XT Bash 2014 - "At Last"!!!!

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So tonight I sat down to start planning our trip for the XT 2015 Bash but realised that I cant start doing that until I've posted a report on the previous one.
So here goes.......not many words but many pics....

In 2013 my boys Charles and Brent did the trip with me. That year we did 1570kms in total of which 1328kms was on the gravel, in 5 days.
This year (2014) I had planned a longer trip over 7 days.
The "Dirt Road Riders" of Kroonstad wanted to come along.
I'm not fond of big groups but knowing these guys and riding the gravel with them every weekend I sort of knew each ones abilities.

I always feel safer taking a support vehicle along on these long trips especially when you have 30 year old XT's.

We trailored the two Teneres and Chris's  XT660 to Bloem where Charles joined us.
Unloaded and the manne hit the dirt all along the N1 to Colesburg.
Once again I wondered why anybody would want to travel on the N1 when this gravel road is so good?

Day 1:

 

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Oops... (Haven't done this for a long time man!)

More.....

 

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After all our stopping, smoking and joking we had to do the last 50 odd kms in the dark........not lekker with XT600 lights.

We eventually got to Middeleburg, frozen from the cripsiest wind I've felt in a long time.
Found Anton at the Hotel where he'd been waiting for us for about 4 hours.
He got away late and hit the tar from Kroonstad to Middelburg. (He's actually a roadie : : :)

Stayed at Tannie Elize's guesthouse where we had a braai ( and a few too many Jaggies!)

 

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Day 2:
Leave Middelburg after a battle to get Chris's XT started. The screw holding the battery terminals had come loose.
I'm just thankful that we didn't have to look for that in the dark along the road the previous night.

Off we go.. Anton with his GS on the gravel with "city tyres"

 

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We spent like 2 hours in Nieu-Bethesda......We all wanted to spend longer but still had a stretch to go to Steytlerville.

Ons was lus vir kuier en niemand wou ry nie?????


After riding for a while we got to a lekker stream and stopped . Some bright spark asked " Gaan ons nou nooit weer braai nie?" and before you could answer there was a fire going.
Die son trek water!!!

Once again we had to do the last 50kms in the dark on a twee spoor paaidjie. Madness!!!!
It's a pity because I specially planned it for the views......maybe next time?

Got to the Royal Hotel in Steytlerville where we had pr-ordered 6 of the biggest skaap ribbitjies in the karoo.
We got treated like Royalty with salads, breads, you name it.

 

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The previous night we all agreed that we MUST start earlier in the mornings because this riding at night is stupid and dangerous.
So, although not as early as we had discussed but with our slight headaches and sore bodies we enjoyed a killer breakfast .....

Before we left Skippie asked me how many km's we will be doing on the tar today? "About 18 I said".....to which he replied with raised eyebrows..."Dit sal al baie help!"
The plan was to go through the Grootrivierpoort (also known as Antonies Pass) to Patensie, then through the Bavianns and sleep over with Nico & Christine Smith at Uitspan.

Hier kom baie kiekies......hou was....
 

 

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More Baviaans......

 

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and more..........

(sorry oakes but I just have to share these pics......)

 

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Wait...wait ....wait... Rewind, back to Grootrivierpoort ........

 

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After having enjoyed the coldest beer ever and (as per every stop hereafter) fixing the loose nuts, bolts and screws on that Dakkie, we headed up the other side to Patensie.

En toe.....toe kom ons op die "Blixemsebultjiefromhell" uit.

Chris en Skippie ry daai los klippe dat hulle daar spat en na so paar behoude glye, is hulle bo uit.
Next is Anton met daai GS en sy teerpad tyers. No ways chins......that thing just stands there spinning on the loose stones......and goes backwards!

This causes Charles to loose his line and he ends up in the rocks (and there are moerse ones) on the side.
I stop in mid "flight" and because of the gradient and also because I'm a kortgat, my leftfoot cant find the ground and I take a tumble.
It would have made a fantastic movie.

Anyway, Charles re-groups and gets out.
Then Barry with the bakkie and trailer take on the "Blixemsebultjiefromhell" and bounces it to the top.

 

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.......I try to get moving on the loose stones and end up on my ass ...again!
I'm gatvol. Anton is gatvol....but we agreee that if we drag this GS to the top there will be cold beer for us.

I havn't done PT like this since I was in the army!!!!

 

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After a few more not "so loose" bultjies we are rewarded with the best view ever!!!!

 

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ok... now back to the Baviaans........and my Smitskraal "nearly fail" ;D

 

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We once again have to do the last 30 odd Kms to Uitspan in the dark....and I nearly land up under a bakkie parked on the wrong side of the road with its headlights on.
Strange what goes though your mind in those split seconds.......all I culd think of was "what are you going to tell your boys why you did such a stupid thing?"

Anyway, we all made it to Uitspan where Nico spoilt us with braaipacks and a lekker warm fire.

DAY 4:
Uitspan to Koedoeskloof.....

but not before once again fixing that Dakkie!!!!

 

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After a really long day on "cage duty" we got to Ladismith and met my son Brent in town. He'd come up from CT with Archangels KTM.
(My poor boy will never be the same again!)

I'm a very happy man and thank God that all made it there safely!

 

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Thanks to Veldtie for the arrangements of the great digs, we all had a lekker kiep.

DAY 5:
Outride via Seweweekspoort Pass to Gamkapoort dam.
Joined by XT Joe and the Mrs.

 

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Ooops... forgot to add the pics....(its late man...)

 

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There are "Dam Duikers" and then there are "Dam Kuikers"

 

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It was rather cool chatting with the "Baas of that plaas" and hearing how lonely it gets there.....scary really.

After a few frosties and a lekker lunch we headed back

 

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As I drove through the gate at our digs and geared down, there was no power????
I pushed the bike 10 meters home and started disecting it.

Thanks to the trusty butler we had enough Jaggies to keep us motivated.
Unfortunately we found that the drive shaft had stripped its splines and that was the end of our trip with T1

Thanks for all the arrangements and good fellowship with my fellow XT lovers. (and some other traitors)