The Bushveld, a ride from dawn to dusk

[sidetrack]

Part 1 only 'cause it's 1 am and I should be sleeping !

On Sunday I had the chance to ride with Runner (XR 650) and Allover (KTM 950 SE) through the old Western Transvaal and into the bushveld around Groot Marico. I have only ever been to small towns such as Koster and Derby for work, they have never struck me as places that might be a gateway to good dual sport riding but as they say "Never judge a book by it's cover".

The day would start early, I awoke at 3:30 yes 3:30 to meet Runner and Allover at 5:00 am for the official start of the 2007 Groot Marico tyre changing challenge (more on this later  ;D). The trip consisted of some 550 km.

Where do you want to go today ? Marico toe 'sablief ! The Dizzer ready for the ride.

The morning air was a bit chilly but my new Evo jacket did it's job well and I was soon on my way to Waverly on the N1. The first stretch included tar through a sleepy Pretoria CBD and then out towards Hartbeespoortdam. Never been a fan of tar so I was anxiously looking down at the gps to look for that first bit of dirt ! It was not long before we hit the backroads and it felt good to be riding in a very green countryside with no one else around.

Allover and Runner, looks like they had their caffeine fix for the morning WFO 

Near Hekpoort we headed towards the well known and heavily corrugated Breedtsnek. I think every oke in GP with a vehicle has crept over this pass at some stage.

Last turn before the summit and a nice view awaits towards the Olifantsnek Dam.

I even spotted a small Klipspringer or is that a Duiker ? I think Blazes can give us the answer  ;D

With Breedtsnek behind us we headed in the direction of Koster. The dirt roads consisted of some nice sweeping turns with the odd little dry riverbed crossings. Every now and then it was nice just to stop and enjoy the scenery and peace and quiet. Hey Runner I think your number plate fell off  >

I like trees, they make for interesting backdrops !

We were in good spirits as we headed further west. The roads seemed to get better and better. There were now some nice sweepers, dips and occasional slate covered / rocky sections. I rode ahead and tried my hand at some action photography.

Just when we though we were going to make good time we ran into a small problem ...

Part 2 to follow tomorrow when I can manage to keep my eyes open zzzzzz -->

 

[Runner]

Lekker slaap!

 

[Welsh]

Nce one DD, I had the GSV out yesterday early, it was definitely chilly???

 

[GIDEON]

Mooi so DD

 

[blazes]

Good one DD. Definately a Klipspringer. Nice to see the smaller bikes also going on the longer trips. Must ask Runner if he has a bigger tank for my XR 400 R then i will definately use it for the longer trips.

 

[slashback]

Nice one DD...Cool pics!
What is it with these Katooms and punctures? 

 

[funacide]

Awesome stuff DD, so post part II already...
;D

 

[Bushclown]

Nice  :thumleft:

Want part two

 

[JohnST]

yeh!
part 2 please! this is a very long commercial break! 

 

[wino]

come on dd, i notice that you are viewing the thread 

 

[sidetrack]

Part 2

I came around a corner to find Allover at the side of the road. You could tell he was not too happy. His rear had a flat, and I mean flat ! It happened just a couple of meters back coming through a little dip. I rode ahead and told Runner before going to Koster to find some Tyre Fix. On my return it was obvious the stuff would not help since the tube had suffered what looked like a snake bite.

After removal the mighty KTM was going nowhere fast but help was on the way.

As luck would have it one of the locals came past in his Kombi, he told us that he knew a place in town that can help. I carried a spare 21 inch tube with me but no tyre levers (make mental note for the future). So Allover left for Koster in four wheels and we sat around looking over a green field covered in some Kosmos flowers. There could be worse places to have a puncture  ;D

About an hour later the Kombi made it's return and Allover emerged with his wheel ready to continue the journey. The whole exercise cost him R20, what a bargain ! Allover with his new tjomma.

We were now ready to ride and headed for a place called Bokkraal. The ride through this long forgotten and spectacular valley would have taken about half an hour, as it turned out we would be spending almost four hours here enjoying the local hospitality, going on a guided tour and having some beers whilst looking out over the valley.

The valley is home to some natural springs which produce some of the cleanest water around, this made for a dramatic change in scenery with dense brush all over the place.

After stopping for some pics I continued on to find Runner and Allover at the side of the road, yep the rear on the Katoom was flat again. This time the whole valve stem dissapeared into the rim along with another cut to the tube !  :-\ Allover had some interesting choice of words for the situation  ;D

The only option was a farm we saw a few km's back. There was an old XR parked outside as well as a KDX, hopefully we could find another tube ? Allover took the DRZ and made his way to the farm house while we parked off in the shade, I did not mind the setback, just sitting around being able to get away from the crazy city life was great.

to be continued ....

 

[Plothond]

Kom nou  ;D

Ek is nie lus om twee keer te "comment" nie  >  ;D

 

[sidetrack]

After some time we heard a bike approaching. Allover got hold of another tube taken from the farmer's very own XR and some wheel spanners. By now everyone knew the drill and the new tube went in quickly.

Apparently there was a nice track leading to a nearby waterfall which the farmer said we should visit. The plan was for Allover to take the spanners back and meet us there. The tyre was inflated using the tyre fix from earlier. Again the wheel seemed fine and we hoped for the best.

From the main dirt road we followed the track to the waterfall, a nice ride in itself.

On the side some reminders from years gone by. Old ploughs, pumps and even cars showed how everyone made or tried to make their living here.

Eventually not sure of getting to the waterfall we stopped and waited for Allover, after about fifteen minutes we knew something must be wrong. We turned back and headed for the farmhouse and sure as heck Allover jumped into the road. He seemed in good spirits or maybe it was the ice cold Castle in his hand  ;D On the way their he had another flat, by now it was obvious that something was wrong with the rim or spokes as the tyre checked out fine. Another tube replacement would have been futile and the 950 was loaded on a bakkie heading for Pretoria.

We were all invited for some beers and a quick tour of the surrounding areas, friendly folk indeed ! Hopped on the back of the bakkie and were joined by two Jack Russels and a Boerbul and off we went.

The area still has plenty of game and even a leopard was spotted here recently.
The old mill was also worth seeing. It is close to 150 years old and the local stream was used to power a water wheel that turned gears (made out of wood) that was used in the milling process. To get to it required some hiking, not easy with mx boots !

The old mill.

The beams inside supporting the roof was massive, it was quite something to stand in a place as old as this. We had to get moving though, the plan was to get to Groot Marico for some fuel and something to eat. We were to learn that Groot Marico does not offer alot in terms of food especially on a Sunday. The remaining XR and DR hoped they would not suffer any punctures of their own !

We traveled on a dirt road called little Switzerland by the locals and crossed the Groot Marico river a couple of times. This was the bushveld at it's best. You could open the bike up through the sweepers being carefull of the occasional hairpin corners.

Groot Marico itself is very very small. One run down main street is all there is to this town. There is one of those lifestyle / expensive arty restaurants in town that seems to be popular but the rest looks very sad indeed. Pitty since I have heard quite alot about this little town and it's most famous inhabitant Herman Charles Bosman. We decided to have some curry and rice from the only shop in town which was open. I think we caught the owner off guard since it took him about an hour to get the food ready  ;D

The town Groot-Marico (Big Marico) is named after the Groot Marico River, one of the few perennial rivers in this area. The name has nothing to do with the size of the town, which is very small. Groot-Marico is well known for its beautiful African bushveld surroundings and the special kind of hospitality of its people. It is the ideal place to come to when you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life.

The rustic town of Groot-Marico is a typical North West town, brimming with historical charm and atmosphere. This is also the land of mampoer, a breathtaking strong spirit distilled from fruit.

Marico District

The Marico district includes rock paintings by early San and Bushmen people and an old watermill (now a national monument) on the farm Naauwpoort. Also in the district, at Mabotsa, is the ruin of the first mission erected by David Livingstone.

Herman Charles Bosman was born in 1905 at Kuilsrivier, near Cape Town. Shortly afterwards his family moved to Johannesburg where he was educated.

He was deeply absorbed in literature, excelled in languages, was repelled by Science and Mathematics and in his matriculation examination he answered the paper on Algebra with a beautifully phrased essay, explaining that he felt he might dispense with the knowledge of this subject since his ability in English was exceptional.

Apart from contributing to the school magazine, he was, at the age of 16, writing a series of amusing short stories for the "Sunday Times". He preferred the school library to the playing fields. At the University of the Witwatersrand, on winning the third prize for his entry in a student's poetry competition, he revealed that the piece had actually been written by Shelley.

On receiving his degree, Bosman was appointed to a teaching post in the Groot Marico district. A most fruitful year, for the place and the people enthralled him - they provided him with the background for his best-known works, the Oom Schalk Lourens and Voorkamer sketches.

On his return to Johannesburg for the June holidays, his visit ended in catastrophy in the house of his mother and stepfather when he fired a hunting rifle at his stepbrother and killed him. Bosman was sentenced to death, but later a reprieve was granted and at the age of 21 he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour. He was, however, released after four and a half years.

He relates his prison experience in "Cold Stone Jug" and it was while he was in prison that he wrote his first Oom Schalk Lourens stories. On his release he started his own printing press and associated with a colourful group of journalists and authors in Johannesburg.

Then came nine years in Europe - London, Paris, Brussels and it was in London that he wrote a number of stories, later collected as "Mafeking Road".

On the outbreak of the war he returned to South Africa where he worked as a journalist and literary editor for several newspapers and at this time translated the Rubayat of Omar Khayam into Afrikaans.

In 1947, after "Mafeking Road" was published, the stories were broadcast on the B.B.C.'s Third Programme under the auspices of the South African poet, Roy Campbell, who considered them to be the best stories ever to come out of South Africa.

Herman Charles Bosman was a great party-giver and his parties were famous for the brilliant and witty conversation which went on far into the night. Two days after a housewarming party he was taken ill with severe chest pains. His wife took him to Edenvale Hospital. On arrival he was asked, "Place of birth?" Herman replied, "Born Kuilsrivier - Died Edenvale Hospital."

A few minutes after he entered the examination room, the doctor could be heard roaring with laughter. Herman came out of the room and told his wife he had indigestion. A few hours later he collapsed at home. He died as he was being wheeled back into Edenvale Hospital. The date was the 14th of October, 1951.

By now it was too late to go to Zeerust and some of our route had to be back tracked. Doing the route twice was not a bad thing and by now it had cooled off and made for some excellent riding. Soon we crossed Breedtsnek again and I took the Scurweberg road to get home.

It certainly was an eventfull day but alot of fun and a big thanks to Allover and Runner for the route planning and kickass riding. I hope to return their soon and the ride the tracks we missed out on.

 

[Kykdaar]

fantastic ride guys. great area for riding. next time i will go explore the roads to the south as the town of groot marico itself is not that nice. lekker pics and report.

 

[Welsh]

I had not realised Herman Charles was a neighbour of our esteamed Kilroy....

 

[Plothond]

Thankyou DD

Now I can comment  ;D

I always enjoy your reports and as always, your photo's are excellent
My Father-in-law loves Bosman's works - thanks for that background info

Cheers !! ;D ;D ;D

 

[BMWPE]

Enjoyed that
Thanks

 

[JourneyMan]

Lekker report once again! :thumleft:

 

[wino]

nice one, again, dd!

 

[Whethefakawe]

You know something about photography, don't you?? ;D
Excellent shots, it's incredibly green, looks almost tropical.