Trailrider
Bachelor Dog
Day 1
When you get invited to a wine farm next to the Breede River you have to accept! Youâ??d be stupid not to â?? especially when Ektoknbike, Piksteel and company is organizing the bash!
Weather predictions were not favorable, but itâ??s not been a deterrent beforeâ?¦ :
Soon we got a Southern Cape posse together - 5 bikes of which 2 would cancel before we actually left :-\ â?? which left Letsgofishing, Saddam and I to hit the road to Kniediep, the venue for the bash.
LGF met me at my house at 8am and we hit the road to Groot Brak where weâ??d meet Saddam. Itâ??s was a beautiful day.
We met Saddam at Pine Creek in Groot Brak and after he filled up we were on our way.
We took Gravel all the way doing as little tar as possible. We really live in a scenic part of South Africa.
At Swellendam we decided to stop for some beer and lunch. Man it was hot! Luckily the beer was ice cold and the lunch great! ;D
From there we took the road towards McGreggor and Kniediep.
We were running an hour late, but the guys on the booze cruise boat did seem to mind. ;D
The cruise was great and the booze dirt cheap! Thanks Ektoknbike and Piksteel! :thumleft:
Then it was back to the campsites for pitching tents and party till the wee hours. As usual my bike was a big hit. You have to get used to all the attention when you ride a dream machine like this.
After several guys fought off Gravelmad we finally got some rest. For a few hours that isâ?¦
Day 2
Sunday morning we woke to a wet Breede River Sunday morning. :-\
Topbox showing how a bike screen has more than one use ;D
Reluctantly everybody started breaking up a wet camp. The road off the farm was very muddy and slippery and expectation of photographing a few offâ??s were growing. Yellowfewer had lunch plans and was the first to try and leaveâ?¦
He slipped and slid out of the camp, around the corner and out of sight when we suddenly heard the bike rev and stop. Yep â?? he came down like a sack of potatoes. ;D He even tried to pick up the bike before we got there, but Wild Dogs are faster than that! ;D
This turned out to be the only off of the morning as everybody else got out fine. Getting out is one thing â?? staying on the bike in these conditions is something else... :-\
Rooipoot (on his Suzuki DR200) would join us on the remainder of our trip. The first stop would be Robertson for breakfast and fuel. The gravel roads there were slippery and I had a few heart stopping moments, but eventually we reached Robertson cold and wet already.
While fueling up Tok Tokkie and his wife rolled in and decided to join us for coffee while we had our breakfast. The owner of the Sopranoâ??s Restaurant was friendly enough to open early and accommodate us.
After a short stint on tar to Montagueâ?¦
...we finally reached the gravel towards Ouberg Pass. Right from the start it was clear that this road was very very slippery and the rain was not letting up.
Ouberg Pass is a beautiful ride though and well worth the visit! Iâ??ll definitely come back one day and ride it in better weather.
The roads were BAD though. As slippery as snot! I seriously had some very close calls (as did the others). Youâ??d be riding along, concentrating on the road, when youâ??ll see a large muddy section approaching. The first bike would hit the mud and start sliding all over the place. Then the second, then the third and then youâ??d hit it with all the luggage on the back wanting to overtake the front. Talk about having your balls in your throat! : And this would happen over and over and over againâ?¦ :-\
Then at times it would rain so hard that the whole road would be full of water. The problem with that is you canâ??t see the little ditches under water and suddenly your front wheel would want to follow an old spoor a bakkie made without you expecting it. Rooipoot very nearly bought some land when that happened.
When we reached Warmwaterberg we were wet and cold but in high spirits. We conquered a difficult section of road and all bikes stayed upright. ;D I guess we won. :headbang: Rooipoot even still had the pineapple he bought for dinner. We paid and proceeded to pitch camp.
A few cheers were in order on a great route well ridden and after a few drinks we headed to the hot spring pools to soothe the cold and tired bodies. We were also joined by Eisbein who was spending his weekend at the resort with his wife and friends.
Maybe if the sun was out LGF could have helped himself to a tan as well. ;D
Once again we had a great braai and chatted till late before turning in. Tomorrow weâ??d tackle Gysmanhoek Pass and the road home.
Day 3
After another rainy night we once again woke to a wet camp. Saddam got some bad news from home and decided pack early and hightail it home via tar. :-\ Rooipoot, LGF and I took it easy and packed up camp by about 9am. After we said our goodbyes to Eisbein & co. we headed off direction Barrydale.
3km down the road we stopped at the world famous Ronnieâ??s Sex Shop for the obligatory photos.
The bar was still closed thoughâ?¦
Shortly after we left the rain started again. :-\
In Barrydale we stopped at the Country Pumpkin for breakfast. We were greeted by friendly staff that treated us with a sherry as we walked in.
While we were here another Wild Dog walked in â?? BMWPE! Nice to see you again. :thumleft: And as we were about to leave Eisbein and Vicky also walked in. Hope you guys enjoyed your breakfast.
This establishment is very biker friendly and the food is great! Any biker can pop in any time for a free coffee or tee, they have very reasonably priced accommodation (including breakfast) for bikers and we even got 10% off the total bill because we arrived by bike. On top of this all we each got our â??wingsâ? â?? a metal Route 62 bikers pin shaped like pilotâ??s wings. I strongly recommend that any bikers traveling through Barrydale support this venue.
We bought really nice Breede River Valley Maps here (https://www.jabedi.co.za/breederiver.php) and decided to take the tar Tradouws Pass over the mountain and follow several gravel roads to Gysmanshoek Pass.
This was the first time Iâ??ve been on Tradouws Pass and even though it is tarred it is very nice.
Just over the pass we hugged the mountain traveling East along the gravel farm roads. What a road! Eisbein told me before that this road is absolutely amazing, but this surpassed even that description.
And once again we encountered some watercrossings ;D
(Photo by LGF)
â??Tis the season to be jolly :santa: :laughing7:
On the turnoff to Gysmanshoek we said our goodbyes to Rooipoot (who rode back to Villiersdorp) and set out to Gysmanshoek Pass.
The first time I rode Gysmanshoek Pass I was bitterly disappointed. Eisbein told me that riding it from the Western side (the road we traveled now) and over the pass was much better and it is. Itâ??s amazing how different the same road can be from different sides. This is definitely worth it for any rider coming from the Cape Town side.
With all the recent rains the road was washed out and just technical enough to make it a treat. That DRZ was built for this stuff! ;D
From here it was the Klein Karoo gravel roads, over the Gourits river to Cloetes Pass and back to George.
We reached George absolutely exhausted. The two late nights before has taken its toll, but we were very satisfied. A lot of new routes were ridden.
In future weâ??ll definitely return to the Warmwaterberg region. There are a myriad of routes to be explored and the resort will be a perfect base.
Watch this spaceâ?¦
When you get invited to a wine farm next to the Breede River you have to accept! Youâ??d be stupid not to â?? especially when Ektoknbike, Piksteel and company is organizing the bash!
Weather predictions were not favorable, but itâ??s not been a deterrent beforeâ?¦ :
Soon we got a Southern Cape posse together - 5 bikes of which 2 would cancel before we actually left :-\ â?? which left Letsgofishing, Saddam and I to hit the road to Kniediep, the venue for the bash.
LGF met me at my house at 8am and we hit the road to Groot Brak where weâ??d meet Saddam. Itâ??s was a beautiful day.
We met Saddam at Pine Creek in Groot Brak and after he filled up we were on our way.
We took Gravel all the way doing as little tar as possible. We really live in a scenic part of South Africa.
At Swellendam we decided to stop for some beer and lunch. Man it was hot! Luckily the beer was ice cold and the lunch great! ;D
From there we took the road towards McGreggor and Kniediep.
We were running an hour late, but the guys on the booze cruise boat did seem to mind.
;D
The cruise was great and the booze dirt cheap! Thanks Ektoknbike and Piksteel! :thumleft:
Then it was back to the campsites for pitching tents and party till the wee hours. As usual my bike was a big hit. You have to get used to all the attention when you ride a dream machine like this.
After several guys fought off Gravelmad we finally got some rest. For a few hours that isâ?¦
Day 2
Sunday morning we woke to a wet Breede River Sunday morning. :-\
Topbox showing how a bike screen has more than one use ;D
Reluctantly everybody started breaking up a wet camp. The road off the farm was very muddy and slippery and expectation of photographing a few offâ??s were growing.
Yellowfewer had lunch plans and was the first to try and leaveâ?¦He slipped and slid out of the camp, around the corner and out of sight when we suddenly heard the bike rev and stop. Yep â?? he came down like a sack of potatoes. ;D He even tried to pick up the bike before we got there, but Wild Dogs are faster than that!
;D
This turned out to be the only off of the morning as everybody else got out fine. Getting out is one thing â?? staying on the bike in these conditions is something else... :-\
Rooipoot (on his Suzuki DR200) would join us on the remainder of our trip. The first stop would be Robertson for breakfast and fuel. The gravel roads there were slippery and I had a few heart stopping moments, but eventually we reached Robertson cold and wet already.
While fueling up Tok Tokkie and his wife rolled in and decided to join us for coffee while we had our breakfast. The owner of the Sopranoâ??s Restaurant was friendly enough to open early and accommodate us.
After a short stint on tar to Montagueâ?¦
...we finally reached the gravel towards Ouberg Pass. Right from the start it was clear that this road was very very slippery and the rain was not letting up.
Ouberg Pass is a beautiful ride though and well worth the visit! Iâ??ll definitely come back one day and ride it in better weather.
The roads were BAD though. As slippery as snot!
I seriously had some very close calls (as did the others). Youâ??d be riding along, concentrating on the road, when youâ??ll see a large muddy section approaching. The first bike would hit the mud and start sliding all over the place. Then the second, then the third and then youâ??d hit it with all the luggage on the back wanting to overtake the front. Talk about having your balls in your throat! : And this would happen over and over and over againâ?¦ :-\
Then at times it would rain so hard that the whole road would be full of water. The problem with that is you canâ??t see the little ditches under water and suddenly your front wheel would want to follow an old spoor a bakkie made without you expecting it. Rooipoot very nearly bought some land when that happened.
When we reached Warmwaterberg we were wet and cold but in high spirits. We conquered a difficult section of road and all bikes stayed upright. ;D I guess we won. :headbang: Rooipoot even still had the pineapple he bought for dinner. We paid and proceeded to pitch camp.
A few cheers were in order on a great route well ridden and after a few drinks we headed to the hot spring pools to soothe the cold and tired bodies. We were also joined by Eisbein who was spending his weekend at the resort with his wife and friends.
Maybe if the sun was out LGF could have helped himself to a tan as well. ;D
Once again we had a great braai and chatted till late before turning in. Tomorrow weâ??d tackle Gysmanhoek Pass and the road home.
Day 3
After another rainy night we once again woke to a wet camp. Saddam got some bad news from home and decided pack early and hightail it home via tar. :-\ Rooipoot, LGF and I took it easy and packed up camp by about 9am. After we said our goodbyes to Eisbein & co. we headed off direction Barrydale.
3km down the road we stopped at the world famous Ronnieâ??s Sex Shop for the obligatory photos.
The bar was still closed thoughâ?¦
Shortly after we left the rain started again. :-\
In Barrydale we stopped at the Country Pumpkin for breakfast. We were greeted by friendly staff that treated us with a sherry as we walked in.
While we were here another Wild Dog walked in â?? BMWPE! Nice to see you again. :thumleft: And as we were about to leave Eisbein and Vicky also walked in. Hope you guys enjoyed your breakfast.
This establishment is very biker friendly and the food is great! Any biker can pop in any time for a free coffee or tee, they have very reasonably priced accommodation (including breakfast) for bikers and we even got 10% off the total bill because we arrived by bike. On top of this all we each got our â??wingsâ? â?? a metal Route 62 bikers pin shaped like pilotâ??s wings. I strongly recommend that any bikers traveling through Barrydale support this venue.
We bought really nice Breede River Valley Maps here (https://www.jabedi.co.za/breederiver.php) and decided to take the tar Tradouws Pass over the mountain and follow several gravel roads to Gysmanshoek Pass.
This was the first time Iâ??ve been on Tradouws Pass and even though it is tarred it is very nice.
Just over the pass we hugged the mountain traveling East along the gravel farm roads. What a road! Eisbein told me before that this road is absolutely amazing, but this surpassed even that description.
And once again we encountered some watercrossings ;D
(Photo by LGF)
â??Tis the season to be jolly :santa: :laughing7:
On the turnoff to Gysmanshoek we said our goodbyes to Rooipoot (who rode back to Villiersdorp) and set out to Gysmanshoek Pass.
The first time I rode Gysmanshoek Pass I was bitterly disappointed. Eisbein told me that riding it from the Western side (the road we traveled now) and over the pass was much better and it is. Itâ??s amazing how different the same road can be from different sides. This is definitely worth it for any rider coming from the Cape Town side.
With all the recent rains the road was washed out and just technical enough to make it a treat. That DRZ was built for this stuff! ;D
From here it was the Klein Karoo gravel roads, over the Gourits river to Cloetes Pass and back to George.
We reached George absolutely exhausted. The two late nights before has taken its toll, but we were very satisfied. A lot of new routes were ridden.
In future weâ??ll definitely return to the Warmwaterberg region. There are a myriad of routes to be explored and the resort will be a perfect base.
Watch this spaceâ?¦
