On tour with Will E Coyote

[michnus]

Thought I had to have a lekker theme going with our trip as Somewhere-Els and the 1200GS will be doing their first off-road trip together.

We had to visit the parents in JHB and Bela Bela. JHB alone pisses me off no end, we decided to do as much on dirt and try and keep the tar to a bare minimum where possible.

The route would start just outside EL on the Maclean road about 40km outside EL.

We took the road to Tsolo through to Cala and Elliot. It's amazing how green the place is after the rains. We had the added benefit of no cars and taxi's on these roads. The gravel is just amazing, hard pack for really good fast riding, just love it.

We decided to stay over at the Mountain Shadows lodge outside Elliot on the Barkley Pass, it's a great place run by a young couple. It's also close to the Rhodes road and the Baster voetslaan route over the mountain.

This is one route one has to ride before death and old age set in. It's incredibly beautiful, and the riding is as good as it gets. By this time S-Els and the 1200 started to bond quite nice and I had to twist the throttle a bit more to stay a head of them. We also got a lekker rhythm the way we ride. We know when to stop, when to go no need for walky talkies or helmet talking stuff.

It's just like that, when you get hooked up with a 1200, things just flow, and you can nail the bike kilo's on end with a moerse smile on your bakkies.  :biggrin: It started to rain as we got on top, the view from there is to say the least spectacular.

On the plaque it reads The Dr LAPA Munnik Pas opened in 1979.

The next day it was over Lundini's/ Lundeans neck to lower Telle, and on to Zastron. I just can't get enough of the roads, I want more, MORE, MORE!!!

I think God was angry when he made this place. Throw rocks all over the place, and the peaks before the top of Lundeans neck is black and really evil looking. We did this route before, but I can't help slowing down in amazement of the beauty of this place.

For all to follow this route, I build the first rock shrine for WD's up there, it's not big but it's there, please feel free to add.  :mwink:

Nature calling.  :biggrin:

There's not another part of SA that can equal this beauty. But again you have to go there to experience it, pictures will never do justice.

Carefree living, shit, it was hot, a swim would go down well, unfortunately we had to move on.

We ended up in Wepener, at the Lord Fraser, or better know as Ford Laser. The Bull's give it away, it's a must for a stop over. It's a cool pub and their food are top notch. We met up with a Harley rider that not scared of tackling dirt with his Harley.!!  In Zastron for petrol we met up with a guy riding a Truimph Truxton, with only a back pack from JHB to CP, he smiled he loved it!

Up to now, we did well, keeping of tar, except the part from Tele to Zastron and Wepener. We had to go into Bloem out of my fault because I am a kak navigator and that with a GPS!.

The next day we headed out to Excelsior and onto lekker fast sweeping dirt. Man this place is freaky, it's flat, yes water level flat, the thing you ride into a settlement, without trees, nothing just shacks, where they get water from is a mystery!

The only living things were the horses.

We ended the day in Golden Gate park, give me green and water any day, heat and dead flaktes is not really part of my happy place. 

We couldn't leave JHB sooner, up to now we did around 1400km only around 300km of that was tar. It's bedonnerd to know you can stay of tar and cover that distance. One day I am going to try and ride dirt all from EL to Musina or CP, se moer met die W to E ride that got published in Topbike!  >

to follow.......

 

[Leo]

Bobaas - keep it coming Michnus.  :thumleft:

Hel die wereld is mooi groen  :biggrin:

 

[Malibu]

Ooooh, too nice... waiting....  :thumleft:

 

[LeonDude]

Nice Michnus. Great photography, waiting for the rest now...

 

[Disselboom]

:thumleft:

 

[KnopKop]

Jis, dit lyk nou maar lekker !!!!!!


:ricky: :ricky: :ricky:

:thumleft:

 

[edgy]

Mooi man :thumleft:We did a similar route on the way up to Joeys 2 weeks back

 

[rubiblue]

Very nice, one or 2 roads looks familiar (near elliot i think). Very COOL!

 

[Stofstreep]

These two pics are Phenomenal!!!

WOW!
Keep it coming!

 

[Hentie bm]

Dankie dat jy hier by my gestop het  :bueller: daai parte se prys het so pas opgegaan!!  :deal:  >

 

[michnus]

The part through the bigsmoke I would rather leave as it's a fast and smokey affair.  :biggrin:

The GPS and maps are useless, I pick a straight line though JHb and Pretoria, out Onderspoort, hoping my ass of we will get onto dirt quick quick. Noooo such luck, past Soshanguve Mokopane stad, nothing no dirt, eventually 100km before Bela Bela, we got on dirt.
The smell of the bushveld moer me in the face, I can drink it, there's no smell like the bushveld after the rains. The roads are sandy and wet, what a blast!! Bliksem I miss this place, I must go back to stay longer and ride all the roads I use to when still stuck with a bakkie staying up there.

We stayed at a lodge Koro-Koro 17km outside Bela Bela. Great people, if you ask very very nice, they will allow you to ride in the ''wilds kamp" without helmets and stuff, absolutely NO hooligan stuff, 1st gear slow riding, rev your bike once and your out.  We stayed in their jag kamp, and to see a bushveld sunset again, freaking awesome!

We didn't really want to leave, maar die son trek water, en ons moet ry. Stomach the road back through JHB was no option so we decided to head to Roetan and then Loskop down to Harrismith. There we some dirt pieces but nothing to really cut down on the tar sections.

Loskop, the heat and smells, how do you describe it to people? It's just great open the visor and take in all the wonder full smells of the Ntvl.

Ohter side of Harrismith on a dirt track, we came across a settlement with this house, bliksem it's small, there some funny stuff to see in SA. 

All along the Drakensberg down to Himeville you can ride some of the best scenic dirt in SA. These long dirt roads along the mountains is just what the doctor ordered. No cars just riding heaven. Still no bikers, it's like we are the only bike riders in the entire SA. Somehow I wish more people can enjoy and love this way of travelling, on the other hand, I hope not. if the masses get onto it, somehow it's not going to be the same. Yes,yes, I know I am selfish and it's stupid.  :biggrin:

In Underberg we had a cottage which we shared with our friends that came up from EL. I know bad weather, but these okes get serious bad weather. The clouds look evil, and the thunder is of the scale.

Look close and you can see the bike on the right.

 

[Koet]

NICE!!!!

 

[IceCreamMan]

awesome  :thumleft:

 

[Bakkie]

baie nice  ;D

 

[GundaGunda]

Man, but there are some great pics in this thread - thanx muchly !

 

[michnus]

Sorry Hentie was a Sunday did'nt want to bother. 

So we head out to Kokstad on our way to Port St Johns. In Kokstad we met up with more Harley riders!! Fok these oke's are putting us to shame!  :biggrin: This guy and his girl came from JHb and were on their way to PE or somewhere. Awesome , it was lekker chatting to bikers that's not D/S bedonerd to understand their thinking.

Where are all the adventure riders!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems the posers are all the oke's on forums like us just talking about riding?  :

I always said the GS ADV is a poser bike, the Harley's and the ADV even share the same light set up, and all of them always ride with their headlights on.  > :biggrin:

Now, let's get one thing straight. We all are dirt befok. But there is nooothing, and I mean nothing like a good tar piece and the best of them is the road between Lusikisiki and Port St Johns. I jaaged it 4 times that day, it's in total 157 turns from town to town in that 30 km!! You get it!! And it's the most beautiful piece of tarmac.  :thumleft: :thumleft:

Even a pillion will kots from the ride.

We stayed in a lodge next to the river, Cremone, 1st place would have been Jungle Monkeys in Port St Johns, next time make sure you stay there, the dagga is cheap and the parties the best in Africa.  O0

On the top of the mountain is an airfield Port St Johns is the place in the right back of the picture, it's a must riding out there to saviour the views. The rumours are old army intelligence landing there and all sorts of conspiracy theory dagga stories. Submarines in the river, and some other old man stories.

The lodge from 300m up.

Out of Port St Johns there's a dirt road all along the coast to Coffee bay, it's not on maps or GPS, you have to have the track. It's THE best rides in SA. Rural, a bit technical, people, scenery and just a small piece of riding heaven.

No, you can try and pry the track from my cold dead hands! :biggrin: It's such a nice ride, I am really not wanting to tell people.  :biggrin:

It's valleys, up hills, rivers, everything thrown in for good measure.

Grow some plants on the roof to keep the spirits away.

A dirt pass climbing 200m in a few k's out the river. The place is full of this, and it adds to the enjoyment of the ride, never dull, focus, focus.

And into Coffee bay, there were always only one hotel, another old wreck were rebuild to be named the Coffee Bay Hotel.
Beers!!!
Yes riding a 1200 there, you must have a bit of meat on the arms.  :biggrin:

You wanna ride where!! Ek dink nie so nie!  8) :biggrin:

Just in Africa, right at the entrance to a town a horse died and the dogs and maggots clean up the last bits. Just imagine the smell before it opened!
Just live with it, no worries, rubbish, all kinds of sickness for the kids. I sometimes have to wonder why do some people have a tolerance for living in shit and others doesn't. Why some would sit in a shack with smoke barreling out the door, and other's invent a chimney to get rid of the smoke.

The only nasty we got in the Tranksei was a fokken doff, JHB Land Drover Disco with people in driving around throwing sweets at kids! Moer I was livid! I rode them in and asked nicley to stop the shit, hell these people are not dogs, you don't throw them food. And that's why the kids moer us with rocks.
The other was plastic bikes, the people there are at a slow pace, and some assholes, rip it up through the settlements and roads moering everybody with dust.

Hole in the Wall, what can I say, go there, go see it. It's one of those magic places, I have seems it many a time and every time I go there, it feels like the first time. Besides the fact that the dirt roads are some of the best and most interesting to ride in the entire SA. The place have a real Africa feel to it, it's like your not part of SA anymore.

All in all we did 4000km in the 12 days. Around 1000km we had to sit on tar for whatever reason except out of my own will. We are back home and I have yet to off load the stuff from the bike, I want more, the road is calling and my gat juik vir nog ry.

 

[Mark Hardy]

:hello2: :hello2: :hello2: :hello2:

Now that is what I call a GOOOOOOD Holiday. Your batteries have to be fully charged after a trip like that.

 

[wino]

an excellent ride, dear sir  :thumleft:

 

[Plothond]

A lekker lekker trip Michnus
4000km is a fair distance for a holiday ride - nice going

About the cairn on Lundeans neck - SORRY  :mwink: :-[
.... my hooligans dismantled it

 

[hondsekierie]

"Out of Port St Johns there's a dirt road all along the coast to Coffee bay, it's not on maps or GPS, you have to have the track. It's THE best rides in SA. Rural, a bit technical, people, scenery and just a small piece of riding heaven.

No, you can try and pry the track from my cold dead hands!  It's such a nice ride, I am really not wanting to tell people. "

Brilliant once again Michnus :thumleft:

Quez: Did the same section between Coffee Bay & Port St Johns while back (mostly dirt ) but without that water crossing.  Obviously you did do your homework a little bit better and managed to stay closer to the coastline, but why not share the track?  Smoke a peace pipe and share my brother, it might do your soul a lot of good :mwink: