Two Old Farts Vaart Voort.

[Fudmucker]

Peter and I both work for the government.  :
Our conditions of service require us to take leave by a certain date or lose it,  :deal:
so we used some of it to turn March 21st into a long weekend.  We had intended to leave on Tuesday afternoon for a quick run down to Memel, but appointments were moved for us and so we had to delay our departure until sparrow-fart on Wednesday.
So it was that at 5:00 we set out from Pretoria, taking the Delmas – Leandra – Standerton – Volksrust route.  It is so sad to see how the coal trucking industry has ruined the roads.  I have travelled this route since the Seventies and the destruction is irreversible.  The whole road will have to be reconstructed.

Taking the little strips of tar that still remain between the potholes, we arrived in Volksrust, refueled and breakfasted.  
Our trip involved notching up a few goals in current challenges from our BMW Club to ride to a selection of passes and towns across the country in exploring the country on motorcycles.  While Peter rides an RT on tar, he mounts a KLR for the dirt.  I prefer the Beemer ‘shaftie’ for both and just swap tyres according to the trip requirements.  
We ducked a Stop-Go on the N11 to take the P186 and went up to Botha’s Pass:

 

[Fudmucker]

Back down Normandien Pass:

 

[Fudmucker]

Back up Collings Pass:

 

[Fudmucker]

We never found an actual pass sign along Collings, just a road that meandered and climbed until we hit tar again at the N3.

 

[Fudmucker]

We munched at Montrose and reviewed our timetable.  Realising we had underestimated the effect of departing from Pretoria instead of Memel, we had to cut out the planned route via Middeldale Pass to Geluksburg and then on through Bergville and Nottingham Road.  Instead, we took the N3 toll road to our Howick overnight with family.

(Never again!  Toll roads are all a money-making racket, I will avoid them even if I have to ride in the dark.).


We supped and slept and rose early for coffee.  We set off at first light through the rolling hills of the KZN Midlands via Bulwer to Kokstad for refuel and breakfast.  Nourished and rested, we took off via Matatiele towards Mount Fletcher for a top up before the dirt portion of the ride.  The Pitseng Pass was under construction or major maintenance and here and there we came across road teams and equipment repairing and upgrading the road.  Riding through a freshly spread soil is as much fun as riding mud.  From the gestures of one or two of the road workers along the way, I think that the road may still have been closed – but we never saw any signs to this along the way. 
Anyway, we reached Elands Heights and turned right to Naude’s Nek.  The climb up to the pass is stunningly scenic and strangely spiritual with little signs of human settlement as far as the eye can perceive.  The obligatory photos at the monument site and at the signpost to prove “we was there” and then off down into the valley.

 

[Fudmucker]

I was cruising along on the dry dirt surface, following the well packed twin tyre tracks when I felt the rear wheel make a move to overtake the front wheel.  I went down on the left side turning until I felt myself come to a halt.  My left elbow hurt and felt sore.  “What the hell happened?” I quickly stood up to warn Peter before he did whatever I had done.  He looked rather surprised to see me and stopped, expecting to see some serious obstacle or hazard.  Instead all there was was a big dual sport motorcycle lying rather ungracefully on the side of the road.  He took the obligatory photo of me looking down at the scene of the slide.

 

[Fudmucker]

As the big boxer had tipped over the heads, it was an effort for two unfit old farts to get it up again, but with pushing and pulling and lifting and heaving, it was back up with the rubber side down and so we could continue.  The rest of the ride to Rhodes was incident-free, with me carefully getting my mojo back.  We rode into the village and found our digs at Kinmel Mountain Retreat and offloaded the gear.  En-lightened, we then sought out the Walkabouts Inn for refreshment and food.  There was a trout fishing competition on the go and so we met up with a number of the competitors over a delicious meal, before returning to the farm for the night.

We had a short day planned for day three, so a sleep-in was on the cards.  Despite this, I woke early and went downstairs to look at the bike.  For the first time I noticed that the left hand passenger foot-peg had been damaged.  It was pointing upwards at the same angle it used to point downwards and had ripped half the welded joint apart. 
“Now that is going to be expensive!” I thought, knowing that the back half of the big boxer is one piece.

 

[Ian in Great Brak River]

Yep, shit happens far too quickly nowadays... lovely area Rhodes is.  8)

 

[Fudmucker]

I wasn’t going to let a possible insurance company argument spoil the rest of my ride.  We had rooibos tea and kitted up for a restful ride to Rossouw – a settlement that masquerades as a town on the map.  There’s a church and a police station – and as you can see, a public library.  Any similarity between the office hours on the sign and the hours when actually open are purely coincidental! 

 

[Fudmucker]

The ride was good, nothing spectacular but some interesting sights along the way.  It was just what I needed to push out any doubts from the day before. 

 

[Fudmucker]

My mojo returned, we ride back to Barkly East for brunch, keenly eyeing the street children urchins looking at the bikes outside in the street.  Nothing much happens in Barkly East – and this Friday was no exception.

Back in Rhodes, refreshment and a meal at the Hotel was in order.  The barman sold us on the dinner, telling us of the chicken curry on the menu.  Imagine our surprise when the chicken curry turned out to be pork spare-ribs!  The meal was tasty enough, but Peter is an old Natal boy and his digestive tract had been calling for curry.  We mocked the barman afterwards, but he insisted that he had smelled chicken in the kitchen.  So much for the Rhodes Hotel.  We had another long ride planned for Saturday, so we packed out gear and readied ourselves for an early night.

 

[Fudmucker]

Rigged for the trip, we left Rhodes and rode back along the road to Barkly East.  There were clouds overhead as we turned off toward Lundeans Pass.  The ride up the Pass was pleasant and pretty, with a gate across the road at the police post near the top.  We used the same routine as we did elsewhere – first rider stops and opens the gate. Back rider rides through and gets off, closing the gate behind the first as he rides through.

 

[Fudmucker]

At the top, we take photos and the clouds come over.  

(Rain gear is very unflattering with horizontal stripes!)

 

[Fudmucker]

We stop taking photgraphs...

The weather closed in and the ride changed completely.  The road from Lundeans Pass down to Sterkspruit became a battle.  The road was just potholes, rocks and clay.  Clearly a grader hasn’t been along that stretch of rural road for some time.  I had seen the road from the air, winding idyllically along the side of the Telle river.  On the ground it was somewhat of a disappointment.  Perhaps in better weather…?  The 55kms from Rhodes to Lundean’s Pass had taken us an hour, but the 45 kms down to the tar road took us almost two hours.  It also removed the remnants of my left side passenger footpeg.

In patchy drizzle weather we rode on to Wepener for a tasty burger at the Lord Fraser Guest House.  (There’s no other reason to go into Wepener, unless it’s fuel that you’re after!)  Fuelled up and fed, we rode on to Fouriesburg Country Inn for the night.  On arrival we found ourselves amid the returning Redline Jo’burg-Cape Town Ride.  There were bikes of all kinds all over – mostly on the stoep!  Undaunted, we made our way between kindred spirits and checked in.  We unpacked and changed out of our sopping wet riding gear and went into the pub…

After a tasty dinner and an early breakfast, it was pack up and move on out.  The Redliners left in small groups and in different directions.  Peter and I took the road to Bethlehem to refuel.  For some reason, the Free State still runs on LRP and has yet to hear of 95 Unleaded – the preferred motion lotion for my big boxer.  Even in the bustling metropolis of Bethlehem only one brand offers it for sale - the brand that wants to frag up the Karoo. 

The Free State is repairing its roads – and they do need it.  So when I find a Stop-Go, I don’t gripe.  I just quietly make my way to the front, have a mouthful of liquid and stretch my legs.  When the oncoming cars approach, I gear up, ready to go.  Given the GO sign I get going with gusto.  I find that if you keep up a good pace through the roadworks and beyond, you can catch up to the back of the next group by the next Stop-Go, thereby saving another wait.

CONCLUSION:

An uneventful ride took us to refuel at the Blockhouse before we ducked off to our respective homes.  We would reminisce over the ride at work over various tea-breaks in the next days, sharing photos and perspectives.  The next trip is already in planning – after all, there is that thing about taking leave or losing it!  :deal:

 

[BMWPE]

Great area to ride  :thumleft:
Thanks for sharing old farts  ;D

 

[XXL]

Very nice. Glad you Ok after the fall. Love the old East Griqualnd area!

 

[JACOVV]

Very Nice. Thanks for sharing.

:thumleft:

 

[Shaun]

Nice RR :thumleft: :thumleft:

Sorry to see the damage to your scoot.

BTW,... are expecting a few "Speed Fine Photos", that you keep hiding your Registration Number atch: atch: eepwall:

;D

 

[laurika]

A wondefull adventure Fuddy....agreed on the Lord Fraser......

 

[Fudmucker]

BTW,... are expecting a few "Speed Fine Photos", that you keep hiding your Registration Number atch: atch: eepwall:

;D

With the impending E-toll system in Gauteng, I expect many clones of other people's vehicle plates.
As it is, my number plate didn't make it back home - somewhere along the way it disappeared.
It could have been the excuse for a road along the Telle River,  :
or somebody has stolen my real number plate and is planning to use it.  :eek7: