The 40 (not so naughty) BEN10 scooter story...completed

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Beautiful views!
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One down, three to go for the day.
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Now because the GS had such a hard time with Bastervoet, due to the kitchen sink and all, we decided to change the plan for the day. Originally we were planning on doing Volenteers and Casrlisleshoek Pass and then head to Rhodes where we would be spending the night. Instead, we decided to go straight to Rhodes, book in, dump all our luggage and then do Naude's Nek Pass, followed by TTT and then come down via Casrlisleshoek Pass to Rhodes. Easy peezie........right?? 😈
 
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We get to Rhodes, book in, take off all our stuff and I mean all of it. Due to me having the Ubag, my tools were in the bottom part of the U. Everyone said, nah we'll be fine. I took it all off placed it in my room and walked away........ walked back and placed the Ubag back on the bike only with the tools at the bottoms.... who knows....maybe....

We ordered fuel in advance from Mr. Walker who is also the Mayor of Rhodes 😁
We filled up our bikes when we got into Rhodes.

We have a quick coffee and decide to eat Pizza at Tenahead Spa. Apparently the have very good pizzas. We did not want the same situation as in Barkley East with the waffles so we phoned in advance and gave them a time when we would arrive.... perfect plan....

Up we went!!
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First up was Naude's Nek Pass. It was a nice scenic route with lots of loops. Beautiful Pass.
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We stopped at the viewpoint of Naude's Nek.
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Beautifull!!!!! But the wind was howling. Locals told us that night that the wind can go over 200km/h over that edge.
I had to literally hold onto the bike, because the wind wanted to blow the bike off the sidestand!!
 
We reach Tenahead Lodge only to find out the pizzas have not even been started. Maybe they thought it was a prank call 😁

So we wait for our food again...:rolleyes:
Beautiful place though... R3200 pppn!

the pizzas eventually arrive, AMAZING!!!! Worth the wait!
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After lunch, we head out. Mr GS is nervous.We see some 4x4s coming from TTT towrds the lodge. We decided the GS will be able to make it, a Lexus was among the vehicles that came in. If he can do it, so can the GS!!
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TTT also know as the 'Tenahead-Tiffindell-Traverse' is a pass that run right next to the Lesotho border fence! Very scenic pass. we had a propper battle with it during the late hours of the evening! The three most inexperienced guys (including the sweeper) were at the back struggling it out while the front guys enjoyed themselves.... I think, i would not know. On this pass was the only three times that I placed my bike down ;)
I had a little mud washout firstly, and then, while waiting for the GS to get going I tipped over in a dodgy place. Got up, and could not get on the bike as it was too high. Tried reversing a bit, lost control bike fell inwards again. After that I maneuvered around the bike and got on from the other side. Continued onwards... Not a lot of pics was taken on this pass as the picture taking guys were too unfit.

After a while the GS got stuck. Jacques got more and more tired and struggled to pick the bike up. He is a big guy!! Quinton eventually arrived like a knight in shining armor and took the GS out as if it was a stroll in the park :rolleyes: anyway, and we continue....

Then it happened!!!!!
 
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I was riding at the back sweeping and minding my own business when I found all the guys in one spot. Very odd, as they never waited for me, bastards!!;)

Dun Dun Dun.... KTM flat tire!!

And nobody brought tools..... except for me
The Tornado guy was the man of the hour:cool:
Luckily it was a rear wheel, because I only had a rear tube.

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The repair did not take too long, after we figured out how to get the rear nut off (KTM guys don't know their own onboard toolbox inventory 🙈)

It started to get late now due to the mishap and we continued briskly. Tiffindell in the background
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It felt good to reach the end of TTT

Had a few laughs before we headed on.
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Last one for the day would be Casrlisleshoek Pass

Now this is a beautiful pass, especially going down those steep concrete parts. The view was incredible. Unfortunately I found out after that the battery on my GoPro died and I did not get any footage of it :cautious:
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Something cool happened at the bottom though. We found a goat had just given birth in the road. We accidently scared the mother off, she was standing a couple of meters away.
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We got into Rhodes just after 6. We were tired, it was a long day in the saddle.

We had lamb shank for dinner..... and again, MALVA PUDDING!!!

We had some nice fellowship deep into the night. We were the only people staying at the Inn that night so we had the place to ourselves. Even had some good old fashioned load shedding that evening!! What a treat!!
 
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Monday 12 September 2022 - Casrlisleshoek Pass (again), Volunteershoek Pass, Joubert's Pass

Most of the guys woke up late as breakfast was only served at 8 today. Still Rene was up very early washing his bike. Throughout the trip I woke up early in the mornings, don't know why. At the Walkerbouts Inn it was the same. I strolled around exploring the place. Today it was an overcast day, even looked like rain might be on the menu.

There is a frog in a fish tank that apparently has been there for like 16 years! Best shot I could get of the guy early in the morning.
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So we had an interesting riding group with varies abilities and preferences for a trip like this. For the most part, we were continuously riding to get to the destination. The quicker guys were not really interested in stopping and taking pictures which obviously affected my own expectations of the trip. Luckily for the most part I had the GoPro to rely on for pictures on the go. As mentioned last night my battery died and I could not get footage of the amazing views of Casrlisleshoek Pass. The plan was to get the shots this morning although I had a suspicion it would not be so breathtaking going up as coming down. GoPro on I went to get my footage... only to find out at the top that my memory card was full already :eek:

At the top we stopped at Tiffindel for a quick view. Ran into the groundman there. He keeps the lodge in a good condition until...he doesn't know... They are not sure if it will stay closed or reopen so he keeps it in a good shape until then.

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Next up, Volunteershoek Pass. This was a nice1 with agan beautiful views as with all these passes. The original plan was to approach it from the bottom. Thank goodness the plans changed because it would have been much tougher approaching those tires from the other side.

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At the bottom we took a rest and found some sheep with a lama with them. Apparently they keep a lama with the sheep as they are more aggressive and keeps the jackals away.
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Last pass for the challenge!!!! 💪 Joubert's Pass
we were excited!! Unfortunately the pass was on the other side of the world!! So we first had to commute all the way to Lady Grey to get to it.

Still had beautiful views going along the gravel roads in the Eastern Cape!
Filled up at Barkley East again (bikes and tummies) and on we went
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