up and so gave it gas and flew across his bow wave larger than the HMS Bizmarks!
After the water crossing, another and another but easier and by now we were confident!
Jake doing the Hein Crossing Manouever!
The road now rises vertically twisting and turning, strewn with large boulders and ledges. A few mirrors and a spot were lost by Hein and Jake!
We twisted and turned down to the valley below and to our campsite at Kudu Kaya.
Spotlights and mirrors were Q bonded back!
While we slept the boots dried!
Day 3: Down By Da Sea
From Baviaans we made our way to the N2 highway.
From the highway the route was closed due to floods but Simon led us over the large pile of earth blocking the road and to the beautiful twists and turns beyond. The forest magic, the earthy smells so unique on a bike.
We twisted through the forest to Natureâ??s valley and the sea after the recent floods!
Ahh and a well deserved drink at the Oyster catcher in Knysna!
Home sweet home for the day! What a campsite, overhanging the sea, the roar of waves lulling us to sleep.
Yes well the alcohol too! Using my bike as a stool the bloody thing toppled over with me, much to the amusement of my so called buddies and mean wife â?¦no it had nothing to do with the wine!
To be continued...
Baviaans Kloof, Knysna, Victoria Bay, Montagu Pass, Prince Alfred Pass and the Tsitskama Forest. Whales in Hermanus and the Tradauw pass. Ronnies sex shop and Road kill café, Seweweeks poort all on the famed R 62, then the awesome Swartberg pass and journey into Hell (die Hel) and a run back home across a flower strewn Karroo!
Entering Baviaans
Baviaans River Crossing
I thought the road kill was worth a pomp!
Montagu Pass. George and back via Prince Albert Pass and the Knysna forest
The Monster & the Medem
Then Sewe weeks poort
Entering Die Hel
And descending into it â?¦
Home across the karoo in flower
Day 2: Into Baviaans
But its not only the places itâ??s the story, the buddies, the chafing, the dopping and the bikes. We live in a stunning place and we just touched at it as we rode across the Eastern part of our country, 7 of us, 6 bikes, Jake, Pierre and I (Sue riding pillion) on 1200 GS Adventures, Hein and Simon on 1200GS's and Seamus on a very battered (as we found out) 650 Daka. 4000 kmâ??s in 10 days and we only just touched a small part of a gods own biking country!
It started out at Doppies Bar!
No not actually it started in Jhb followed by a 1000km ride and overnight at the Royal Hotel in Willowmore, but then Pierre dropped his bike right outside Doppies bar, and that set the standard!
Its hard to describe Baviaans, a road gashing like a slithery snake under and over crumbling red granite cliffs, twisting and turning over bush covered steep and rocky passes and dropping dizzily back to deep treacherous river crossings!
The first part is quite populated, quaint farmhouses, little donkey carts and the odd beer at little trading stores
Not to mention Seamus who embarks on a 4000 km adventure with a fucked sprocket!
No sorry itâ??s a Shiruken Ninja weapon not a BMW part!
The beauty of the overpowering rocks and flowering landscape lulls one into thinking this is a walk in the park.
Then we got to the river crossing! The first clue was the large group of spectators, the KLR being towed by an HP2 and the KTM stripped on the side! The second clue was the glee with which the spectators eyed me as I rode up. Pierre had dropped his adventure to their vast appreciation!
Now there was another GSA but yay this one had a passenger, this was going to be fun! Two for the price of one! I hesitated, how deep is it and which route I asked a friendly looking biker? â??About knee deep and its all bad, just watch for the hole in the middleâ?, he added helpfullyâ?!
â??This needs training wheels downâ?, I mumbled not standing and looking hopefully at the other side. I felt like the paparazzi were here as ready as if it was Lady Di about to cross!
â??Shall I jump off?â? Said Sue in a mix of hope and fear.
â??Hold on,â? I said through gritted teeth and we shot forward. Except for one slight swerve off line we roared across, even the spectators begrudgingly shouting encouragement. It did require my training wheels in the form of a set of so called water proof Jim Green boots getting quiet wet, but not dropping the monster and Sue in the bog was a serious ego boost.
The others followed reluctantly with mixed results! Simon stopped in the middle and got a co driver to help
â??How long have you been ridingâ?, one of the spectators asked Hein?
â??Four monthsâ?, said Hein.
â??Oh, Ohâ?. said the crowd as one! But no! Hein was determined, he knew if he stopped his short legs wouldnâ??t hold him up and so gave it gas and flew across his bow wave larger than the HMS Bizmarks!
After the water crossing, another and another but easier and by now we were confident!
Jake doing the Hein Crossing Manouever!
The road now rises vertically twisting and turning, strewn with large boulders and ledges. A few mirrors and a spot were lost by Hein and Jake!
We twisted and turned down to the valley below and to our campsite at Kudu Kaya.
Spotlights and mirrors were Q bonded back!
While we slept the boots dried!
Day 3: Down By Da Sea
From Baviaans we made our way to the N2 highway.
From the highway the route was closed due to floods but Simon led us over the large pile of earth blocking the road and to the beautiful twists and turns beyond. The forest magic, the earthy smells so unique on a bike.
We twisted through the forest to Natureâ??s valley and the sea after the recent floods!
Ahh and a well deserved drink at the Oyster catcher in Knysna!
Home sweet home for the day! What a campsite, overhanging the sea, the roar of waves lulling us to sleep.
Yes well the alcohol too! Using my bike as a stool the bloody thing toppled over with me, much to the amusement of my so called buddies and mean wife â?¦no it had nothing to do with the wine!
To be continued...