Who would like to join the Dan's on a 10 day trip? – THE RIDE REPORT

[sidetrack]

Daai voorband van [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] was seker al gedaan toe julle by huis weg is? eepwall:

Seker van sy XT af gehaal

 

[2StrokeDan]

Daai voorband van [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] was seker al gedaan toe julle by huis weg is? eepwall:

Seker van sy XT af gehaal

Ek ry n tyre tot die seil deurkom. G'n mens vat my tyres by my oor en gebruik dit nog n bietjie nie. :thumleft:

 

[2StrokeDan]

The next morning 2StrokeDan’s tyre was completely deflated and fixing it became our first priority. We took turns pumping the tyre as the others felt for the hole. We eventually found it, fixed it, and as we were throwing soapy water over the repair, I saw another hole bubbling about 2 inches away from the one we had just fixed. Shortly after, we had that one fixed as well, and we descended the hill towards breakfast.

Ek sien julle gebruik tubeless repair.  Vertel bietjie hoe julle die tyre tubeless gemaak het? Tubliss miskien?

Hi SM, yes, I use the Tubliss system in my wheels. Happy with them, so far, been using it for about 4 years.

First had it on the front of the XT, but not the rear as there are no 17 inch kits available yet.

 

[Noneking]

Daai voorband van [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] was seker al gedaan toe julle by huis weg is? eepwall:

Seker van sy XT af gehaal

Ek ry n tyre tot die seil deurkom. G'n mens vat my tyres by my oor en gebruik dit nog n bietjie nie. :thumleft:

In die Laeveld laat die sekelbos mens gou 'n ander deuntjie sing  ;D

 

[2StrokeDan]

Daai voorband van [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] was seker al gedaan toe julle by huis weg is? eepwall:

Seker van sy XT af gehaal

Ek ry n tyre tot die seil deurkom. G'n mens vat my tyres by my oor en gebruik dit nog n bietjie nie. :thumleft:

In die Laeveld laat die sekelbos mens gou 'n ander deuntjie sing  ;D

Daai tyre kan maar soos n ystervark lyk van al die tubeless plugs, maar ek ry hom op die seil.

In my lifetime's motorcycle riding, I have bought far less tyres than the average rider. It's an economical thing. ot:

 

[Kortbroek]

Lekker RR die....maar ek is nogal verbaas om vir Oom 2SD met so baie gear te sien ry. Motorfiets boots en 'n broek, wat het van die jean en gewone safety boots geword?  :imaposer:

 

[2StrokeDan]

Hope you dont mind, I just sent that pic to a few of my GS riding mates who did Sani a few months ago and said its so HARD  eepwall: eepwall: eepwall: eepwall: ot: ot: ot: ot:

:imaposer: :imaposer: Good work!!

 

[Chrisl]

Found this beaut of [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] popping a wheelie coming up Sani Pass...

Jaag hy alweer akkies an op n bergpas?!! eepwall: :lol8:

 

[Noneking]

Found this beaut of [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] popping a wheelie coming up Sani Pass...

Jaag hy alweer akkies an op n bergpas?!! eepwall: :lol8:

Seker te veel van daai Pomegranate 0% Alkohol Bavaria bier gedrink.......

 

[2StrokeDan]

Found this beaut of [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] popping a wheelie coming up Sani Pass...

Jaag hy alweer akkies an op n bergpas?!! eepwall: :lol8:

Seker te veel van daai Pomegranate 0% Alkohol Bavaria bier gedrink.......

Ek dog wat daar in jou agterplaas gebeur bly daar.  Jy behoort te weet hoeveel aansien ek in SA sal verloor as mense moet uitvind ek is nie n harde drinker nie. ot:

Maar kom ons gesels in Engels, sodat die colonials ook kan volg. :thumleft:

 

[Noneking]

Found this beaut of [member=8876]2StrokeDan[/member] popping a wheelie coming up Sani Pass...

Jaag hy alweer akkies an op n bergpas?!! eepwall: :lol8:

Seker te veel van daai Pomegranate 0% Alkohol Bavaria bier gedrink.......

Ek dog wat daar in jou agterplaas gebeur bly daar.  Jy behoort te weet hoeveel aansien ek in SA sal verloor as mense moet uitvind ek is nie n harde drinker nie. ot:

Maar kom ons gesels in Engels, sodat die colonials ook kan volg. :thumleft:

:imaposer:

 

[m0lt3n]

lekker trip!

 

[winters]

We were driving at a good pace, but you always need to be wary of goats, sheep and the odd horse walking into your path. We were coming around one bend when 2StrokeDan pointed out this poor local running full tilt after a horse, who had decided that he was getting out of there. 2StrokeDan and Dries tried to cut the bugger off, but he left the road and bypassed them. I then shot ahead, jumped off the bike and decided it would be a good idea to take the running animal head-on. Luckily he stopped and I could grab his reins. Below a picture of the relieved horseman and me.

Shortly after the horse incident, we headed done into the valley and rode next to the Orange River until we go to a little town called Mpite. Next up was Qachas Nek and two quick stops at border control, and we were officially back in South Africa. Down Qachas Nek Pass and straight to Matatiele we went, and after a quick refill and we were back at Resthaven. Phillip received us, showed us our accomodation, and we started unwinding for the day.

Our room was located on the first floor and shared a massive balcony with two other units. In the unit next to us there were two (what looked like) travelling business poeple and in the other one there were three or four young women. Now “shy” is not a word I would use to describe Dries, when given the opportunity, he will strip down to his undies and meander about while recording voice notes to family and friends. So on this particular afternoon, Dries was on full show in an orange number recording and listening to voice notes. My dad and I were sprawled out on our beds talking about the day’s events while enjoying a beer. We could here the girls laughing and chatting away on the balcony and Dries moving between the room and the balcony.

All of a sudden my dad turned to me and, as if finally realising what was going on, said: “Loop hy nog die heel donnerse tyd só rond?!”. All I could do was to burst out laughing at the fact that Dries was just being Dries.

That evening, Phillip’s wife prepared the most tender fillet steak I have had in a very long time and dinner was rounded off by a delicious Peppermint Crisp tart.

Resthaven you beaut...

 

[winters]

Day 6 – Matatiele to Katse Dam

It was our third day in Lesotho and I was all pumped up. During the first two days, we experienced some some highs and some lows, and I felt ready for what the day would bring. Up Qachas Nek we flew, only to arrive at a closed South African border post. Chilling in the African sun made Dries very happy, but 2StrokeDan and I didn’t even want to climb off the bikes, because w wanted to get through the gates as soon as the opened. Literally second, third and fifth in the que meant a quick border crossing on the SA side. Off to the Lesotho border crossing, a quick stamp, and I was on my bike. Keen to get going again, I started the bike and tried to bypass the boom. This had some official with a whistle give me a stern look, as I still needed to pay the mandatory 40 rands. In my defence the woman at the station told me I could go ahead and she luckily she did defend me . Money paid and we set out for a full day’s Lesotho riding.

Barely off the tar road, we hit an extremely rutted section and it was heaven. I was leading the group at this point and got so excited that I left the other two behind at an intersection. While channelling my inner Jarvis I soon came back to earth and turned back for my comrades. (This might actually be the real reason why I rode at the back… :'()

Shortly after, we got to a section in the road where you could cross via either an older, perfectly functioning, low-water bridge, or a suspension bridge. As I was the first one there, I went for the suspension bridge. Once on it, we stopped to take some pictures and we were just about to set off again when we realised that the other side had had planks removed and all that was left was the exposed I-beams. 2StrokeDan took the lead and we followed. Passed the I-beams and we were faced with a horrible eroded and highly off-camber climb. Seeing that 2StrokeDan was already heading up the hill, seemingly undisturbed by this horrible obstacle, there was nothing to it but to do it.

After that excitement the hills and mountains rolled on infront of you and all you could do was try and take it all in. Around 1 o’clock we again arrived at Thaba-Tseka for a refill.

I was very happy to find a football pitch in Lesotho, as I am an avid footballer, but no time to play.

Politics and religion are but a few of the subjects this fellow and I discussed...

Made me think of horseshoe bend in Arizona...yes...no...maybe???

The road from Thaba-Tseka to the Katse dam is k@k. It felt like every pothole in Lesotho was on this stretch. But I just had to bite the bullet as the following section at the bottom of Katse dam was unreal. [member=4807]Losper[/member] had laid out our route and I must say he knows his ****. But more about him later…
So we descended the valley on this wonderful “road” to what must have been the bottom of the Katse dam. We then found a steep-climbing tar road and all of a sudden we were faced with the dam in all its glory. No picture can really do it justice, but I promise you it was phenomenal.

The entrance to Katse village has a boom and guard where you need to sign in. We stopped, signed in, and went through the boom gate. But as we entered, just 50 metres down the road, a woman with a red flag was also ushering us in. Dries, Dan and I all looked at each other wondering WTF was going on here. So her job is basically to vet people that want to enter the village after they have already gone through the security post. Still confused about that one.

About one kilometre down the road and we were at Katse Village reception. Once we had checked in, we settled into our rooms and took a few minutes to unwind. We then hopped back on the bikes and went searching for a snack. The little shop/shebeen we found only had warm beers and we were forced to head back to the super-secure Katse village.

The promised Wi-Fi and DStv did not work which was a bit of a bummer as we wanted to check the weather prediction. The previous night in Matatiele the weather report had predicted heavy rains and even some snow in high lying regions for our leg from Katse to Himeville. As the entire Lesotho is a high lying region, I really wanted to check what we could be expecting the next day. The only feedback I could get was from the woman in the office who assured me that there was lots of rain coming and that is was currently raining on Sani.

Looking through our bedroom window, we could see dark clouds rolling in from the east and we needed to decide on the next day’s ride. But first, there was dinner to look forward to and after a quick shower, we were good to go. The tasty food, accompanied by some draughts made for an excellent evening. Unfortunately the accommodation at Katse was probably the most disappointing of our trip and the photo below pretty much sums it up.

 

[Lem]

Ek lees en ry baie lekker saam, dankie  :thumleft:

Die Dries ou moet darem seker Harry Fisher se broer wees ot: wragtag die gelaatstrekke is darem daarso. Ook tipies KTM ryer...selfs sy blerrie onderbroek is oranje.

 

[winters]

Day 7 – Katse dam to Himeville

We awoke to dark clouds and the promise of imminent rain, so rain gear was the order of the day. The [member=4807]Losper[/member] day 4 tracks would be swapped out for the most direct route back to Sani Resort. First was the matter of that horrible pothole-infested road to Tsaba-Tseka. After arriving at Thaba-Tseka to refill without seeing a drop of rain, I started to wonder if old Murphy would be playing a major role in the day’s ride. It actually seemed to be clearing up a little and we were starting to experience, what felt like, buyer’s remorse. At the petrol station we discussed were a good spot for lunch would be and we all felt like we could go another few kilometres before having to stop.

Off we went and as planned we found a nice little stop off the main road, down the valley next to a little stream. While Dries and 2StrokeDan unpacked our food, I saw a great little section to go play with the bike. This would also be my first fall of the bike trip. As I tried to turn against this little ant heap, I lost my balance, and tumbled over. Because of the incline I was at, the tumble became a full-on “bollemakiesie”. Luckily no harm was done to me or the bike – maybe just a little to my ego – and I decided that lunch would be a safer option  :-\

While eating, we again experienced one of the main things that I love most about Lesotho. You always feel as if you are the only people for miles and miles, but stop for a second and locals pop up out of nowhere. And this time again, stop and they pop. Amazing how they chill in the field with what seems to be almost nothing. Then we go on a minimalist bike adventure into Lesotho, and end up looking like pack donkeys compared to them. Great isn’t it?

After lunch we headed back to the A1, and knowing that this would be my last gravel road in Lesotho was a very bitter-sweet feeling. I was tired but happy after three and a half days of Lesotho, but so amped for what was to come. As we rode, the weather again started to change from “I think it might rain a bit”, to “hell it’s going to rain”.

So the A1 arrived, we hitted right, and off we went on the short, fun-filled 40 kms through the mountains to Sani. The rain never materialised, but the promised cold did. This was accompanied by some super-intense mist. The last 10 to 15 kms before Sani top was bad, so bad in fact that when we arrived at the border control it looked like it had been raining for a few days. We then rather decided to head to Sani Mountain Lodge where we had two cappuccinos and the obvious decaf before checking out.

The official at the border control didn’t let us stand outside like the time we came in, but invited us inside where it was nice and warm. Speaking to the official 2StrokeDan asked when it had stopped raining because there were huge water puddles everywhere. The official replied that it had not rained and the puddles was purely from the mist. With that, we said goodbye to Lesotho and started our descent down Sani pass.

Everyone who has ridden Sani pass will be familiar with the first section – the long straight down to the first left turn. It was muddy, very muddy and therefore very slippery. Off the tared section and onto the mud, and all of a sudden it was all about just not losing the bike under you. The first few turns were tricky but thereafter it got a whole lot easier.

 

[2StrokeDan]

Enjoying this story a lot, makes me feel like going back. :ricky:

 

[winters]

Enjoying this story a lot, makes me feel like going back. :ricky:

RIGHT????

 

[2StrokeDan]

Enjoying this story a lot, makes me feel like going back. :ricky:

RIGHT????

Just waiting for you to move to the Netherlands, and Wilhelm and I will go. :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[winters]

Enjoying this story a lot, makes me feel like going back. :ricky:

RIGHT????

Just waiting for you to move to the Netherlands, and Wilhelm and I will go. :biggrin: :biggrin:

Hahaha, would love to see the two of you navigate through Lesotho.