I have albums full of pics of trips and I thought to share them with you in 2012.
Most of them I have to scan and it will take time. Please be patient.
Every year we closed our diamonddiving operation for Easter and in 1999 I begged a few days
exstra from the boss. "ja gaan val jou gat af in Suid Wes" was his aswer!!! Roll on Desert Run 1999!!!
Weapon of choice was my then Honda XL600R.
First day was from my house 30km from Lutzville to Upington and as with every trip that started there by
bike the easter wind was howling the whole way. :biggrin:
My route was Koekenaap, Nuwerus,Bitterfontein,Kliprand,Pofadder,Kakemas and then Upington.
The wind was hitting me headon on the plains of the Boesmanland.
The 133kms from Pofadder to Kakamas on a thumper is and will always be boring!! :biggrin:
I stayed over at the Eiland in Upington and met Bradleys and his gang there from Cape Town for the first time.
The next day was long stretches of tar all the way to Kuruman.
Can hardly see the bike infront of this giant!!!
At Kuruman the were a lot of people (450+) and the next day everyone just wanted to ride.
The Desert Run is about finding the correct partner to ride with. My first day a joined Kelly Farrell from
Klerksdorp. We are still friends. We wanted no dust and a quite road so we did not take the Hotazel to
Van Zyl'srus road but the next one the Severnroad to Van Zyl's. No bikes and only a donkeycart or two.
Van Zyl's was one big dustbowl when we got there and we pushed on to Ashkam for fuel.
We stayed over at a lodge close to Ashkam. Slept on the lawn between the chalets. When we woke up
the next morning we found easter eggs in our boots,pants,jackets,helmets,cloves and anywhere they
could find to hide them. It was special. Note the then brandnew Funduro!! This was also the morning
the "desertcruiser" as it was named later in the trip by my friends started with his troubles. Nasty
sounds every morning on startup. It was the outomatic timingchaintentioner not being happy. Everyone
said "ride it its' a Honda it will get you home"!!!! :deal:
The Desert Run is also about making friends. This is Kobus Harmse and we still keep in touch.
Also in the pic the three bikes I drooled over for the rest of the trip.
Two Teneres and a R80 GS.
Kelly and I did not ride together again as his speeds were higher than mine and he leaves when
the first mossie poeps!! We were a small gang that formed and rode together for the whole day.
Hakskeenpan that we rode over to Rietfontein at the border with Namibia.
We rode through Aroab and passed this saltpan just before Koës our overnight stop.
I think there were 12 of us that rode all the way with our bikes that year. The rest all Stoetied as they
bring the family along. Us 12 camped behind the hotel for the night. It must have been very dry and dusty
for some people on the road as they drank a lot that night and it was not water!!!!! :mwink:
Andy's 640 getting a lot of attention. Wonder what he is rideing today?
This was the group that formed the next day and stayed like that for the rest of the trip. Our speeds were
they same as also the rideingstyle.
The next day kicking up dust along the Aroadriver between Gochas and Stampriet.
Climbing out of the riverbed.
We pick up tar at Stampriet.
It was a looooong hual on tar to Windhoek as our tar speeds were the same as on dirt 110km/h.
Barry's gs sprung a leak on the leftcarb. No worries he has spare pipe. The fix was quick and easy.
My arse was beginning to take strain on the supersoft Honda seat. NOOOOOOOT!! :biggrin: We stopped often
and we of course talked bikes. The Tenere and GS were growing on me!! :mwink:
The hills just before Windhoek.
The all the way group did not all ride together because speeds were different but we kept camping
together. As the weather was so good most never pitched tents and we would lie and talk late at night.
This is at the Arrebusch Lodge. This is THE place to camp when in Windhoek.
Today was the route through the Khomas Hochland. I have done a small section of this by truck a few times
but was really looking forward to do the whole way to Swakopmund.
Note that Barry rode the whole trip with that backpack on his back!!!!!!
The ghosthouse 40kms out of Windhoek.
The views from these hills are really beautiful. It was starting to get hot. Very hot!!
The view from the top of Boshua pass.
Then we hit the flat plains on the way to Swakop and the heat goes up to 47 degrees.
I poddle along at a 100km/h. I stop to have a drag on my pipe and friend Kobus stops next
to me with his blue Tenere. "I hear a soft knock in my engine says he". I ask how fast were you
rideing? 120 to 130 says he. I say I think he should slow down a bit in this heat.
Turns out he heatseized the motor and got a lift for the bike and himself back to Sasolburg from
Swakopmund. :biggrin:
The whole campsite in Swakop was booked just for us and everyone just wanted to go and
play on dune 7. Not me cause I have to get back home with my bike in one piece!!
Bakkies, bikes and quads everywhere and everyone is going flatout. Falls aplenty.
We ride out to Hentiesbay a place I have not seen. Have something to eat and just relax.
The "desertcruiser" made it all the way to Swakop but I'm holding thumbs for the way home.
Note the forwardpegs for the loooong days in the saddle!!! :imaposer: :mwink:
The last morning and we were saying our goodbeye's and there were already talk of "see you next year"!!
Most of the people were going home via Windhoek and Botswana.
Just before the Kuiseb Canyon on the way south. Note the ATTGATT. Windbreaker yes of course and
then jeans with boots sold at the local kooperasie. I believe some Yamahariders in Stellenbosch
still favours and promote this ATTGATT!!! :mwink:
Bridge over the Kuisebriver.
Dennis comeing up the hill after rideing over the bridge. I was eyeing the XT more an more. :mwink:
The area close to Solitaire. Not much rain fell here in that year.
Barry in full flight on the R80.
I love the mountains in this area.
Late afternoon before Maltahohe. We camp on a farm three kms out of town but ride into town
to have something to eat at the hotel. Plans of getting into bed early were wrecked by three stunning German woman. :mwink:
We got back to our campsite at three in the morning!! :biggrin:
Sorry sadly no pics of said woman.!!! :biggrin: :biggrin:
We were up early and headed on south to Helmeringhuizen.
Snake for breakfast anyone? :mwink:
In Helmeringhuizen we meet someone I know from Lutzville. Johan Nel.
Also a German guy on a bicycle. He mentioned how may flats he had had due to thorns because
he had to ride on the side of the road. I gave him a bottle of that green snot that I learnt on
this trip is useless in motorcycletubes but I know it works for thorns on bicycletubes.
Next stop Betanien or so some people thought.
So Dennis and I pulled a bit away from Barry and we were already sitting in the pub in Betanien when
a tourist walked in and said we should go and pick our friend up that fell some distance out of town!!!!!!!! :biggrin: ???
The hotelowner reaches down under the counter and takes out his bakkiekeys and hands them over, "go
and fetch your friend" He knows us from nowhere but helps gladly. That's why I love Namibians.
So Barry had a fronttyre blowout and had a hard fall. If his Kilimandjaro backpack helped with the fall
I do not know but he was OK!!!
He nearly went off on the leftside and brought it back only to fall here. The back of the bike was bent and the dash
in pieces.
This is Natasha en Boeta infront of the Betanien hotel. We fixed the flat on the R80 connected some
wires on the dash and she was idleing after the first swing of the starter but was not charging.
Our plans to ride together to Hobas at the Fishriver was cancelled. They would go to Keetmanshoop and
I left before them for Hobas.
This pic was between Seeheim and Hobas. It was getting late.
I made it just before sunset. My first time at the Fishriver Canyon.
I rode most of the 75km from Hobas to Ais-Ais with my "eenkerslig headlight" in the dark. :biggrin:
Stopped at the gate and was told we are close. I said but I want to camp!! OK was the aswer come back tomorrow!!!!
So I turned around and rode back 50 meters to this tree and camped for FREE!!!!
Early morning Ais-Ais campsite. It even had more grass back then!!
I filled up used their toilet and bought nothing exept fuel!!! It was still a long way home.
Climbing out of the valley from the Fishriver.
At last the Orangeriver again.
Springbok was my next stop and as always had someting to eat at oom Jopie Kotse's place the
Springbok Lodge. And when you eat there it normally is too much and you have to pay taxes soon
after as happened here!!! :biggrin: :imaposer:
I stayed on the N7 all the way to Nuwerus and turned on the dirt for the last 60km home. I skipped my house
and rode the 1 kilo over the hill to have a look at the ocean from the viewpoint we all used to see if the sea
is diveable (i just made up that word!!) or not.
Jip should have guessed it. Flat as a table!!! I already missed a day!!!!! :biggrin:
My gat was lam, but the next morning at 5 I was up and rideing towards our divespot.
The "Desertcruiser" was for sale and an XT was calling me!!!! :mwink:
This trip made me hungry for more.... :thumleft:
Thanks for reading this old stuff. Will scan and post some more.
Most of them I have to scan and it will take time. Please be patient.
Every year we closed our diamonddiving operation for Easter and in 1999 I begged a few days
exstra from the boss. "ja gaan val jou gat af in Suid Wes" was his aswer!!! Roll on Desert Run 1999!!!
Weapon of choice was my then Honda XL600R.
First day was from my house 30km from Lutzville to Upington and as with every trip that started there by
bike the easter wind was howling the whole way. :biggrin:
My route was Koekenaap, Nuwerus,Bitterfontein,Kliprand,Pofadder,Kakemas and then Upington.
The wind was hitting me headon on the plains of the Boesmanland.
The 133kms from Pofadder to Kakamas on a thumper is and will always be boring!! :biggrin:
I stayed over at the Eiland in Upington and met Bradleys and his gang there from Cape Town for the first time.
The next day was long stretches of tar all the way to Kuruman.
Can hardly see the bike infront of this giant!!!
At Kuruman the were a lot of people (450+) and the next day everyone just wanted to ride.
The Desert Run is about finding the correct partner to ride with. My first day a joined Kelly Farrell from
Klerksdorp. We are still friends. We wanted no dust and a quite road so we did not take the Hotazel to
Van Zyl'srus road but the next one the Severnroad to Van Zyl's. No bikes and only a donkeycart or two.
Van Zyl's was one big dustbowl when we got there and we pushed on to Ashkam for fuel.
We stayed over at a lodge close to Ashkam. Slept on the lawn between the chalets. When we woke up
the next morning we found easter eggs in our boots,pants,jackets,helmets,cloves and anywhere they
could find to hide them. It was special. Note the then brandnew Funduro!! This was also the morning
the "desertcruiser" as it was named later in the trip by my friends started with his troubles. Nasty
sounds every morning on startup. It was the outomatic timingchaintentioner not being happy. Everyone
said "ride it its' a Honda it will get you home"!!!! :deal:
The Desert Run is also about making friends. This is Kobus Harmse and we still keep in touch.
Also in the pic the three bikes I drooled over for the rest of the trip.
Two Teneres and a R80 GS.
Kelly and I did not ride together again as his speeds were higher than mine and he leaves when
the first mossie poeps!! We were a small gang that formed and rode together for the whole day.
Hakskeenpan that we rode over to Rietfontein at the border with Namibia.
We rode through Aroab and passed this saltpan just before Koës our overnight stop.
I think there were 12 of us that rode all the way with our bikes that year. The rest all Stoetied as they
bring the family along. Us 12 camped behind the hotel for the night. It must have been very dry and dusty
for some people on the road as they drank a lot that night and it was not water!!!!! :mwink:
Andy's 640 getting a lot of attention. Wonder what he is rideing today?
This was the group that formed the next day and stayed like that for the rest of the trip. Our speeds were
they same as also the rideingstyle.
The next day kicking up dust along the Aroadriver between Gochas and Stampriet.
Climbing out of the riverbed.
We pick up tar at Stampriet.
It was a looooong hual on tar to Windhoek as our tar speeds were the same as on dirt 110km/h.
Barry's gs sprung a leak on the leftcarb. No worries he has spare pipe. The fix was quick and easy.
My arse was beginning to take strain on the supersoft Honda seat. NOOOOOOOT!! :biggrin: We stopped often
and we of course talked bikes. The Tenere and GS were growing on me!! :mwink:
The hills just before Windhoek.
The all the way group did not all ride together because speeds were different but we kept camping
together. As the weather was so good most never pitched tents and we would lie and talk late at night.
This is at the Arrebusch Lodge. This is THE place to camp when in Windhoek.
Today was the route through the Khomas Hochland. I have done a small section of this by truck a few times
but was really looking forward to do the whole way to Swakopmund.
Note that Barry rode the whole trip with that backpack on his back!!!!!!
The ghosthouse 40kms out of Windhoek.
The views from these hills are really beautiful. It was starting to get hot. Very hot!!
The view from the top of Boshua pass.
Then we hit the flat plains on the way to Swakop and the heat goes up to 47 degrees.
I poddle along at a 100km/h. I stop to have a drag on my pipe and friend Kobus stops next
to me with his blue Tenere. "I hear a soft knock in my engine says he". I ask how fast were you
rideing? 120 to 130 says he. I say I think he should slow down a bit in this heat.
Turns out he heatseized the motor and got a lift for the bike and himself back to Sasolburg from
Swakopmund. :biggrin:
The whole campsite in Swakop was booked just for us and everyone just wanted to go and
play on dune 7. Not me cause I have to get back home with my bike in one piece!!
Bakkies, bikes and quads everywhere and everyone is going flatout. Falls aplenty.
We ride out to Hentiesbay a place I have not seen. Have something to eat and just relax.
The "desertcruiser" made it all the way to Swakop but I'm holding thumbs for the way home.
Note the forwardpegs for the loooong days in the saddle!!! :imaposer: :mwink:
The last morning and we were saying our goodbeye's and there were already talk of "see you next year"!!
Most of the people were going home via Windhoek and Botswana.
Just before the Kuiseb Canyon on the way south. Note the ATTGATT. Windbreaker yes of course and
then jeans with boots sold at the local kooperasie. I believe some Yamahariders in Stellenbosch
still favours and promote this ATTGATT!!! :mwink:
Bridge over the Kuisebriver.
Dennis comeing up the hill after rideing over the bridge. I was eyeing the XT more an more. :mwink:
The area close to Solitaire. Not much rain fell here in that year.
Barry in full flight on the R80.
I love the mountains in this area.
Late afternoon before Maltahohe. We camp on a farm three kms out of town but ride into town
to have something to eat at the hotel. Plans of getting into bed early were wrecked by three stunning German woman. :mwink:
We got back to our campsite at three in the morning!! :biggrin:
Sorry sadly no pics of said woman.!!! :biggrin: :biggrin:
We were up early and headed on south to Helmeringhuizen.
Snake for breakfast anyone? :mwink:
In Helmeringhuizen we meet someone I know from Lutzville. Johan Nel.
Also a German guy on a bicycle. He mentioned how may flats he had had due to thorns because
he had to ride on the side of the road. I gave him a bottle of that green snot that I learnt on
this trip is useless in motorcycletubes but I know it works for thorns on bicycletubes.
Next stop Betanien or so some people thought.
So Dennis and I pulled a bit away from Barry and we were already sitting in the pub in Betanien when
a tourist walked in and said we should go and pick our friend up that fell some distance out of town!!!!!!!! :biggrin: ???
The hotelowner reaches down under the counter and takes out his bakkiekeys and hands them over, "go
and fetch your friend" He knows us from nowhere but helps gladly. That's why I love Namibians.
So Barry had a fronttyre blowout and had a hard fall. If his Kilimandjaro backpack helped with the fall
I do not know but he was OK!!!
He nearly went off on the leftside and brought it back only to fall here. The back of the bike was bent and the dash
in pieces.
This is Natasha en Boeta infront of the Betanien hotel. We fixed the flat on the R80 connected some
wires on the dash and she was idleing after the first swing of the starter but was not charging.
Our plans to ride together to Hobas at the Fishriver was cancelled. They would go to Keetmanshoop and
I left before them for Hobas.
This pic was between Seeheim and Hobas. It was getting late.
I made it just before sunset. My first time at the Fishriver Canyon.
I rode most of the 75km from Hobas to Ais-Ais with my "eenkerslig headlight" in the dark. :biggrin:
Stopped at the gate and was told we are close. I said but I want to camp!! OK was the aswer come back tomorrow!!!!
So I turned around and rode back 50 meters to this tree and camped for FREE!!!!
Early morning Ais-Ais campsite. It even had more grass back then!!
I filled up used their toilet and bought nothing exept fuel!!! It was still a long way home.
Climbing out of the valley from the Fishriver.
At last the Orangeriver again.
Springbok was my next stop and as always had someting to eat at oom Jopie Kotse's place the
Springbok Lodge. And when you eat there it normally is too much and you have to pay taxes soon
after as happened here!!! :biggrin: :imaposer:
I stayed on the N7 all the way to Nuwerus and turned on the dirt for the last 60km home. I skipped my house
and rode the 1 kilo over the hill to have a look at the ocean from the viewpoint we all used to see if the sea
is diveable (i just made up that word!!) or not.
Jip should have guessed it. Flat as a table!!! I already missed a day!!!!! :biggrin:
My gat was lam, but the next morning at 5 I was up and rideing towards our divespot.
The "Desertcruiser" was for sale and an XT was calling me!!!! :mwink:
This trip made me hungry for more.... :thumleft:
Thanks for reading this old stuff. Will scan and post some more.
