Swartland Mountain Mist

[Piston Pete]

Lil Minx & I met up with XXX & Sprocketbek at the Westcoast Total & cruised through to the first section of dirt...Groote Post. From there we did the railwayline through to Darling. Big muddy puddles & slippery stuff & by the time we got to Darling my boots were squelching. We went visiting the frogs inamongst the bullrushes a few times! Surprisingly we had no offs! Lots of dirt to Aurora where we stayed in a magic cottage almost 980m up....lekker road up as well with spottings of Klipspringers. The fynbos & protea are something to behold as they attract all the little critters. We dumped our kit (could have chilled but Koos from kampstaaldraad treed us on) & went on THE MOST LEKKER ride. A loop of note that eventually & thankfully brought us back to a warm fire, organised food & grog. Thanx Anne! We had a nice evening by the indoor braai & eventually toddled off to bed after an active days riding.
The next morning saw (or not) us looking down at the panoramic views of cloud & MIST. We set off for Elands Bay for brekie but i did not fancy the ride as Koos was invisible 35m away. So we bolted to Picketberg for chow & then contacted Johan (Eenstop) who is opening a BIKER FRIENDLY hotel in Eendekuil.
Thanks Johan & Magda for your wonderful hospitality and best wishes on your new venture. They are from the Vrystaat & are avid bikers who have lovely stories to tell. They truly understand what Av riders want & need & am sure will cater for all. Please support them guys & gals!
After the visit we droned down the N7 & xxx picked up on dirt roads that i did not know existed back to his pozzie in Durbanville where we downloaded pics & a few beers. We also blasted the bikes down and let me tell you something folks.....we are well satisfied with our weekend! ;D

Oh yes...Nick let Lil Minx ride his 640 for a few kms as she is soon to have her own! It was the first time she has ridden the bike & when she eventually finds the back brake...all will be well >

 

[Zeff Cowboy]

Dis mooi

 

[edgy]

Awesome stuff

 

[Piston Pete]

Cool place guys! XXX & Sprocketbek will post some more stuff i'm sure
www.mountainmist.co.za

 

[Kaboef]

I like the KTM fireplace.


;D

 

[Sprocketbek]

What a stunning weekend!!!

I often find that when I am in my comfort zone on the bike that my mind wanders, and every now and then I have to force myself to CONCENTRATE on the road.

So what big issues do I deal with when my mind wanders?
I seek clarity. Clarity about THINGS.

For instance, in English you get Pidgeons and you get Doves. I'm not sure which is superior. In Afrikaans is hulle almal Duiwe

Then you get Deer, Buck, Goats and Antelope.  Hulle is almal Bokke.

BUT.
I think I figured something out this weekend.

MIST is the pretty fluffy things you see from a mountaintop.

FOG is the clammy wet stuff that envelopes you down in the valley.

Now that I sussed that out I have much more inner peace........



Detailed pics to follow, watch this space.

 

[Piston Pete]

It w

I like the KTM fireplace.


;D

It was a natural find....

 

[Lourens]

Beautiful pics!  Beautiful area.

 

[Piston Pete]

....and some more arbitary pics

 

[Piston Pete]

I must say that travelling with XXX & Sprocketbek was very cool as i am still a relative newcomer to ds riding & their wealth of experience & knowledge was not lost on me! Thanks guys....you gave us confidence through your ability & to Koos....you must know every dirt road & then some! 8)
Its a pity we could not take more pics of the stunning countryside as we spent most of the time glued to the throttle! It had rained a few days prior so the roads were still damp & the rain had sofened up the countryside to bring out all the colours. Winter is on the way so the wheat fields will soon be rolling green.
In the short time i have been riding i have come to realise that its all about the people you ride with & the sensory experiences we share....as Lil Minx put it....she has not seen so many places in such a short period of time from the back of the bike! Theres nothing like looking at your country with fresh eyes.


The Swartland has some wonderful history but that you can only do around a campfire...
This area could be great for the WC WD Bash....it has possibilities....

 

[N[]vA]

nice one, sorry I had to miss it

 

[letsgofishing]

Nice ride and pics Pete!

 

[Andy660]

Looks like you guys had a blast , really miss riding with you guys.
Good report P.P. and nick , where is the rest of those pics ?

 

[LeonDude]

Fantastic ride, thanks for the pics!

 

[Sprocketbek]

Apologies for the delay, first Photoshop gave trouble and then Photobucket doesn't want to work. So limited pics per post.  (vacancy for a live-in-girlfriend that does IT and digital imaging).

So LM trying my 640 for size. Those familiar with the Aternative Ride will know the terrain.


Here PP and LM left the road on the left and made a hasty re-entry. Track can be seen in the puddle.

XXX explaing what he did wrong last time he was here. Very slippery concrete and slime underfoot.

 

[Sprocketbek]

Bit of red Jerepigo against the cold.

Creeping up on PP and LM, riding with camera in one hand on dodgy terrain.

LM gets a chance to ride my 640. Enjoyed it tremendously!

 

[ballies]

Rspect for the lady on the 640  8)  :eek7:

 

[LIL MINX]

Thank you Nic for posting more pics of our ride - this particular w.end showed me the real closeness the WD's have for each other esp when out riding in dodge terrain.... riding together, regrouping at turn-off's, looking out for each other - this is what its all about, the comaraderie amongst with one another is so gr8 8) 

The danger exists for every one of us when we are out there riding and it is fantastic when the people show care and concern for one another - thanks guys again for all making it a divine weekend with long lasting memories.........

 

[bradleys]

Great report sorry i missed the ride ,had to work at home to finish a few things so i can join you on the karoo tanqua run :ricky:

 

[Lito]

O0 O0 O0

Looks lekker man. That picture of the mist is just beautiful  8)

Congrats Minxie on your ride - you guys Rock!  :ricky: