Zastron, Colesburg and beyond heading home...constant flow of GP'ers heading toward me, streaming back after a good time at the coast.... guess they used to go to Durbs before those beaches became an Exxon Valdez replica O0 >
All that tar was taking its toll
Graaf Rienet, Aberdeen and the last loooong stretch to Willowmore +/- 120km of moerse straight road.
Arrive Willowmore, refuel and coast over to the hotel....and..... its closed.... What is it with hotels and me, second closed hotel this trip, Patensie, now Willowmore....must be an Eastern Cape thing ???
However, they did me a favor...not my pocket though, anyway..... found my way to the Willow Historic Guest House....what a pleasure
I was placed in the "Hoenderhok" lucky hoenders I think....
Unpacked, got on my baggies and made for the pool, had some kids playing Marco Polo, hmmmm wasnt getting suckered into one of those cheating kids games, again.
The tar road a faint memory it was time for a GnT under the trees.
Got called over by some fellow sitting with his wife, turns out to be Ryno and Alpha Greeff of Sidecar Africa....well, we swapped war stories and swotted mosquitoes late into the evening, enjoyed a pleasant chatty dinner with the family Greeff. Was lovely to have met them, perhaps our paths will cross again, certainly hope so :thumleft:
Ryno mentioned that they always try and have a look at the old graveyards, just to get a feel for the place, "Visiting the dead" I think he said.
So, not to be outdone, next morning on my way out onto the R407 (direction Prince Albert) Had to pull over and take a walkies through the Historic section of Willowmore Cemetery......Yea, go figure...But did find an interesting epitaph......
Now, I originally thought that this fellow was beaten to death....confirmed by a friend who knows the lingo....not so says someone else....he was killed by lightning.....Any way he came to a sudden end is all I know.
The Mortuary seemed a little spartan, um... and exposed, but then again, one is, after all, dead, when you are lying on those slabs...interesting that they had two tables, busy times ???.... 'Biers' I think them table/slabs officially named.
OK, so enough of that stuff...........Into the Karoo, lovely dirt road all the way to the N12 at Klaarstroom, hang a right towards Beaufort West, 33ish km of tar.....some TWAT in a Forester overtakes on the inside of one of the verry few corners on that entire stretch of road...had an EC registration....must have been a hotel owner dashing to open his hotel after the holiday season ??? ??? ....Hmmmmm, must be.... an Eastern Cape thing..... :drif:
Then you take a left onto gravel,
55km later you arrive in Prince Albert, just be aware of the drifts though, they tend to be washed out and the road lends itself to speed...soooo a couple more stripes later.
Ah, forgot to mention, the back shock wasnt feeling all that firm anymore and bike started to take on that "floating cloud" wallowing feel, not quite shot, but getting there ... fast.
Swartberg Pass was a dream, as usual.
Quite cold on top and then down into invitingly warm Oudtshoorn
Met up with CM at his mates place, checked out his bruises just to make sure he wasn't faking it.....more on that a little while back in this RR.
Shock officially shot at this point and I left a lovely oil stain on his nice brick paving....Oooops, sorry Grahame.
Next day back into CT, tar all the way untill I couldnt take any more, detoured Agter Paarl, Perdeberg, Klipheuwel, Occult Road, Malanshoogte, past Richwood and onto the N7....and there it was.
9 days with a riding partner ..... 6 solo....lekker ride..... next one is planned to be the four days made up of 21 to 24 March.
Tulbach....... Merweville via Sutherland and Banks Gate.......Herbertsdale via Seweweekspoort, Rooiberg Pass and Cloetes Pass........Onrus on dirt roads touching in at Riversdale, down to Swellendam and The Pont at Malgas, criss crossing to Hemel and Aarde Valley directly into Onrus.........
More of that once its done.
