Salty
Pack Dog
Flattery before the fall Mick?
Report looking good, I too am intrigued as to what is in your report!
Report looking good, I too am intrigued as to what is in your report!
The Southern Namibian Raid - pissing on sand
- Thread starter MickeyT
- Start date
MickeyT
Race Dog
That Thursday morning we got the text to say Willem is on his way. It took him almost half a day to get out of Fish Hoek, but at least he got to a start. Here he will have to add his pre-Nam ride report. All I know is that he got to see some awesome flowers and ate a lot of pancakes. He did, however, gave me his photos to edit and post here...
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MickeyT
Race Dog
That Thursday evening the rest of us got together at Kobus’ house to load the bikes and drop off our panniers and luggage. A couple of weeks earlier my luggage weighed in at just over 30 kg. I know I added something here and there extra, so just for the fun of it, I weighed in again… Scheize! Just over 50 kg WITHOUT my tankbag containing my big camera, wide angle lens, GoPros and Mik-en-druk. Obviously WAAAAYYYY too many underwear! I decided to worry about that later and dropped my stuff off.
That Friday, 28 August was the longest day of my life at work. I made sure I had no trials running for that day, but you never know what happens. Eventually at 13:00 got the nod to go – must add, that it did help to spend the last hour in my riding clothes in chambers…
Met up with Chris at KTM Cape Town for some last-minute spares (you never know with a KTM, right?) and hit the N7. Cold. Bloody froze our arses off. Kobus and Abe got to leave 30 min before us. Eventually we had to ride the last 40-odd km to Springbok in complete darkness.
After getting lost in the huge city of Springbok, we met up with Willem, Kobus and Abe at a local grill for a first of many a beer... and a lime milkshake. We tried to make Willem aware of the fact that any milkshake will not go off well in a biker ride report later, but he would not budge... We pestered hip to such an extent that he complained to our waitress – looking for a sympathetic ear… Ha! Her reply was priceless: “Kan ek vir jou n tissue bring?” We hosed ourselves!
We fine-tuned our route for the next day and hit the sack - a family room for four... I will leave it there. It was not pretty...
That Friday, 28 August was the longest day of my life at work. I made sure I had no trials running for that day, but you never know what happens. Eventually at 13:00 got the nod to go – must add, that it did help to spend the last hour in my riding clothes in chambers…
Met up with Chris at KTM Cape Town for some last-minute spares (you never know with a KTM, right?) and hit the N7. Cold. Bloody froze our arses off. Kobus and Abe got to leave 30 min before us. Eventually we had to ride the last 40-odd km to Springbok in complete darkness.
After getting lost in the huge city of Springbok, we met up with Willem, Kobus and Abe at a local grill for a first of many a beer... and a lime milkshake. We tried to make Willem aware of the fact that any milkshake will not go off well in a biker ride report later, but he would not budge... We pestered hip to such an extent that he complained to our waitress – looking for a sympathetic ear… Ha! Her reply was priceless: “Kan ek vir jou n tissue bring?” We hosed ourselves!
We fine-tuned our route for the next day and hit the sack - a family room for four... I will leave it there. It was not pretty...
MickeyT
Race Dog
Once back at the guest house, I decided to go through my luggage and chuck out unnecessary stuff. Of course the others saw what I packed in and let me have it... Eventually I parted with a mega pack of cable ties, a ski rope, sun block, slime and some clothing. I refused to leave behind my lead and multi plug... that was the lifeline of all my toys, demmit!
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MickeyT
Race Dog
The official Day 1
Saturday morning we are all up and complaining “about the beds that kept everyone awake”… Later on in the trip my and Abe’s snoring will get the blame, but I’ll get to that at some other time.
While getting ready to hit the road me and Chris were being informed that the previous afternoon Kobus and Abe also got lost and eventually got help from some men in blue uniform in their van. Oh, ja – and some directions were given from the detainees in the back of the van as well.
We set off to the Wimpy for a nice breakfast and then to a Checkers for some meat for the night. We dropped our trailer and Fortuner at a farm just outside Springbok, and fueled at Steinkopf. Here, I think we lost valuable time that would later come back and bite us…
At the turn-off to Eksteensfontein, we stopped to take the necessary group photo. At that stage everyone was still in high spiritn ot complaining at my requests to pose. We got back on the bikes and hit our first gravel road. Man, I'm telling you - I was living the life! Fresh air, on the back of a bike, gravel road crunching beneath the tyres and absolutely no worries, when all of a sudden we hit a patch of red sand. Fooooook me! Nothing to bring you back to reality like a GS throwing her head and looking for a spot to make you eat dirt. And that not even a kilometer after we started our first gravel! The bite marks on my saddle is still present as a reminder…
Just outside Eksteensfontein 3 young drunken lads tried to get me off my bike, but after applying BMW’s training motto – Stand up, Look up and Open up – they realized that the might lose that game of chicken.
The next stretch of road can only be described as AWESOME! Tweespoor on some stretches through mountain, deep sand with a couple of rocks and acres of flowers. It is indeed here on one of the (thick) sandy patches that Kobus’ 800 decided to act like a warthog with a back itch and pinned him beneath the bike. Not 15 meters back, Willem also built some sand castles. Mens sou sweer ons speel nie genoeg op die strand as mens na hulle gekyk het nie! It is here that I got my first scolding – apparently it is frowned upon to turn back to your bike on its side stand to go and fetch your camera and ask the rider to “hold that pose” before assisting them to get the bike up on the rubber side. Who would have thought… It is also here that Kobus found out that an ipad does not like to be the piece of equipment to break one’s fall. Apparently it is in two pieces – I never saw it, and is also one of those things that you are not allowed to talk about afterwards…
About 20 km on, Chris got his first chance to try out all his up-to-then-unused tyre levers. He also found out that to distribute all the equipment between all his bags and beneath his seat to even out the weight, was not so practical. Willem was in his element, as he was able to contribute patch and solution. And 50 million valves, which rained down on the operating work bench/groundsheet in his eagerness to show us the box he had it in. More about that oops later.
Obviously Kobus and Abe did not witness the papwiel/snakebite, so was nowhere to be seen. I was a help too – something like a human paperweight to keep the back wheel of the bike on the ground and talk kuk while Chris was eaten alive by steekvlieë (have absolutely no idea what it is in Ingils). And later taking pics of flowers – my models were starting to get pissed off with my proposed poses. After an hour and a bit we were braaping away just to find our other two comrades having a nap in the shade of their bikes. That was wrong, man! Redelik ongevoelig van hulle het ek gereken.
We turned off to Sendelingsdrift and hit THAT road… The one with the lots of sand and tourists in lanie 4x4s. Here Chris got his second go at repairing that snakebite and I got to do what I do best – being that human paperweight.
Then I got my next scolding – again documenting Kobus’ warthog doing its liking for sand on its back. At least this time I did try and help afterwards… with one hand – the other was still holding the camera.
So we were a tad late for the border, but we did try and lighten my load some more by almost polishing my Spiced Gold at the camp.
Oh ja – things happen in threes, né? As Chris was pitching his tent, his tent pole broke… It was not Chris’ day.
Saturday morning we are all up and complaining “about the beds that kept everyone awake”… Later on in the trip my and Abe’s snoring will get the blame, but I’ll get to that at some other time.
While getting ready to hit the road me and Chris were being informed that the previous afternoon Kobus and Abe also got lost and eventually got help from some men in blue uniform in their van. Oh, ja – and some directions were given from the detainees in the back of the van as well.
We set off to the Wimpy for a nice breakfast and then to a Checkers for some meat for the night. We dropped our trailer and Fortuner at a farm just outside Springbok, and fueled at Steinkopf. Here, I think we lost valuable time that would later come back and bite us…
At the turn-off to Eksteensfontein, we stopped to take the necessary group photo. At that stage everyone was still in high spiritn ot complaining at my requests to pose. We got back on the bikes and hit our first gravel road. Man, I'm telling you - I was living the life! Fresh air, on the back of a bike, gravel road crunching beneath the tyres and absolutely no worries, when all of a sudden we hit a patch of red sand. Fooooook me! Nothing to bring you back to reality like a GS throwing her head and looking for a spot to make you eat dirt. And that not even a kilometer after we started our first gravel! The bite marks on my saddle is still present as a reminder…
Just outside Eksteensfontein 3 young drunken lads tried to get me off my bike, but after applying BMW’s training motto – Stand up, Look up and Open up – they realized that the might lose that game of chicken.
The next stretch of road can only be described as AWESOME! Tweespoor on some stretches through mountain, deep sand with a couple of rocks and acres of flowers. It is indeed here on one of the (thick) sandy patches that Kobus’ 800 decided to act like a warthog with a back itch and pinned him beneath the bike. Not 15 meters back, Willem also built some sand castles. Mens sou sweer ons speel nie genoeg op die strand as mens na hulle gekyk het nie! It is here that I got my first scolding – apparently it is frowned upon to turn back to your bike on its side stand to go and fetch your camera and ask the rider to “hold that pose” before assisting them to get the bike up on the rubber side. Who would have thought… It is also here that Kobus found out that an ipad does not like to be the piece of equipment to break one’s fall. Apparently it is in two pieces – I never saw it, and is also one of those things that you are not allowed to talk about afterwards…
About 20 km on, Chris got his first chance to try out all his up-to-then-unused tyre levers. He also found out that to distribute all the equipment between all his bags and beneath his seat to even out the weight, was not so practical. Willem was in his element, as he was able to contribute patch and solution. And 50 million valves, which rained down on the operating work bench/groundsheet in his eagerness to show us the box he had it in. More about that oops later.
Obviously Kobus and Abe did not witness the papwiel/snakebite, so was nowhere to be seen. I was a help too – something like a human paperweight to keep the back wheel of the bike on the ground and talk kuk while Chris was eaten alive by steekvlieë (have absolutely no idea what it is in Ingils). And later taking pics of flowers – my models were starting to get pissed off with my proposed poses. After an hour and a bit we were braaping away just to find our other two comrades having a nap in the shade of their bikes. That was wrong, man! Redelik ongevoelig van hulle het ek gereken.
We turned off to Sendelingsdrift and hit THAT road… The one with the lots of sand and tourists in lanie 4x4s. Here Chris got his second go at repairing that snakebite and I got to do what I do best – being that human paperweight.
Then I got my next scolding – again documenting Kobus’ warthog doing its liking for sand on its back. At least this time I did try and help afterwards… with one hand – the other was still holding the camera.
So we were a tad late for the border, but we did try and lighten my load some more by almost polishing my Spiced Gold at the camp.
Oh ja – things happen in threes, né? As Chris was pitching his tent, his tent pole broke… It was not Chris’ day.
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