Ri Ride: Old Postal At Last (20 - 22 December 2019) (Warning: Very Wordy)

[Wolzac]

I shall start with my MiL, it should improve dramatically from there.  > :ricky:

 

[ClemS]

Ri, what an easy-to-read and rounded RR……. It is always a trip on its own to read one of your RR’s. Many thanks for taking such pride in your reports and sharing it so articulately. Please carry on!  :thumleft:

 

[Lem]

is bly ek het hierdie een raakgelees. Sien uit na die res  :thumleft:

 

[Skim]

Very Lekka!!

Thank Ri - always great reports!

 

[Ri]

Thank you everyone and especially [member=9452]ClemS[/member] for the kind words.

I'll keep on riding, and writing about it, but it's nice that you enjoy it with me :biggrin:

 

[Andre01]

Thanks for the report. Great part of our country.

I've done this route by bike and by 4x4. We did it with the bikes in October 2015. Stayed at Die Mond and tackled the route early in the morning. Respect for you for doing this in the heat of the day.

Semi hijack - our 1.5min video of this route. Me crossing the Doring river and my friend, Mike, riding up Karretjies pas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0oA4jfpYIs

 

[Ri]

Thanks for the report. Great part of our country.

I've done this route by bike and by 4x4. We did it with the bikes in October 2015. Stayed at Die Mond and tackled the route early in the morning. Respect for you for doing this in the heat of the day.

Semi hijack - our 1.5min video of this route. Me crossing the Doring river and my friend, Mike, riding up Karretjies pas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0oA4jfpYIs

Thanks ... wasn't exactly planned that way, and it wasn't fun. When I do this again, I'll be on Old Postal at the crack of dawn...

And thanks for sharing the short video. I just don't have the patience to trawl through and edit video footage so I have respect for anyone who does! I see Karretjies Pass hasn't improved much.

 

[Ou Ryperd]

:ricky: lekker  :ricky:

 

[Shaun]

[member=18545]Ri[/member]  Thank you so much for the many hours of work you always put into your RR's  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

You always put together such thrilling reports, which always keep us all riveted in front of the screen waiting for the next chapter. Please continue to do what you do so well..... & that is both heading out there on your bike & always putting together really AWESOME RR's.

Looking forward to the rest to follow..... :ricky: :ricky:

:headbang:  ;D :headbang:

 

[Lars]

Great report Ri. Makes me wan t to get a bike again and go back into the Cederberge. Cheers Lars

 

[Ri]

[member=18545]Ri[/member]  Thank you so much for the many hours of work you always put into your RR's  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

You always put together such thrilling reports, which always keep us all riveted in front of the screen waiting for the next chapter. Please continue to do what you do so well..... & that is both heading out there on your bike & always putting together really AWESOME RR's.

Looking forward to the rest to follow..... :ricky: :ricky:

:headbang:  ;D :headbang:

:laughing4:

Thanks Shaun, glad you appreciate and enjoy the effort. Hope to finish up this weekend.

Great report Ri. Makes me wan t to get a bike again and go back into the Cederberge. Cheers Lars

Thanks [member=21659]Lars[/member] - anything stopping you?

 

[LanC]

Good reading so far. Looking forward to the last installments. Your report reminds me so much of the first time I rode the old postal along with two guys that had very little gravel experience. The road just seemed to be getting worse and worse and we wondered about turning back several times but there was no way we were going back up that karretjies pass. When we got to the bottom it felt like we had finished a Camel Trophy or something with the amount of teamwork it required to get five bikes down that mountain. Many plots were bought. The good news is the route seems much easier the second time you ride it.

 

[Ri]

Good reading so far. Looking forward to the last installments. Your report reminds me so much of the first time I rode the old postal along with two guys that had very little gravel experience. The road just seemed to be getting worse and worse and we wondered about turning back several times but there was no way we were going back up that karretjies pass. When we got to the bottom it felt like we had finished a Camel Trophy or something with the amount of teamwork it required to get five bikes down that mountain. Many plots were bought. The good news is the route seems much easier the second time you ride it.

Thanks LanC!

Doing it from Biedouw Valley side may be the harder way around. It starts easy-ish and then just suddenly becomes a bit gnarly . As you say, turning around and going up Karretjies Pass again - no way. Luckily we didn't know what waited beyond Karretjies Pass, or we would have seriously considered it

 

[willeh0nd]

Awesome Ri! Dankie vir die share! Ek wou al soveel keer die roete aandurf & my mond water nou eers! Lekker om 'n idee te kry van wat ek kan verwag!

 

[Ri]

Awesome Ri! Dankie vir die share! Ek wou al soveel keer die roete aandurf & my mond water nou eers! Lekker om 'n idee te kry van wat ek kan verwag!

Dankie Tiaan. Ek sal definitief voorstel om dit in die teenoorgestelde rigting te doen as ons. Mense kamp by Die Mond of daar rond en ry dan van daar af deur Old Postal na Oasis of een van die ander Cederberg spots toe.

Ek moet nog net die moed bymekaar skraap, maar ek wil dit graag weer doen. Dalk in April wanneer dit koeler is, maar beslis voor die reëns.

 

[Ri]

Gary helps Keith lift the bike by standing on the back wheel and hanging off the side pannier rack while Keith heaves it upright. They tried this with my bike too, but my bike is a bit low for it to be very effective.

Onwards we go…

The track becomes even more treacherous with lots of loose rock and sharp rocky ridges, interspersed with stretches of soft warm river sand. Keith carries on ahead, scouting the route, while Scottish Leader and I struggle along slowly at the back, often coming to a sudden standstill in the molasses sand. I remember two Kaokoland lessons though, and manage to get myself out of the sand by opening up while pushing the bike forward. Where I don’t have confidence to ride, or I’ve gotten stuck, I paddle through the sand.

It is hard, hot work, but we make slow progress. Scottish Leader is having a harder time than I am. I don’t know whether he is dehydrated or a bit unfit, but he gets stuck in the sand more often and for longer periods than I do. Heaving the behemoth around can’t be easy, and I’m thankful for my relatively light bike.

Glimpses of water through thorny trees show that we’ve reached the Tra-Tra river. Apparently there is a doable crossing about 1km of heavy sand down (up?) river, but this particular river crossing is a dry and we can easily cross. People afterwards suggested that the 1km sandy detour is safer in the sense that the river crossing you reach is almost always crossable, but I’m happy to have skipped 1km of heavy deep warm sand.

On the other side of the river crossing is a crappy little embankment to conquer before one is out of the river proper. It is steep and turns sharply to the left, and full of sharp stones, the gravel probably spun out by 4x4s and such.

While Keith walks back to help Gary, who’s gotten stuck in the sand again, I walk around a bit. I need a comfort break, as I’ve been dutifully sipping from my still cold water. The ice in the back was a brilliant tip from Jacques, and I’m so glad I did it!!

The interesting rock formations draw the eye

It is sweltering, and the lethargy has me walking around with all my kit on. It is simply too much effort to take off my helmet and gear.

When Gary finally comes unstuck and his KTM is parked on the stone embankment crossing the Tra-Tra, we all submerge ourselves in the luke warm water for a bit of refreshment. I keep on the cotton leggings and T-shirt that I always wear under my kit, because I have a plan. The wetness of the cotton will keep my skin cool once we’re on the move again.

Slightly cooler, we don our hot kit again and set off into the sunset. It is getting late, and our pace is much MUCH slower than Keith planned for. The terrain keeps throwing out challenges, but we are up for it and forge along mostly fearlessly, and sometimes semi-fearlessly.

This particular little uphill has some interesting features to catch the unweary and unwatchful.

I think that black roost stripe is where I came to a standstill at a steep angle on tip toes, miraculously keeping Blue upright, screaming like a banshee and spinning the bike like crazy to get up the rest of the loose shale.

We make it to the top and for a moment, I feel like a conqueror.

 

[2StrokeDan]

Legadema, Weskus and I did Postal a few years ago, took us 45 minutes.

Once were warriors.

ot: ot:

 

[Ri]

Legadema, Weskus and I did Postal a few years ago, took us 45 minutes.

Once were warriors.

ot: ot:

... on 250s? :ricky:

 

[JFE]

Soos ek deur die RR lees raak ek sommer home sick. Ek mis dit elke dag meer.
Kyk sand is een ding (het genoeg van dit hier), modder is 'n ander blikskottel maar daai los klippe sal jou uitvang keer op keer. Een oppervlak vat ek persoonlik voor oppas.
Lekker verslag Ri soos altyd.

 

[2StrokeDan]

Legadema, Weskus and I did Postal a few years ago, took us 45 minutes.

Once were warriors.

ot: ot:

... on 250s? :ricky:

Nee, ek speel nie met klein goedjies nie, ek was op die magtige XT600E. :imaposer:

My eye was of course not drawn to any interesting rock formations. :'(