Day 3
So after the previous nights rums, gambling and the little bit of rain we were still up earlier than normal. We decided to get up and treat ourselves to a cup of coffee and great breakfast which was part of the hotel special.
After our tummies were full we packed up again as it was Friday and we had to make our way back to the rat race in Cape Town. We were looking forward to seeing the kids again. While I was packing the bike we were introduced with some lovely music which was done by the school kids. The music just put a large smile on my face, it was great listening to their talent, I was now ready for the world and felt strong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAh_vdeETQo
It was another brisk morning with but we took all the back roads on gravel and cruised which kept the cold air off us. The first section of gravel was quite slippery which kept my eyes peeled on the road and my wife’s arms tight around my waist as the back and front wheel would slide/drift out every now and then.
The farmers were out early feeding the cows…
Myself and my wife kept on saying Farmers are the most friendliest people ever and why cant all people be like them. We stopped on the side of the road to take a picture of this bright red bird which looked beautiful and of course the farmer had to stop to ask us if everything was okay. Where would a city hopper do this? Never he would leave the dust and stones on you.
We reached our first water crossing. It was pretty simple as the farmers had laid rocks and stones in the water which allowed for better grip and no mud spinning. I checked the depth of the water crossing first with a stick as you should never judge a book by its cover they say.
My mother in law kept the kids at home on Friday as she said they were sick and my son was coughing. On Baden Powell Drive R301 we came across our second incident for the trip. The truck somehow managed to swerve into the left side of the road and this was the result. Luckily we were on the bike and sneaked up to the front. “You must wait!!!” said the traffic officer. “My daughter is sick and we are in a rush to get home, please can we go?” “Okay then” We dashed off like we were in a emergency but not really.
We reached home safely were the kids awaited us and were very happy to see us. After being home for 2 hours I still never even heard any type of cough coming from the kids. Mother in laws sure like having the kids with them at home.
Some things that I really appreciated on this trip and made the trip. Without them the trip would have not been the same.
1. Interphone Bluetooth headsets.
First we both had our iPods’ connected to the headsets and cell phones and I had the GPS too. We took the IPods’ with as we intended to listen to music on the road. This didn’t happen, if we listen to music for more than 10 minutes it was a lot. We had the headsets on intercom for the entire duration and chatted nonstop. Loads of bonding time. The trip surely would have been the same if we couldn’t have talked to each other.
2. GPS zumo 660
I plotted tracks were there was no roads, without a GPS we would have gotten easy lost in the mountains. The zumo 660 worked like a bomb. I have no issue at all with it.
3. Kaoka Throttle cruise control.
This piece of kit came in handy on the tar roads, it works like a charm, takes a lot of strain off your wrist hand while doing 179km/h on the tar. I mean 140km/h. Sssssshhhhhh don’t tell her.
4. Crash bars
Say no more they saved me lots of money when falling on the mountain coming down.
5. Kaoka saddle bag inserts
When stopping over for the night you simply remove the insert with your clothes and don’t have to unpack the whole saddle bag. The insert just gets slipped back into the saddle bag the next morning. The insert is what actually make the saddle bag waterproof.
All in all it was a sweet and short ride but fantastic. Lodas more to come. We are planning our next trip already.
Top speed for the trip was 179km/h
Elevation was 727m
Distance 700km
Fun factor = 100%
