mother
Race Dog
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 3,238
- Reaction score
- 118
- Location
- Cape Town
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
Paying Attention on the roads in Namibia …..May 2011
We had long planned this trip with Grant and it happened to be back to back with bike Week in Margate….so after a quick trip for the weekend to Margate via Coles burg and Cradock on the Harley 2400km…..it was back home to change it for the GS and another 4200 odd km this time taking in a bit of Namibia…long overdue…first trip for Grant AKA “Turtle” a mostly peeping tom or lurker on the forum..
We left Friday morning at 5.30am to miss the Jhb traffic and also to get distance under the belt as Upington was the destination for the day
830km with a few stop and goes….but it went by quickly….probably first day fever thing…we ended up staying at Die Eiland….which as mentioned before on the forum was a bit run down but in the end better than camping
Like normal we planned the next day later that night and decided to head to Namibia via the Onseepkans border post….which is a nice and quiet border post between the Vioolsdrif and Ariamsvlei border posts on the south of Namibia
When we arrived we where the only ones there
On way to Onseepkans
Border post
Namibia
Crossing into Namibia was an easy and friendly affair and in no time we where travelling along the Namibian “highways”
In Karasburg we stopped for lunch refreshments of a pie and coke at the local Spar….after having a minor incident outside with a local drunk…..we pressed on for Ai Ais
Think it was here that the trip started to change a bit for us….we where breezing along nicely at a hundred and plenty….under the assumption the gravel highways where just that….gravel highways….
I for one should have seen the signs…..water everywhere…..dams here…dams there….mmmmmm
Well as we crested a rise still chugging along merrily……there straight in front of us almost no road….all of a sudden out of nowhere…one moer of a frikkin wash hole thingy
Well first thing that goes through ones mind….is how clean are my undies gonna be after this one….having my loving wife as pillion…and who believes I got talent to take her safely around the country….I had expectations to live up to
I remember glancing the GPS as we stood up bracing ourselves…..I yanked heavily on the steering and lifting this years body to get as much lift as we could….we hit it at over 140…..and the big bad Mother…my GS that is …went flying over with the exception of a large thud….as if nothing happened
……Maybe I should have checked….but I didn’t….luckily a lesson learnt about assuming that the roads looked good they where good…(assumption they say is the Mother of all F@#$% ups)…we soon found out later the roads in Namibia where in the worst condition I had seen in ages and thanks mostly to the excessive rain they had had recently
We arrived in one piece in Ai Ais a nice easy day….we decided to camp and it was hilarious watching Grant put up his new tent…we had a good laugh with our neighbours’
Later on a group of bikers rolled into camp it was Moondog from the forum and his buds….we had a few introductions then later on settled into an evening of relaxing in the indoor hot spring baths and a hearty meal at the nice restaurant
Next morning we quickly planned that days riding and decided to head for the fish river canyon and then a lovely camp site we had stayed at a few times before around 50kays north of Helmeringshausen…
The roads started to get worse and one had to go slow through the washes that where plentiful….infact the road to Seeheim was partly closed and you had to make a detour in the direction of Keetmanshoop…
Don’t get too excited about getting fuel in Goageb either…luckily Grant was carrying an extra 10litres for the 800
Helmeringshausen is sort of closed on a Sunday with the exception of the hotel and the Garage so we where lucky to get a meal at the hotel and petrol….also the Gent at the petrol station was kind enough to sell us a pack of frozen wors for us to have for supper as we where camping that evening in the middle of nowhere
There is more water crossings in Namibia than Baviaanskloof
You need to pay attention!!
Farm Aubures where we have camped twice before…its really awesome…cheap and the farmer and his wife are as friendly as they come….I highly rate this camp site 50 kay north of Helmeringshausen on the C27…..look out for it its worth a stay
That night we sat around the campfire reflecting how blessed we are to do what we do and see parts of the world that most don’t….also chased Leonie around the campsite with the Namibian Goggas….it was a special time we had there again
Next morning Grant and I took a walk up the river and we swam in some of the pools unusual to see this time of year…water was in abundance in Namibia….we where having fun just like school kids again …..It was special
Wild Gogga vs Wilddog
That day we headed on to Sossusvlie......the roads where in rocky sandy condition and as Grant said….you had to “pay attention”
Sossusvlie seems to have become an exclusive tourist thing….well its not biker friendly no more and you can only access the Vlei if you have your own vehicle or use the bus provided at an exorbitant rate… at a time chosen by the park…..needless to say they where also full and where prepared to charge us normal rates for camping in the overflow area…..
We chose to move on to Solitaire and camp for R70.00
As we stopped to take off the tent I noticed the one side of my tyre was rubbing smooth….on closer inspection I noticed the whole driveshaft stabiliser arm was bent and rubbing the rear wheel and shock…..mmmmmm then the wash before Ai Ais came back to me…..as since then I had taken it fairly easy with the speed and don’t remember a big hit again
After setting up camp we set about evaluating the damage and discovered the inside arm had broken off and the outside arm had bent badly but was still holding things together ….
Two oomies from the nearby camp provided Gas stove and hammer and wood blocks and in no time we had the parts banged straight again….we found an old pipe by the garage and I cut it to size using the grinder in the workshop (as all the tools where locked up for the night by the owner) next we jammed the broken inner driveshaft stabiliser arm into the pipe and I coached the pipe around the arm with a hammer and Walla…we bolted the two pieces together back on the bike and….over 1500km of bad Namibian roads im still going strong
Next day we set out for Swakopmund around 260km away…took it easy not exceeding 100kph just to check out my handy work
By the time we hit the Kuiseb river or at least me thinks it was the Kuiseb we where hot and bothered riding in the desert…anyway the river was flowing very nicely and its not often one sees a river flowing like this in Namibia….so we found a nice spot to relax and out came the camping mattresses……we where going river rafting
Talk about having a load of fun…the kids in us came out….Grant and I laughing from the belly it was great and who knows when one can river raft in Namibia again soon
The fact that Grant lost one plakkie and I punctured my sleeping mattress did not dampen the experience….it was once in a lifetime deal….
Only later did I discover I lost my wedding ring only then did I feel a bit of regret for being so impulsive…..to me it was a priceless experience…..and lesson learnt …..Next time get a ring that fits
Swakop was great and we vegged for a few days at Chico apartments….being sick and tired of camping and staying in the run down A frames
We spent the next three days walking around town taking in the sights and enjoying Kukis pub and the Bauhaus Eisbein
Having fun in Swakopmund
Friday morning came too soon and we headed to Windhoek via Walvisbay and backtracked around dune 7 to the C28 via Komashogland…reason being the Swakop river was in flood so we had to make a 30km detour to pick up the C28
In Windhoek we had an appointment that evening to see one of our new Wild dog Chommies “Davido” at Joe’s beer house
I worked out I had last done this rode in aprox 2005 and suddenly there was about 50km of tar and some Uranium mines …..at least after the tar things got back to normal….
After the lookout by the top of the Komashogland it was back to “paying attention” as the road just deteriorated badly for at least 80km
In Windhoek we found a spot at the Gecko lodge and after settling in we set off to Joes Beerhaus to meet David
Don’t know what’s it with some places but Service and the food had gone south since our last visit but meeting some Wild dogs and having a lekka kuir far outshone the poor food delivery
David it was awesome meeting you and thanks for sharing the evening with us!!!
We crawled into bed after midnight….making the next day a long one…
Saturday was the long boring Trans Kalahari to Kang 670km and the next day the last 400km to Gabs
Taking away the boredom of the long ride
You need to pay attention in Botswana too
Home in Gabs
All in all 3800km till Gabs and Grant still had to do 400km to Jhb
As usual Namibia was special…..you just had to pay attention this time
We had long planned this trip with Grant and it happened to be back to back with bike Week in Margate….so after a quick trip for the weekend to Margate via Coles burg and Cradock on the Harley 2400km…..it was back home to change it for the GS and another 4200 odd km this time taking in a bit of Namibia…long overdue…first trip for Grant AKA “Turtle” a mostly peeping tom or lurker on the forum..
We left Friday morning at 5.30am to miss the Jhb traffic and also to get distance under the belt as Upington was the destination for the day
830km with a few stop and goes….but it went by quickly….probably first day fever thing…we ended up staying at Die Eiland….which as mentioned before on the forum was a bit run down but in the end better than camping
Like normal we planned the next day later that night and decided to head to Namibia via the Onseepkans border post….which is a nice and quiet border post between the Vioolsdrif and Ariamsvlei border posts on the south of Namibia
When we arrived we where the only ones there
On way to Onseepkans
Border post
Namibia
Crossing into Namibia was an easy and friendly affair and in no time we where travelling along the Namibian “highways”
In Karasburg we stopped for lunch refreshments of a pie and coke at the local Spar….after having a minor incident outside with a local drunk…..we pressed on for Ai Ais
Think it was here that the trip started to change a bit for us….we where breezing along nicely at a hundred and plenty….under the assumption the gravel highways where just that….gravel highways….
I for one should have seen the signs…..water everywhere…..dams here…dams there….mmmmmm
Well as we crested a rise still chugging along merrily……there straight in front of us almost no road….all of a sudden out of nowhere…one moer of a frikkin wash hole thingy
Well first thing that goes through ones mind….is how clean are my undies gonna be after this one….having my loving wife as pillion…and who believes I got talent to take her safely around the country….I had expectations to live up to
I remember glancing the GPS as we stood up bracing ourselves…..I yanked heavily on the steering and lifting this years body to get as much lift as we could….we hit it at over 140…..and the big bad Mother…my GS that is …went flying over with the exception of a large thud….as if nothing happened
……Maybe I should have checked….but I didn’t….luckily a lesson learnt about assuming that the roads looked good they where good…(assumption they say is the Mother of all F@#$% ups)…we soon found out later the roads in Namibia where in the worst condition I had seen in ages and thanks mostly to the excessive rain they had had recently
We arrived in one piece in Ai Ais a nice easy day….we decided to camp and it was hilarious watching Grant put up his new tent…we had a good laugh with our neighbours’
Later on a group of bikers rolled into camp it was Moondog from the forum and his buds….we had a few introductions then later on settled into an evening of relaxing in the indoor hot spring baths and a hearty meal at the nice restaurant
Next morning we quickly planned that days riding and decided to head for the fish river canyon and then a lovely camp site we had stayed at a few times before around 50kays north of Helmeringshausen…
The roads started to get worse and one had to go slow through the washes that where plentiful….infact the road to Seeheim was partly closed and you had to make a detour in the direction of Keetmanshoop…
Don’t get too excited about getting fuel in Goageb either…luckily Grant was carrying an extra 10litres for the 800
Helmeringshausen is sort of closed on a Sunday with the exception of the hotel and the Garage so we where lucky to get a meal at the hotel and petrol….also the Gent at the petrol station was kind enough to sell us a pack of frozen wors for us to have for supper as we where camping that evening in the middle of nowhere
There is more water crossings in Namibia than Baviaanskloof
You need to pay attention!!
Farm Aubures where we have camped twice before…its really awesome…cheap and the farmer and his wife are as friendly as they come….I highly rate this camp site 50 kay north of Helmeringshausen on the C27…..look out for it its worth a stay
That night we sat around the campfire reflecting how blessed we are to do what we do and see parts of the world that most don’t….also chased Leonie around the campsite with the Namibian Goggas….it was a special time we had there again
Next morning Grant and I took a walk up the river and we swam in some of the pools unusual to see this time of year…water was in abundance in Namibia….we where having fun just like school kids again …..It was special
Wild Gogga vs Wilddog
That day we headed on to Sossusvlie......the roads where in rocky sandy condition and as Grant said….you had to “pay attention”
Sossusvlie seems to have become an exclusive tourist thing….well its not biker friendly no more and you can only access the Vlei if you have your own vehicle or use the bus provided at an exorbitant rate… at a time chosen by the park…..needless to say they where also full and where prepared to charge us normal rates for camping in the overflow area…..
We chose to move on to Solitaire and camp for R70.00
As we stopped to take off the tent I noticed the one side of my tyre was rubbing smooth….on closer inspection I noticed the whole driveshaft stabiliser arm was bent and rubbing the rear wheel and shock…..mmmmmm then the wash before Ai Ais came back to me…..as since then I had taken it fairly easy with the speed and don’t remember a big hit again
After setting up camp we set about evaluating the damage and discovered the inside arm had broken off and the outside arm had bent badly but was still holding things together ….
Two oomies from the nearby camp provided Gas stove and hammer and wood blocks and in no time we had the parts banged straight again….we found an old pipe by the garage and I cut it to size using the grinder in the workshop (as all the tools where locked up for the night by the owner) next we jammed the broken inner driveshaft stabiliser arm into the pipe and I coached the pipe around the arm with a hammer and Walla…we bolted the two pieces together back on the bike and….over 1500km of bad Namibian roads im still going strong
Next day we set out for Swakopmund around 260km away…took it easy not exceeding 100kph just to check out my handy work
By the time we hit the Kuiseb river or at least me thinks it was the Kuiseb we where hot and bothered riding in the desert…anyway the river was flowing very nicely and its not often one sees a river flowing like this in Namibia….so we found a nice spot to relax and out came the camping mattresses……we where going river rafting
Talk about having a load of fun…the kids in us came out….Grant and I laughing from the belly it was great and who knows when one can river raft in Namibia again soon
The fact that Grant lost one plakkie and I punctured my sleeping mattress did not dampen the experience….it was once in a lifetime deal….
Only later did I discover I lost my wedding ring only then did I feel a bit of regret for being so impulsive…..to me it was a priceless experience…..and lesson learnt …..Next time get a ring that fits
Swakop was great and we vegged for a few days at Chico apartments….being sick and tired of camping and staying in the run down A frames
We spent the next three days walking around town taking in the sights and enjoying Kukis pub and the Bauhaus Eisbein
Having fun in Swakopmund
Friday morning came too soon and we headed to Windhoek via Walvisbay and backtracked around dune 7 to the C28 via Komashogland…reason being the Swakop river was in flood so we had to make a 30km detour to pick up the C28
In Windhoek we had an appointment that evening to see one of our new Wild dog Chommies “Davido” at Joe’s beer house
I worked out I had last done this rode in aprox 2005 and suddenly there was about 50km of tar and some Uranium mines …..at least after the tar things got back to normal….
After the lookout by the top of the Komashogland it was back to “paying attention” as the road just deteriorated badly for at least 80km
In Windhoek we found a spot at the Gecko lodge and after settling in we set off to Joes Beerhaus to meet David
Don’t know what’s it with some places but Service and the food had gone south since our last visit but meeting some Wild dogs and having a lekka kuir far outshone the poor food delivery
David it was awesome meeting you and thanks for sharing the evening with us!!!
We crawled into bed after midnight….making the next day a long one…
Saturday was the long boring Trans Kalahari to Kang 670km and the next day the last 400km to Gabs
Taking away the boredom of the long ride
You need to pay attention in Botswana too
Home in Gabs
All in all 3800km till Gabs and Grant still had to do 400km to Jhb
As usual Namibia was special…..you just had to pay attention this time
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