DirtyHarry
Race Dog
I have met Hinksding in Loeriesfontein on my way back from my recent Namibia trip.
He offered me his hospitality in the darkest hr of my riding career and we became friends after that.
We are living a very different life. I come from the city and have spent half of my life on the beach and Stoffel spends most of his time on his farm in the Boesmanland. When he was visiting us in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago, I told him that we are also interested to change our lifestyle more towards the country side.
Then I receive a phone call from Stoffel, he is inviting me to do a trek with his sheep from one farm to the other, some 130km apart. Are you in he asks me and I bluntly tell him that I can’t because we have already made other arrangements for the week ahead.
When I tell my wife that I just turned down to join Stoffel to trek his sheep, she orders me to pack up and go.
Well, probably she can’t imagine a better and safer occupation for me than herding sheep in the Bushmanland. Normally I come up with more worrying things to do for fun.
5 min later I confirm to Stoffel that I will be in for the sheep thing and have two more questions.
How cold does it get this time of the year and how do we camp? Stoffel answers very diplomatically that it won’t be too cold and we will sleep under the stars without a tent. It will be full moon during the next couple of nights and we will have enough light to see the sheep at night.
I pack my warmest stuff for good measure. I know how cold it can get in a tent, but I can hardly imagine how cold it will be without one this time of the year.
The next day I am on my way to Loeriesfontein, some 550km away from Cape Town.
It is a brisk morning after a cold front has passed Cape Town the day before. I leave very late that day to avoid the cold morning temperatures.
The farm land outside town is nice and green.
My bike is packed like if I would go for a RTW trip. I have packed lots of warm cloth and two sleeping bags.
On top of Bain’s Kloof looking down to Wellington.
Snow on the Skurweberge near Ceres.
On my way through the Cederberg mountains.
Nice flower arrangement next to the road.
Towards Grootrivier Hoogte.
All rivers carry a lot of water after the rain and I can test my new boots.
The road to Wupperthal seems to be promising.
The road gets smaller and goes up and down the mountain. Nice, very nice.
You can find any color possible right next to the road.
On my way to Wupperthal.
I see a very nice water crossing and since my new boots are watertight I go right through. When I lose balance and put my foot down I stand knee deep in the water and almost drop my bike in the drink. My boots are full of water now. This is not how I have planed the crossing.
The landscape is so nice and I forget about my wet boots very quickly.
The road got washed away at places after the heavy rain.
I come through the small settlement of Eselbank.
More crossings and with my already wet feet I can go right through.
Sand and water make it an interesting ride.
Nature at its best.
The final drop towards Wupperthal.
Uitkyk Pass.
Flowers are in abundance this year - unreal.
The road shows signs of the heavy rain.
After Doringrivier I turn to a small farm road towards Nieuwoudtville. The only downside is the many gates.
The road becomes soft again.
And more gates.
I have missed the worst mud by at least a day.
After opening and closing at least 30 gates along the way I do lose a lot of time and the daylight is fading too quickly.
I arrive at 20.00h in Loeriesfontein. Cold but happy and thankful for the very pictures ride I have had. Tomorrow we will be off very early to start our trek.
We try to get 1000 sheep moving in the right direction for the next 130km, not an easy task.
Stoffel is testing me with a sheep head for breakfast. No problem for me, I am not a vegetarian by any means. If he gets to the sheep brain with the help of an axe I do pass and have some more Rusks instead.
The rest of the skull goes to the dogs.
And far too soon the day comes to an end. To reach our first camp we have to walk into the night.
After a quick bite to eat we settle for our bed under the stars.
And when I wake up in the morning I do see that the mercury went below zero. My jacket which I used as a pillow is iced up.
I was so ignorant that I did not know that the region is called the Boesmanland.
A warm fire and a Coffee warm us up again.
Stoffel’s old man is coming for a visit, to check if we are still alive after the cold night.
We catch up to the sheep again and take over to drive the sheep forward.
A couple of hrs later the sheep is getting tired and we let them rest for a while.
In the next dry river bed it is shower time. The water was still ice cold from the night before.
A slightly different dressing room.
After another great evening at the camp fire and a cold night we are getting ready for the road.
This time I thought I got it right but now we are in fact in the Hantam region. My geographic knowledge of SA sucks a bit.
And there is another surprise. We have 3 newborns in the herd. They are too small to walk and they hitch a ride on the trailer.
Time to pack up and move on.
I would have loved to ride along these nice farm roads on my bike.
Slightly different vegetation.
And the trek is moving further south into the Hantam.
The sheep and the Sheppard.
If you look closer you will find colorful flowers.
After the small farm tracks we are back on the 355 towards Calvinia. We have time for some fun. Stoffel shows me how to do the fire dance.
The guys are getting very inventive to have shade during the day and firewood for the night.
Who wants to hide behind the bushes?
The vegetation becomes more colorful again.
The sheep did not cooperate and we have to camp out one more night.
In the late afternoon we quickly drive back to town and I check out the windmill museum.
In the morning we have a very nice sunrise to the east and the cold front to the west. The mist is coming in fast.
A warm fire and a coffee get us going.
The stuff will have to be packed wet. We won’t see the sun too soon.
The few last km towards the farm.
Some childish entertainment along the road. We shoot at bottles, stones, cans and everything else we can find.
After a zip from the bottle my shooting did improve. Must I be worried?
And finally we reach our destination. The sheep are free to do their grazing thing again. They have covered 130km in 5 days.
Before we leave we have to inspect and repair the fences. Once we are finished it starts raining. We were very lucky that it was not raining during the last 5 days on our trek.
The next morning is cold and rainy but I have to head home. Stoffel joins me the first couple of km and shows me the way to a small farm road towards Calvinia which is not on my map.
The latest fashion in DS glove design. Welding gloves for R 49 in funky colors. They are in fact quite warm.
We say goodbye and I am on my own again.
Lots of farm gates to be opened in exchange to drive on smaller dirt roads.
Then I have my first almost off on this trip. I lose the front wheel for a second and head straight towards the sign post next to the road. I am able to navigate around the post and stop the bike safely in the bushes. I must have done something right, I did not crash.
A nice parking spot in the bushes comes with it. I can have a quick break.
The scenery is changing quite often and so does the road surface.
After Calvinia I get to the Bloukrans Pass on the 355.
A nice view from the top.
Happy pigs along the way.
On my way towards the Tankwa Karoo National park.
Flowers everywhere. There is a smell of spring in the air.
Further south it becomes quite arid again. I turn to a smaller road off the 355 along the Tankwarivier towards Elandsvlei.
And again lots of gates to be opened.
I can’t imagine what it will look like during the summer heat.
The flowers are sparser but you can still find some along the way.
And I am almost on home turf when I enter the Boland district.
Instead of going further south along the 355 I decide to head towards the mountains over the Katbakkies Pass and it becomes green again. The dirt road on the pass has got very fine gravel on the surface and is quite slippery. In one of the corners I come in too fast and lose my back wheel. Some aggressive counter steering and I am able to gain control of the bike again. I have had quite a few almost offs during the last 1000km and was able to stay on the bike. This is a vast improvement of my riding skills.
Looking down to the valley of the Rietrivier.
The river is still full of water and so are the dams in this region.
Looking down Gydo Pass toward the farmland of Ceres. Everything is lush and green. The dams are full.
I did notice the dark clouds around the Ceres mountains. At Michell’s Pass after Ceres I get finally into rain and have a wet and cold final 110km home run. I didn’t pack my rain suit, damn it.
A warm meal and a hot shower are awaiting me at home and another great adventure comes to an end.
It was a great experience to live the basic live again even if it is only for a week. What a great excuse to get out on my bike to see the Karoo, the Boesmanland and the Hantam in full bloom. My timing was right one more time.
Experiencing nature and friendship are by far the most inspiring things I can wish for. Thanks Stoffel for letting me experience both. Being part of your life for one week was very special to me. It feels as if I would know you for very long time my friend.
And Stoffel, I am taking back my assumption that sheep are stupid. I am the one being stupid knowing so little from the real farm life.
The country life is calling me very strongly. Given half the chance I will go again in a heartbeat.
He offered me his hospitality in the darkest hr of my riding career and we became friends after that.
We are living a very different life. I come from the city and have spent half of my life on the beach and Stoffel spends most of his time on his farm in the Boesmanland. When he was visiting us in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago, I told him that we are also interested to change our lifestyle more towards the country side.
Then I receive a phone call from Stoffel, he is inviting me to do a trek with his sheep from one farm to the other, some 130km apart. Are you in he asks me and I bluntly tell him that I can’t because we have already made other arrangements for the week ahead.
When I tell my wife that I just turned down to join Stoffel to trek his sheep, she orders me to pack up and go.
Well, probably she can’t imagine a better and safer occupation for me than herding sheep in the Bushmanland. Normally I come up with more worrying things to do for fun.
5 min later I confirm to Stoffel that I will be in for the sheep thing and have two more questions.
How cold does it get this time of the year and how do we camp? Stoffel answers very diplomatically that it won’t be too cold and we will sleep under the stars without a tent. It will be full moon during the next couple of nights and we will have enough light to see the sheep at night.
I pack my warmest stuff for good measure. I know how cold it can get in a tent, but I can hardly imagine how cold it will be without one this time of the year.
The next day I am on my way to Loeriesfontein, some 550km away from Cape Town.
It is a brisk morning after a cold front has passed Cape Town the day before. I leave very late that day to avoid the cold morning temperatures.
The farm land outside town is nice and green.
My bike is packed like if I would go for a RTW trip. I have packed lots of warm cloth and two sleeping bags.
On top of Bain’s Kloof looking down to Wellington.
Snow on the Skurweberge near Ceres.
On my way through the Cederberg mountains.
Nice flower arrangement next to the road.
Towards Grootrivier Hoogte.
All rivers carry a lot of water after the rain and I can test my new boots.
The road to Wupperthal seems to be promising.
The road gets smaller and goes up and down the mountain. Nice, very nice.
You can find any color possible right next to the road.
On my way to Wupperthal.
I see a very nice water crossing and since my new boots are watertight I go right through. When I lose balance and put my foot down I stand knee deep in the water and almost drop my bike in the drink. My boots are full of water now. This is not how I have planed the crossing.
The landscape is so nice and I forget about my wet boots very quickly.
The road got washed away at places after the heavy rain.
I come through the small settlement of Eselbank.
More crossings and with my already wet feet I can go right through.
Sand and water make it an interesting ride.
Nature at its best.
The final drop towards Wupperthal.
Uitkyk Pass.
Flowers are in abundance this year - unreal.
The road shows signs of the heavy rain.
After Doringrivier I turn to a small farm road towards Nieuwoudtville. The only downside is the many gates.
The road becomes soft again.
And more gates.
I have missed the worst mud by at least a day.
After opening and closing at least 30 gates along the way I do lose a lot of time and the daylight is fading too quickly.
I arrive at 20.00h in Loeriesfontein. Cold but happy and thankful for the very pictures ride I have had. Tomorrow we will be off very early to start our trek.
We try to get 1000 sheep moving in the right direction for the next 130km, not an easy task.
Stoffel is testing me with a sheep head for breakfast. No problem for me, I am not a vegetarian by any means. If he gets to the sheep brain with the help of an axe I do pass and have some more Rusks instead.
The rest of the skull goes to the dogs.
And far too soon the day comes to an end. To reach our first camp we have to walk into the night.
After a quick bite to eat we settle for our bed under the stars.
And when I wake up in the morning I do see that the mercury went below zero. My jacket which I used as a pillow is iced up.
I was so ignorant that I did not know that the region is called the Boesmanland.
A warm fire and a Coffee warm us up again.
Stoffel’s old man is coming for a visit, to check if we are still alive after the cold night.
We catch up to the sheep again and take over to drive the sheep forward.
A couple of hrs later the sheep is getting tired and we let them rest for a while.
In the next dry river bed it is shower time. The water was still ice cold from the night before.
A slightly different dressing room.
After another great evening at the camp fire and a cold night we are getting ready for the road.
This time I thought I got it right but now we are in fact in the Hantam region. My geographic knowledge of SA sucks a bit.
And there is another surprise. We have 3 newborns in the herd. They are too small to walk and they hitch a ride on the trailer.
Time to pack up and move on.
I would have loved to ride along these nice farm roads on my bike.
Slightly different vegetation.
And the trek is moving further south into the Hantam.
The sheep and the Sheppard.
If you look closer you will find colorful flowers.
After the small farm tracks we are back on the 355 towards Calvinia. We have time for some fun. Stoffel shows me how to do the fire dance.
The guys are getting very inventive to have shade during the day and firewood for the night.
Who wants to hide behind the bushes?
The vegetation becomes more colorful again.
The sheep did not cooperate and we have to camp out one more night.
In the late afternoon we quickly drive back to town and I check out the windmill museum.
In the morning we have a very nice sunrise to the east and the cold front to the west. The mist is coming in fast.
A warm fire and a coffee get us going.
The stuff will have to be packed wet. We won’t see the sun too soon.
The few last km towards the farm.
Some childish entertainment along the road. We shoot at bottles, stones, cans and everything else we can find.
After a zip from the bottle my shooting did improve. Must I be worried?
And finally we reach our destination. The sheep are free to do their grazing thing again. They have covered 130km in 5 days.
Before we leave we have to inspect and repair the fences. Once we are finished it starts raining. We were very lucky that it was not raining during the last 5 days on our trek.
The next morning is cold and rainy but I have to head home. Stoffel joins me the first couple of km and shows me the way to a small farm road towards Calvinia which is not on my map.
The latest fashion in DS glove design. Welding gloves for R 49 in funky colors. They are in fact quite warm.
We say goodbye and I am on my own again.
Lots of farm gates to be opened in exchange to drive on smaller dirt roads.
Then I have my first almost off on this trip. I lose the front wheel for a second and head straight towards the sign post next to the road. I am able to navigate around the post and stop the bike safely in the bushes. I must have done something right, I did not crash.
A nice parking spot in the bushes comes with it. I can have a quick break.
The scenery is changing quite often and so does the road surface.
After Calvinia I get to the Bloukrans Pass on the 355.
A nice view from the top.
Happy pigs along the way.
On my way towards the Tankwa Karoo National park.
Flowers everywhere. There is a smell of spring in the air.
Further south it becomes quite arid again. I turn to a smaller road off the 355 along the Tankwarivier towards Elandsvlei.
And again lots of gates to be opened.
I can’t imagine what it will look like during the summer heat.
The flowers are sparser but you can still find some along the way.
And I am almost on home turf when I enter the Boland district.
Instead of going further south along the 355 I decide to head towards the mountains over the Katbakkies Pass and it becomes green again. The dirt road on the pass has got very fine gravel on the surface and is quite slippery. In one of the corners I come in too fast and lose my back wheel. Some aggressive counter steering and I am able to gain control of the bike again. I have had quite a few almost offs during the last 1000km and was able to stay on the bike. This is a vast improvement of my riding skills.
Looking down to the valley of the Rietrivier.
The river is still full of water and so are the dams in this region.
Looking down Gydo Pass toward the farmland of Ceres. Everything is lush and green. The dams are full.
I did notice the dark clouds around the Ceres mountains. At Michell’s Pass after Ceres I get finally into rain and have a wet and cold final 110km home run. I didn’t pack my rain suit, damn it.
A warm meal and a hot shower are awaiting me at home and another great adventure comes to an end.
It was a great experience to live the basic live again even if it is only for a week. What a great excuse to get out on my bike to see the Karoo, the Boesmanland and the Hantam in full bloom. My timing was right one more time.
Experiencing nature and friendship are by far the most inspiring things I can wish for. Thanks Stoffel for letting me experience both. Being part of your life for one week was very special to me. It feels as if I would know you for very long time my friend.
And Stoffel, I am taking back my assumption that sheep are stupid. I am the one being stupid knowing so little from the real farm life.
The country life is calling me very strongly. Given half the chance I will go again in a heartbeat.
