Trailrider - Adventures & Ride Reports

www.trail-rider.co.za

2012-04-18T23:33:00.007+02:00

Whats New?

Report: Every Girl's Dream - A sad update

4 Wheels: Vaandrigsdrif - Part 2

4x4: Cruisin' the Dunes

Ride Report: The "Other" Baviaans

About Me: About Me and Why I'm posting less...

Whats News?

I don't ride enough anymore. With my new job I do over 2000km a week, but I don't travel. How's that for irony? Good news is that the maps are open. I am just itching for an epic ride. Watch this space...

If you are interested in what else I'm up too (work wise) have a look at my Facebook Page. It has updates on new cars tested and when and where my articles will be published (content mostly Afrikaans).

The South African alternative to You Tube - Zoopy - has dropped us badly. They decided to change to a mobi site and drop all our uploaded media hosted there. This has left us with a myriad of broken links. I am in the process of downloading / uploading all the media to You Tube and fixing the broken links, but as you can imagine this takes quite a bit of time. I hope to have everything fixed sometime during April. Our apologies for the inconvenience. Please mail me with any other broken links you might come across at tr@trail-rider.co.za.

Subscribers to the feed might see some old reports being re-posted. This is because I am reworking some of the old multi-day reports into day reports with buttons like the newer posts. Some of those old posts are just to long and the "new" reports will be much more user friendly.

A big thank you to Tracks 4 Africa for their latest set of maps. This will ensure that we never miss a scenic route!

I have registered the www.trail-rider.co.za web address and redirected it here, so now we have an easy to remember, proudly South African web address.

Lets keep the rubber side down.

Trailrider

Recent Rides:

Future Rides:

Southern Cape Pillion Ride

On the Trail of Cornelius Lotter

The last of the WC Passes

Northern Cape incl. Verneukpan & Augrabies

Eastern Cape & Sani Pass

Also see "Planned Rides" section.

"God willing, someday I'll grow old & weak. But when I do, I’ll have pictures and ride reports and I will relive life all over again. It's my pension. Every trip is another deposit in my memory pension. I'm gonna have a wonderful old age." - MetalJockey (Wild Dog Forum)

Share on Facebook

Every Girl's Dream - A Life Celebrated!

2012-04-18T15:17:00.004+02:00

A very sad update to this post. Didi Coertze lost her battle with cancer on Saturday afternoon (14 April) at 16:15 after being admitted to hospital at 02:00 that same morning. According to her mother, Cindy, she had been fine on Friday, but was not feeling well during the night. "We still went out on Friday evening."

DiDi lived life to the full right to the very end. She was an inspiration.

Motorcyclists have been invited to attend her funeral this morning as we did last year when we provided a cavalcade for Didi on her way to her matric farewell. That night she made us part of her special night. Today we got to do something in return.

The Southern Cape bikers started organizing immediately. It was on short notice, just like the martic farewell ride and on top of that this would happen mid week and during business hours. But again the bikers did not disappoint. Those who could make it did and those who could not rode with us in spirit.

Starting to gather early on a Wednesday morning:

There were different bikes, different kinds of bikes, different kinds of people and people from different clubs. But true to the brotherhood of biking, when the chips are down, we all stand together.

While waiting for more bikes to arrive everybody talks bikes of course. This beautiful Race Nation Fireblade got some extra attention:

Soon more bikes arrived. Buks on his new XR650 sporting his Wild Dog paws:

We all rode to York High school together where more bikes waited.

The hall where the memorial was held was absolutely packed.

Kids from different schools (Southern Cape Children's Choir) lined the walls and sang choir songs. DiDi was the head girl of the Southern Cape Children's Choir in 2010, when they became the champion children's choir of South Africa.

There was a range of emotions. It was incredibly sad, but at the same time, as the photos of her life scrolled by and friends and family told their stories of this wonderful girl, it was a celebration of her life. This girl touched many lives.

What an honour it was to be part of the roaring send-off of DiDi Coertze.

No more pain, only peace. Ride the highways of heaven Didi.

Daniellè Coertze
March 11, 1993 to April 14, 2012

DiDi wrote an Essay on 20 March 2012. It was distributed with the funeral letter. Please take the time to read it. It will touch your soul. (Click on each page to enlarge)

Didi in the news:

Bikers Gazette

Other articles:

Local girl loses half her leg to cancer.

Brave hearts take the steps.

10 Million steps for Cancer.

Didi Coertze passes away.

Funeral service for Didi.

Courageous DiDi dies.

International Hero of Hope will never hold award.

Danielle Didi Coertze

What lies over that River?

2012-04-13T19:01:00.001+02:00

Since my first little excursion in search of Vaandrigsdrif, my interest in the place and area went off the charts. I started doing more research and one fascinating fact led me to another.

Southern Africa has one of the longest records of human activity anywhere in the world. The Swellendam region in the Overberg is rich in historic sites dating from over 1 million years ago to more recent colonial settlements. The later Stone Age can be linked to the Khoi Khoi who, in the Swellendam region of the Overberg was known as the Hessequa. This name translated means “people of the trees”.

The Hessequa entered the Overberg region some 2,000 years ago. They were a clan of herders; farming fat tailed sheep and long horn cattle. The Hessequa’s moved freely across the western area of the Overberg and lived on the banks of the Breede River where they grazed their large herds.

Since my last visit things around here have been changing. The winter crops are starting to appear and the whole area is coming alive. As stated before my first photo was taken on the 1st of March 2012:

This was taken on the 13th of April. Just look at the change!

During the days of ensign Beutler this was one of the main routes from Cape Town to Swellendam. It crossed the Zonderendriver at a low-level crossing I located on a farm now called Vaandrighsdrift, on the other side of the river. Here wagons had to camp for days waiting for the river to run down only to be confronted by a full Breede River 8km further on.

Driving past the Vaandrigsdrif road sign and seeing the change every week I knew I needed to continue my search for the actual Vaandrigsdrif at the first possible opportunity. As it happens, today would be that day!

I was early again and had a couple of hours to spare. On top of that I had a suitable vehicle - a GWM H5. The car was sparkling clean (even the tyres were polished) so I had to get my photographs before I hit the gravel roads.

The "before" photo. I my opinion vehicles like these are for adventure, so it's not going to stay sparkling for long...

It might be a good idea at this stage to mention that this was not a planned event. The fact that my search continued today happened purely by chance. I have never been on the roads I was headed towards. I had no map and no off-road GPS, only a general idea of where I should be - the other side of the river! So on my way back to George I took the R317 road off the N2 and crossed the Sonderend River near Stormsvlei.

This road meanders through the mountains via this poort and being is exploring mode I just had to stop for a pic.

The plains on the other side. It makes sense that travellers and explorers would have travelled here rather than on the Southern Side of the mountain range as the Flora here would have been less dense.

Some really scenic roads around here and surprisingly lots of derelict buildings and ruins.

Eventually the road I took wasn't even fenced off. Now I'm roaming free.

I stop at a farmstead to ask about the road towards the river and the friendly owners show me the way - look at this! They have a lovely stone house they rent out as self catering accommodation.

It has a room with a double bed and place for the kids to sleep up top.

Nice fireplace and everything you need.

The house even has two fishing rods if you want to fish in the river. And what a spot!

This would make a perfect weekend getaway for the family.

It is not Vaandrigsdrif though. As it turns out Vaandrigdrif is further East, but what a beautiful area I find myself in.

Some more pics of this area:

I love this pic!

So with all the stops and exploring and photos I used up all my available time and had to start heading back.

This is turning into quite an adventure. Where I ended up today:

(Click for full size map)

Stay tuned for the next installment of my quest to find "Vaandrigsdrif".

Vaandrigsdrif

2012-04-02T21:39:00.000+02:00

As you know, I travel between Cape Town and George (400km+) four times a week. On this road, more or less half way just West of Swellendam, there is a sign called "Vaandrigsdrif".

I used to wonder about this sign when I was in the Air Force based nearby in the early 90's already. The term "Vaandrig" was used as a rank in the SA Navy back then and I always wondered how a Navy rank ended up on a road sign hundreds of kilometeres from the ocean.

I never researched it, but driving past this sign several times a week it peaked my interest again. And not so much the sign, but where it leads...

In any adventure traveller's heart lies the same age old question: "I wonder what lies beyond that hill?"

I decided that one day, when I have enough time, I will go and have a look!

More weeks passed; a chance to explore this road never presenting itself. I did stop one beautiful day to take the above two pictures. That was the 1st of March 2012.

Fast forward one month...

Today things just fell into place. I got away early, had little traffic and changed cars in Cape Town earlier than usual. The car I was supposed to get was unavailable and I got this Ford Ranger Wildtrak instead. The perfect vehicle!

At last. I had time and the right wheels to do it with. Today would be the day.

What lies over that Hill?

2012-04-02T21:37:00.002+02:00

As it turns out, Vaandrigsdrif was named after August Frederik Beutler. He was an ensign ('Vaandrig' being Dutch for ensign) in the employ of the Dutch East India Company who headed an epic 1752 reconnaissance expedition lasting 8 months from 29 February to November, eastward from Cape Town as far as the present-day site of Butterworth. Beutler wrote a comprehensive account (Ride Report ) of his pioneering expedition which was first published in 1896.

His company, consisting of 42 men, 11 wagons and a boat () crossed the Zonderendriver (river without end, translated literally) here.

And as it turns out, there are two places named after Beutler, the other being 'Bottelierskop' near Klein-Brakrivier ('Bottelier' being a corruption of his name). Bottelierskop is a distinct rock outcrop in the area:

(Photo from this site)

Botlierskop (the farm the formation is on and from where it took it's name) has featured in several of the reports on this blog including the very first where my son and I took photos of the wildlife on the Botlierskop farm. The famous "Moordkuyl" route with it's big stones and hectic water crossings also is situated on the same land (it runs right past Bottelierskop) and that also featured on this blog regularly. Small world.

So, ensign Beutler, we meet again!

I find it difficult to describe the real feeling of excitement when I am about to tackle a new route I have not seen before. I must have been an explorer in a previous life.

I wished I was on two wheels though. On a bike you really experience all the elements of an area with all your senses. But having four wheels wasn't going to rob me from seeing what lies over that hill. Sometimes you just have to make do with what life presented you and this Ranger ain't half bad.

This is the Overberg region of South Africa. The scenery around here changes dramatically as the seasons progress. In spring when the farmers start planting the area turns a lush green. Soon after the Canola they plant goes into flower and turn the landscapes into bright yellow. A sight to behold. After the harvest the area is dust brown:

Just over the hill the Sonderend River snakes along, providing the farmers on the adjacent land with water for irrigation. You can already see the landscape turning green in the distance:

I rolled down all the windows to try and mimic the experience I would have on a bike, also taking in the sounds and smells. From the dusty heat the fragrance quickly changed to the smell of earth wet after the rain. It was the land being irrigated and springing into life.

I stopped to soak in the fragrance, only to find that the huge dust cloud engulfed the whole cabin through the open windows. Four wheels makes a lot more dust than two! Windows back up quickly!

Some scenery:

The road continues a short way past the farm to a small plantation:

This is private property and clearly marked "no entry", so I had to turn around. But not before standing among the trees and sneaking a quick photo!

So what was on the other side of the hill?

Some would say: "Nothing. It's just a dead end."

Some more scenery shots on the way out:

Greens and blues:

Shades of dark greens and browns:

And on top of the hill looking back to the road - the reverse shot of the view I always wondered about.

What did I find on the other side of the hill?

I found plenty. Beautiful landscapes, varying scenery and one of the best smells in the world. I also discovered more history on this little stretch of road than I could ever imagine. I found an unlikely link not only to a Dutch officer, but also to a place close to home. I gained a story to tell my kids the next time they travel with me to Cape Town.

I had a 40 minute holiday.

I could not reach the river, but when I studied the maps of where I've been later I realized that there is no crossing. But there is a placename on the map on the other side of the river called "Vaandrigsdrif" and a road leading right to it! That must be the spot where Beutler crossed!

The map for today:

(Click for full size)

.

Cruisin' the Dunes

2012-03-04T14:16:00.021+02:00

I get to drive and test all kinds of vehicles every week. It's an interesting job and you really get a complete overview of what different kinds of vehicles and brands offer. Driving all these new vehicles you do tend to get a little blasé, but when I scheduled the new FJ Cruiser from Toyota I simply could not wait to get my hands on this baby!

And right from the start I knew where I was going to put it through it's paces - the Vleesbaai Dune route!

Much has been written about the FJ already so I wasn't going to do a "normal" article, but rather see how well it copes in off road conditions with a rookie behind the wheel.

Unfortunately we had some light rain when we got there, but we weren't going to let that stop us!

I have been on this route a couple of times before of course, both times with my dad and his Land Cruiser (reports here). That would be the case again today and as it turns out what a good thing that was...

This route is situated on a farm right next to the ocean. When you are not concentrating on the obstacles you are treated to the most wonderful views.

The light intermittent drizzle didn't make the route much easier. Sure there was a layer of wet sand, but once you broke through that the soft sand underneath was a whole different ball game!

Some playing - getting used to the FJ:

That 4 litre engine is a monster. 200kW and 380Nm makes most of these obstacles look like child's play!

Time to hit the serious stuff. Let's see what this FJ is made of...

Men never grow up, the sand boxes just get bigger!

Short course with lots of obstacles and little space to get speed / momentum. Pity you cant see the gradients on the photo.

See how low the FJ starts in this clip en where it ends. Easy Peasy.

Some more scenery:

Good photo spot for the article.

This FJ is such a treat. it simply runs over anything you throw at it. The kids were having a blast!

And of course, just as I get cocky, the inevitable happens...

No matter what you drive, you can't buy skill. I ran out of talent real quick.

Luckily the other Cruiser was at hand with the winch. If you don't get stuck you weren't playing hard enough, that's what I say!

More high dunes:

The old and the new. How cool is that?

Another photo opportunity for the article:

Now for the downhill on the other side...

Once again, you never see the true gradient on a photo, but this was STEEP. On the way down I "stood" as to not slip off the seat! FireFly opted out of this experience volunteering to take the photos.

Some more playing - it looks easy but believe me you can get stuck very easily here.

And finally - "The Dune":

This high dune is right at the end of the course. It has been the nemesis of many a 4x4. When we arrived this Toyota KZTE was ready to take it on...

There is no shame in only making it there. Lot's of 4x4's don't make it past there.

Deflating the tyres 'n bit more. 0.6 bar in front and 0.5 rear.

And that makes all the difference!

My dad and his Land Cruiser:

Now the FJ's tyres were sitting at 1 bar. Everybody said I should deflate, but of course I didn't think it necessary. I made it here like that didn't I?

And of course, just as I get cocky, the inevitable happens... again!

Land Cruiser to the rescue.

(See how high this dune really is - look at the vehicle in the background)

Second attempt (all tyres at 0.8 bar) and I ace it!

And again and again. This FJ just has oodles of power. Some video footage:

The view from the bottom:

Most vehicles running up here choose a gear and pin the throttle all the way to the top. This FJ has an auto gearbox and I drove it in "drive". It changed gears on the run up no problem. In fact, it has so much power you can slow down and speed up again at will on the way up. It's such an easy drive.

The view from the top:

What a magnificent vehicle. It's a smooth ride and yet a VERY capable 4x4. And this is in standard form!

I drive different vehicles every week, all new and top of the range, but this, this is one of those vehicles I would buy for myself. A truly versatile do anything vehicle.

Kouga

2012-01-06T14:42:00.012+02:00

While everybody stayed in tents, I lived in my hammock:

On that internet pic of the campsite it seemed like a hammock might work here. I was right!

This is how I woke up:

The view to my right - cave side:

The view to my left - camp side:

Can life get better than this?

Early morning camp-life:

This picture shows the campsite well:

Izak1 had the small tent with Kaas in the circus tent next to him. I'm hanging around in the tree behind them and Gryph and Melissa is in the back. The cave is behind the trees.

After some breakfast and coffee we headed out:

When we rode to the campsite the previous evening we were tired after a long day, but this morning we were looking at this road with a sense of excitement. Riding a "new" road really is special. Pity you can only do it once (wait, I've said that before ).

These roads meander down into the kloofs and up the other side, just to drop you back into a kloof again. It's like a never ending series of passes and mini-passes.

The Kouga Loop runs through farmland and every so often you ride past some farm activity, more so in the Western part than in the East.

For the most part the scenery is all natural - big wide vistas when you crest the passes and green leafy areas next to the rivers in the valleys.

This pic describes the whole experience of the area well - look at the road and the road just there on the other side:

Between here and there is a whole pass!

Look at this:

Ice cold water, ferns and green grass. Heaven.

Looking back:

I don't think I ever got out of 2nd gear on this whole route. Around every turn there is something to see.

And all to soon it was over.

The GPS track of this route shows how you rise and fall riding this route. You can make out 4 distinct passes. Brilliant scenic passes. And yet they don't even have names. I have ridden LOTS of passes in my time and these rank high on that list. Much lesser passes (some you can hardly even call passes) feature on lists of passes and yet these don't. I wonder why.

The GPS info:

Download to view 3D in Google Earth / Download GPX for your GPS

From here we could either double back home via the route we came, cruise down the Langkloof towards George or cross the mountain near Kareedouw and head home via the coastal route. We opted for the latter because (1) I have not ridden Kareedouw Pass yet and I could document it for my passes quest, (2) there were heat wave conditions and it would be cooler near the coast, (3) there's a gravel road from Plett to Prince Alfreds pass I have not ridden yet and (4) there were unfound geocaches (both Gryph and I are keen geocachers) on that route which would at least make things interesting.

But first... a quick ride to Klein Langkloof.

Lunch in Kareedouw at the biker friendly "Sweaty Dutchman".

(Photo by KAAS)

(Photo by KAAS)

(Photo by KAAS)

We also made a quick stop at the church. Former President Vorster is buried here.

Another tick off my list - Kareedouw Pass.

Not much of a pass really. Especially after the amazing passes we've ridden this morning!

We were running out of time. It was after lunch already so we just hightailed it home. This is one of the few advantages big DS bikes have over small bikes, when you want to get home quickly and your "just" 150km from home, it's no problem!

This was near Bloukrans (I think).

And finally home, sitting back with a cold one, looking into the fire, listening to the ocean, reflecting on a brilliant brilliant piece of road.

This is how we suffer in Africa.

I wanted to go back to Kouga to be able to do that route slowly, taking my time. But I think Gryph hit the nail on the head when he said that this area (and campsite) warrants an even longer stay. You need to book into the campsite and just stay there. Maybe do an outride in the morning or late afternoon, but for the rest of the time just relax, chill in the pool, wander around in the kloofs, whatever. It's a magnificent place. We will go back (again!).

Eastern Cape

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000+02:00

.

Eastern Cape Passes Completed:

Antoniesberg Pass
(Patensie - Steytlerville)
S33 35.638 E24 40.404

Barkly Pass
(Elliot - Barkly East)
S31 14 08.4 E27 50 30.8

Bastervoetpad Pass (aka Dr Lapa Munnik Pass)
(Barkly Pass - Ugie)
S31 10 29.2 E27 58 46.3

Bidstone Pass
(near Tiffendell's ski resort)
S30.71500 E27.83067

Bloukrans Pass
(Plettenberg Bay - Jeffreys Bay)
S33 57 07.2 E23 38 01.5

Boesmanshoek Pass
(Molteno - Sterkstroom)
S31 29 53.6 E26 29 07.4

Cala Pass
(Elliot - Cala)
S31 28 25.2 E27 43 24.3

Carlisle Pass
(Rhodes - Tiffendell's)
S30.71876 E27.95684

Combrink's Pass
(Baviaanskloof)
S33 39.230 E24 30.520

Devil's Bellows
(Fort Beaufort - Sada)
S32 24 58.7 E26 40 00.1

Doringnek Pass
(Addo - Somerset-East)
S33 22 50.2 E25 42 40.3

Dulcies Neck Pass
(Sterkspruit - Tele)
S30 27.370 E27 27.022

Ecca Pass
(Grahamstown - Fort Beaufort)
S33 12 02.2 E26 37 06.8

Grasnek Pass
(Baviaanskloof)
S33 38.978 E24 20.940

Groot-Doringhoek Pass
(Hofmeyr - Molteno)
S31 22 46.1 E26 04 24.9

Grootrivier Pass
(Tsitsikamma National Park)
S33 57 56.5 E23 33 41.7

Hankey Pass
(Humansdorp - Hankey)
S33 52 55.3 E24 50 24.3

Hogsback Pass
(Alice - Cathcart)
S32 36 48.9 E26 54 48.3

Holgat pass
(Baviaanskloof)
S33 38.414 E24 27.387

Kareedouw Pass
(Kareedouw - Knysna)
S33 57 43.4 E24 16 00.2

Katberg Pass
(Seymore - Tarkastad)
S32 27 21.8 E26 39 17.0

Kouga Loop Passes (Ride Report)
S33 45.330 E23 51.347

Kraai River Pass
(Lady Grey - Barkly East)
S30 57.486 E27 27.537

Lootsberg Pass
(Graaff-Reinet - Middelburg)
S31 49 37.8 E24 51 19.8

Lundean's Neck Pass
(Elliot - Telle Bridge)
S30 38.813 E27 44.511

MacKay's Nek Pass
(Queenstown - Lady Frere)
S31 45.503 E27 06.649

Michel's Pass
(Seymore - Hogsback)
S32 33 43.4 E26 51 39.7

Moordenaarskloof Pass
S33 47.595 E24 09.106

Naudeberg Pass
(Graaff-Reinet - Middelburg)
S31 58 05.4 E24 43 08.5

Nonesis Nek Pass
(Queenstown - Lady Frere)
S31 50 29.6 E26 59 17.7

Nuwekloof Pass
(Baviaanskloof)
S33 30 57.5 E23 38 45.7

Olifantskop Pass
(Patterson - Cookhouse)
S33 19 08.0 E25 56 47.2

Penhoek Pass
(Queenstown - Aliwal North)
S31 27 45.3 E26 42 05.2

Strormsrivier Pass
(N2 George - PE)
S33°59'19.75" E23°54'42.59"

Suurberg Pass
(Patterson - Stonefountain)
S33 17 00.5 E25 43 12.7

Van Stadens Pass
(Port Elizabeth - Humansdorp)
S33 54 46.2 E25 12 09.0

Wapadsberg Pass
(Graaff-Reinet - Cradock)
S31 55 51.8 E24 53 01.4

Eastern Cape Passes yet to be visited:

Blaauwkrantz Pass
(Grahamstown - Port Alfred)
S33 23 07.2 E26 42 18.3

Bruintjieshoogte Pass
(Somerset East - Pearston)
S32 40 46.0 E25 20 44.9

Buffalo Pass
(East London)
S33 02 07.1 E27 47 52.3

Buffelshoek Pass
(Pearston - Cradock)
S32 29 11.1 E25 14 02.3

Bulhoek Pass
(Steynsburg)
S31 14 22.2 E25 42 23.5

Cats Pass
(Elliot - Cala)
S31 28 25.2 E27 43 24.3

Daggaboers Nek
(Cookhouse - Cradock)
S32 32 08.0 E25 50 35.1

De Beers Pass
(Cookhouse - Tarkastad)
S32 18 53.8 E26 11 08.7

Dontsa Pass
(Keiskammahoek - Stutterheim)
S32 36 47.3 E27 14 37.4

Fonteinkloof Pass
(Port Elizabeth - Alexandria)
S33 35 40.9 E26 07 20.6

Fuller's Hoek Pass
(Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve)
S32 41 18.4 E26 31 10.1

Greylings Pass
(Dordrecht - Barkly East)
S31 07 07.7 E27 17 59.8

Helspoort Pass
(Grahamstown - Bedford)
S33 10 12.3 E26 19 15.1

Joubert's Pass
(Lady Grey)
S30 43 00.0 E27 14 38.3

Killian's Pass
(Dordrecht - Barkly East)
S31 10 59.5 E27 17 43.0

Kumajaba Pass
(Maclear)
S31 17 02.2 E28 32 08.6

Kwaaiman Pass
(Cala - Tsomo)
S31 43 31.2 E27 41 44.0

Lehana’s Pass
S30°40'43.39" E28°12'2.38"

Mlengana Pass
(Umtata - Port St. Johns)
S31 32 41.6 E29 10 52.9

Naude's Nek Pass
(Rhodes - Mount Fletcher)
S30 45 35.9 E28 04 34.1

Nico Malan Pass
(Fort Beaufort - Sada)
S32 28 50.6 E26 50 10.0

Otto Du Plessis Pass
(Ida - Clifford)
S31 14 04.6 E27 31 49.6

Ouberg Pass
(Graaff-Reinet - Murraysburg)
S32 07 16.3 E24 24 27.8

Pot River Pass
(Maclear - Barkly East)
S30 55 57.2 E28 12 36.9

Potter's Pass
(East London)
S33 02 26.1 E27 52 10.2

Red Hill Pass
(Keiskammahoek - King Williams Town)
S32 42 41.7 E27 11 00.9

Smuts Pass
(Dordrecht - Molteno)
S31 24 25.3 E26 47 31.1

Swaershoek Pass
(Cradock - Pearston)
S32 20 48.5 E25 27 40.1

Swartmodderfontien Pass
(Mount Frere - Matatiele)
S30 26 29.7 E28 51 59.4

Tarka Pass
(Cradock - Somerset East)
S32 28 18.8 E25 39 59.6

Witnek Pass
(Nieu-Bethesda - Cradock)
S31 52 52.0 E24 41 43.4

.

Heading to Kouga

2012-01-05T14:52:00.004+02:00

Early the first Thursday morning of 2012 a small group of riders met just outside George - bikes packed, smiles all round:

Trailrider - Honda TransAlp
Izak1 - Yamaha Super Tenere
KAAS - Honda TransAlp
Gryph + pillion - Honda Africa Twin

It was Izak1's first camping trip on his bike. He packed everything, but before he left home he decided he had too much stuff and unpacked some things, like the six eggs he packed for breakfast. We teased him a bit, but in the end we were thankful each time he got out some treats or something useful on the trip. Kaas too is rather new to camping trips on his bike. They have a whole new world of trips and exploring opening up to them, so many new things to experience.

I envied them.

(Photo by KAAS)

For some reason I love trips on weekdays. There's a sadistic pleasure in being on your (packed) bike heading out while others are heading to work.

Heading out past Wilderness:

We ride past the beautiful lakes area, Island Lake, Langvlei, Rondevlei, Swartvlei, Groenvlei and the Knysna Heads, taking in the scenery. It's an easy ride, shedding the stresses and getting into a relaxed state of mind. Near Simola we take the Gouna Forest station turn-off and now on gravel the real ride begins:

The Gouna road takes you via "Kom-se-Pad" to Prince Alfred's Pass.

(Photo by KAAS)

It runs through one of the better parts of the Knysna forest and is absolutely breathtaking.

In-ride shot:

If you stop here and switch your bike off it does not take long for the forest to come alive with sounds. It's an amazing place.

Not too long ago an elusive Knysna Elephant was spotted on this road.

Some more pics along this route:

A quick stop where we join Prince Alfred's pass.

Having ridden a whole host of different bikes over the last couple of months I have to say I am even more impressed with my trusty TransAlp. It feels light, runs super smooth and handles beautifully. It's one of the most comfortable bikes out there and such a "do everything" bike. I fell in love with it all over again.

We ascend the rest of the pass with a another stop on Spitskop, the highest point on the Southern part of the pass. From here you have views all round over the Karoo and all the way to the ocean.

(Photo by KAAS)

After some chats, laughter and cold ones we head off again, riding down the Northern side of the pass.

Approaching De Vlugt:

And, naturally, the bikes automatically stop here:

Izak1:

(Photo by KAAS)

KAAS:

Gryph & Melissa:

Suitably refreshed the rest of Prince Alfred's Pass awaits!

After all this, all the scenery, we reach the first little loop we have not ridden before. Virgin road.

Another in-ride shot:

Karoo traffic jam:

Dual Sport biking heaven:

I rode over each hill and around each corner with anticipation, being greeted with new views unseen until now. It's such a pity you can only ride a route for the first time once.

I photographed this at a forced stop. This was not the only fellow who's had bad luck at this particular spot...

I had a flat rear.

Drinks out. Spanners out. Centre stand out. In that order.

It's a good thing I decided to bring that centre stand! It just barely fitted in the topbox but it's worth it's weight in gold!

We took out the nail, took out the tube, put in the new tube, pinched it, took everything out again, put in a 3rd tube (carefully), inflated and...

... in a mere-one-and-a-half hours we were on our way again!

GPS detail of the gravel loop near Uniondale:

Download to view 3D in Google Earth / Download GPX for your GPS

We lost quite a bit of time here, but we planned to be in camp around 3pm so we had more than enough time left without having to chase daylight. In fact, we still had something to eat in Joubertina.

(Photo by KAAS)

Next we tackled the Kouga road. This is what the ride is all about - heading into those kloofs.

The first pass - crossing the Kouga river:

The sun was setting and the contrast of sunlit and darker areas made for breathtaking scenes. You'd ride out of the hot sun into the cool valleys, only to ride up into the hot sunlight and breathtaking high views again. Sensory overload.

"Our" turn-off. Close to home now.

But first some more interesting riding.

And a last little water-crossing into camp.

(Photo by KAAS)

What a brilliant spot. There's a small cave with fireplace:

(Photo by KAAS)

Green grass to camp on, a natural swimming pool to swim in, a big gas shower with basin, running water, flush toilet, etc.

Promptly the party got under way.

(Photo by KAAS)

Bliss.

After some steaks and LOTS of laughter we eventually went to sleep after twelve. The next morning there were rumours of a lion roaring in the kloof that night. I heard nothing.

A hidden Gem - The "Other" Baviaans

2012-01-05T14:32:00.004+02:00

There are very few gravel roads around the greater Southern Cape that I have not been on yet. Discovering new places has become all but impossible. I find it a great pity, because the excitement and anticipation of exploring a new route forms a big part of the attraction and experience that is DS biking.

There were two roads though, just gravel loops in fact, that still needed exploring. The first loops from Uniondale Poort Pass to the Langkloof, a stretch of only 40km, but virgin road non the less.

The second loops out of the R62 "Langkloof road" and eventually returns to it, but this road meanders through the magnificent Kouga mountains and includes several passes. It hugs the Southern hangs of the mountain range that forms the Southern border of Baviaanskloof. It's all gravel and it runs through breathtaking scenery.

(Click on Map to enlarge)

To be honest I have ridden this loop once before. On our way back from our Moordenaarskloof trip LGF, Rooipoot, ChrisL and I took this detour but we had way too little time and rushed the ride. Back then I vowed to come back. This time round I'll be taking my time.

The plan was to take a leisurely ride from George/Knysna through the Knysna forest, over Prince Alfreds Pass and almost to Uniondale where we'd turn East on the first gravel route that will loop us back to the Langkloof road. After a short 20 minute stint to Joubertina we'd get supplies and ride the start of the Kouga route to the Kouga Wilderness Holiday Farm:

(Map from the website)

Kouga Wilderness is an Adventure Farm in the Kouga mountains. They have a camping site with a lapa and some chalets and they also have this Bush Camp:

(Photo from their website)

Look at this!!! With a pic like that, how can you even consider staying anywhere else?

The bush camp is removed from the other sites, situated at the dead end of a ravine, next to a river with a natural swimming pool. It has a gas shower, flush toilet and a tap with drinking water. That's it. That's enough! No power, just the starry Karoo skies. And when you book this site it's yours, exclusively.

The plan was set! And this was not just another trip to somewhere I've been before, no, this trip had me excited again. My bike was packed and ready 2 days before the actual trip and we were chomping at the bit to go!!!

Eclectic

2012-01-02T13:55:00.009+02:00

e·clec·tic (ɛkˈlɛk.tɪk/, /ɪˈklɛk.tɪk/)

adjective:

1. Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles.
2. Made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources.

I could not think of a better name for this report, as it is a collection of photos and rides of 3 different bikes, 2 different groups and various places, yet it forms one report of how I spent the first 3 weeks of summer.

With long sunny days and fantastic evenings I thought it a good idea to test some bikes for a change, so I organised three Harley-Davidsons for the first three weeks of the summer holiday.

It started on a humorous note. I picked up the new 10 Year Anniversary model of the Harley-Davidson Night Rod from Harley-Davidson Cape Town, but before I could head back to George I had to drive and photograph the new Bentley Supersport (what a car!).

Upon my return I found a gentleman admiring the bike. As it turns out he was the owner of the Aston Martin parked next to it.

It was a hot day in Cape Town, about 30 degrees Celsius, and as we talked three young girls in summer dresses walked past. They were admiring the vehicles and taking pics with their cell phones while we were all smiles with the attention.

They walked right past us and one girl said: “Nice Bike!”

Yup. It's a chick magnet!

So I promptly headed home to show my chick our bike for the week.

Why aren't you posting???

2012-01-02T13:41:00.001+02:00

During the last half of 2011 I have neglected my blog somewhat. It was not done on purpose, I am just literally to busy. This is just a short post to show regular readers of my blog why the updates have been few and far between lately.

As you know (link) my life has taken a whole new direction since I became a motor journalist. I seem to be on the road all the time and when I'm not on the road I photograph vehicles and write articles. I have two new vehicles each week and do smaller articles in between as well. Some weeks I submit as much as 8 stories.

The press vehicles I have to fetch from and return to Cape Town, which means I drive to Cape Town and back twice a week, a round trip of about 900km each time. I travel 2000km+ per week, probably close to 10 000km a month. Any bike trips I do would be in addition to this.

A typical work week looks like this:

Monday mornings start early, usually with first light, which in summer is around 5am. Mondays I switch press cars so I drive whatever I had that week to Cape Town, switch it for the new vehicle of the week and drive straight back to George. I like to get away really early because there's less traffic and that way I get back home during the afternoon. I try not to drive in the dark and getting back early means I can get enough rest to be fresh the next day. Driving almost a 1000km non-stop can be tiresome!

Tuesday to Thursday are work days with the weather determining what happens on which day. The best day is used for photos.

Lots of time and thought goes into the photos these days as we can not take all the photos at the same location.

The “best day” is not always sunny, but we make do.

Some vehicles are photographed at the coast and some at local landmarks (readers of the local paper like to see that the cars were tested locally).

The Mother Church in George:

Other vehicles are photographed in their “natural setting”.

“Mom's taxi” was photographed next to the school complete with a set of ready “models” who wanted to be in the paper!

This was easy at first, but soon you start running out of ideas... There are only so many places before you start repeating... Luckily my wife is quite creative and comes up with great ideas regularly.

The Range Rover Vogue we photographed next to a castle.

Fit for a King!

With the new Jaguar XJ we stuck to the big cat theme doing a photo shoot with three lions!

I admit I was nervous. Both for myself and the car. Firefly thought they were just friendly cats.

A photo shoot (and car!) to remember.

The other two days is spent doing research and writing. Some cars' articles write themselves, while I battle with others. Go figure.

Fridays are a repeat of Mondays with an early start and a round trip to Cape Town and back. Weekends I fine tune the pieces I wrote and mail them in as the paper starts to work on them Monday morning first thing.

With Mondays and Fridays being almost 1000km travel days you can imagine how difficult it is to fit in a weekend bike trip. I'd have to travel the whole day Friday, get on the packed bike Saturday and travel another day, set up camp, break down camp on Sunday, ride back and drive another 1000km on Monday! Phew!

So now we try to incorporate the Cape Town trips into weekend trips. When I picked up a Nissan Navara V9X I took the whole family with and we did a trip to the Cederberg.

With the Range Rover Sport Firefly and I had a went on Safari to Aquila Private Game Farm.

Driving two brand new vehicles each week is the highlight of my job. Of course you get all kinds of cars - “normal” / 4x4 / luxury / hot hatches etc.

That Golf R seriously impressed.

Driving this was an absolute hoot!!!

Some are quirky, but we ended up liking this Juke very much:

The real exotic cars are a special treat, although you don't get to keep them for a week. These I test in Cape Town and sometimes sleep over if I finish too late.

These sports cars are surprisingly comfortable considering my size, but I barely fitted in this Lotus. Strapped in I felt like I was wearing a backpack! The Lotus Evora:

This is a seriously fast car – the Bentley Supersport:

0-100km/h < 4 sec

So there you have it. I am being kept extremely busy and I'm loving it! Blog-wise all is not lost. We have done trips and I am busy writing them up, so please be patient and check back regularly, the blog has not become inactive, the blogger just fell behind with his posts!

Ridin' the Fat Boy

2011-12-12T14:01:00.002+02:00

I have always had a preference for the softtail family of Harleys and specifically the Fat Boy. I may be wrong, but somehow I see it as the quintessential Harley.

This particular Fat Boy also had a sissybar fitted, making it even more comfortable for Firefly on the pillion seat. If we enjoyed the Switchback, we rode this Harley even more! Some pics of the cruises that week around our area:

That weekend – you guessed it – the Harley guys had another run. We were invited to both the Garden Route and Breede River Chapters' runs and we opted for the Breede River Run, once again staying over at Horsepower and Milady's place. It's a nice stop in the middle of the ride back to Cape Town.

Heading towards Robertson on the Saturday morning early. Picture taken in Swellendam:

The Breede Chapter started their ride in Tyger Valley, riding towards the clubhouse in Robertson. We started in George and met up with the crowd in Robertson. We arrived within minutes of each other.

It was another HOT day, so refreshments were in order!

Small and intimate, but with a lot of soul!

Suitably refreshed we headed out for lunch.

Johan & Marie cruising on the couch:

Marie does “in-ride” ride reports from the back of the couch, posting pics and comments on facebook as we ride along.

Marie in action:

Some of Marie's shots:

Firefly getting some good “in-ride” pics of her own:

Responsible speed:

My mate Willie on his Rocker. I love that bike!

When my Dual Sport friends see me like this, they look like this:

Great bunch of people!

Riding back after lunch:

On Sunday we headed over the mountains towards Cape Town, but not before stopping at the famous Du Toitskloof Lodge, a trout farm in the mountains.

What a setting!

What a bike. I did not want to give this one back.

At a trout farm you eat... Trout of course! It was the first time Firefly and I ate trout and we were pleasantly surprised. Could this be the only fresh water fish that tastes nice?

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Rides, Great Times! That's the Harley way. It's not about the bike.

A last pic on the old Du Toitskloof Pass:

We have always done things together as a family, but Firefly has been riding with less and less. She's let her learners' bike licence lapse as she's lost interest in the Dual Sport biking scene. But since the Winter Rally in Sutherland her interest in biking has been rekindled. This latest Harley stint has inspired her so much that not only is she getting a bike licence again a.s.a.p., she wants to buy a Harley for herself!

She has totally submerged herself into the Harley lifestyle and especially enjoys the fact that literally half of the Harley riders are women and mostly ride themselves. It's a nice group of people, without issues, who knows how to relax and really enjoy life.

These three weeks might just have spun our lives off in a whole new direction.

Not to worry – my Dual Sport bike is not going anywhere. There's already another ride in the making...

But that is a whole different story!

Switch Back!

2011-12-05T14:06:00.003+02:00

The Switchback is a brand new model in the 2012 Harley-Davidson line-up and it got it's name from it's ability to quickly switch between Harley Cruiser and Harley Tourer. The touring screen and cases attach / detach with a quick release mechanism giving you the freedom to choose the look and character of the bike. It's part of Harley's Dyna Family and fitted with Harley's 103 cubic inch motor, making it the only Dyna available with this motor currently. I would describe the character of this Harley as something between a Dyna and a Softtail.

While my wife Firefly LOVED the look of the Night Rod, this bike was much more suited to taking a pillion and she wasted no time getting in on the action. Now WE spent every opportunity on the bike, rounding off our days with cruises and sundowners next to the ocean.

That weekend some of the HOG Garden Route Chapter guys invited us on an impromptu run to Knysna. The Harley groups certainly are socially VERY active!

Riding through Kaaimans Pass:

Next to the ocean at Wilderness:

Past all the lakes towards Knysna:

And finally in Knysna – smiles all round as always! Milady:

We stopped at Big Dog bikes, a custom bike dealer in Knysna. He's shop is on the ground floor with a pub – “The Dog Box” - on top. We were going to have a quick refreshment here before heading to Theasens Island for lunch, but we ended up enjoying ourselves so much that we eventually had lunch here.

On the way back Firefly and I stopped for some photos for the Switchback article near Kaaimans. This is work after all!

The Switchback in Cruiser mode:

Front page pic? We'll see...

That Monday I hit the highway back to Cape Town, gave back the Switchback and received the keys to this – the 2012 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy!

I rode it back to George on the same day, clocking up almost a 1000 Harley kilometres that day...

Ridin' the Wind

2011-12-04T14:10:00.003+02:00

Early the next morning:

(Photo by briv)

I was one of the first to be hitting the road (I had nothing to pack but a small backpack ).

I was going to sleep at my friend Willie's place in Paarl (about 80km's away) on Sunday night, so I had a good bike and a whole day to enjoy it.

First up the old Du Toitskloof Pass:

The view overlooking Paarl on the other side:

It was still very early but since I was near Paarl anyway I decided to call Willie and drop my backpack, rather than riding with it on my back all day. As it happens, he was on the way out himself – HOG Tyger Valley Chapter has a breakfast run to Fairview Farm!

All I had time for was a quick shower and mere hours after I woke on the bank of a river I was having a five star breakfast with the Harley folks of Tyger Valley.

(Photo by Willie)

Fairview farm is famous for their wine and goat cheeses.

(Photo by Willie)

(Photo by Willie)

During breakfast one of the guys mentioned that the Portuguese community has some or other festival today that he's attending and that we were welcome to join... The next thing I knew we were part of a procession of 30+ Harleys heading to the Portuguese Club of Cape Town.

(Photo by Willie)

What an interesting weekend this is turning out to be...

The bikes had a designated parking spot and all the Harleys roared in. What we did not realise is that the Portuguese community were having Mass just inside those open doors.

After the bikes settled down they resumed their service. Sorriiieeeee!

Some nice bikes in the group:

After lunch everybody headed their own way and Willie and I ended up riding all over the Northern Suburbs visiting various friends before we rounded off the weekend with a nice dinner at Bossa Nova in Paarl.

The next morning I dropped the 'Rod at Harley Cape Town and got handed the keys to a brand new Harley-Davidson Switchback.

Now we're cruisin'

Breede Bash!

2011-12-03T14:14:00.001+02:00

Suddenly my mindset changed into “Dual Sport” mode. I wasn't riding any more, I was “touring” and even though I was sticking to the blacktop I still stopped every so often just to admire and take in the surroundings.

This area is well known as a wine, grape and fruit growing area. It is lush and green and has beautiful landscapes.

And on a bike like this, how do you resist a road like this?

The last stretch to the camp site was gravel so it took I slowly, but the Harley took it (and especially the sand stretch) in it's stride. I have come to realize that (low) seat height (and low centre of gravity) makes a massive difference in how you experience technical conditions.

And I had the fastest bike there.

(Photo by whitedelight)

The Bash venue this year was at the Breede Otter, a cocktail cruise boat on the Breede River.

It's a very nice spot and comes highly recommended, even though the facilities were sparse (they're still busy getting all the infrastructure in place). I had a quiet chuckle when the “most hard core” Dual Sport bikers who all had an opinion about the Harley, were the first ones who complained at the lack of luxuries.

(Photo by Biker Chick)

It did not take long for the festivities to start. It was very good seeing some old friends again.

(Photo by Sprocketbek)

And the Dual Sport fraternity has some pretty lasses too!

LGF trying to look “Harley cool”.

This year had some interesting things to eat as well.

Bokkoms (sun dried fish) Yum!

But I drew the line at the sheeps' heads!

Horsepower enjoying his:

Sunset cruise:

(Photo by Sprocketbek)

The party lasted till deep into the night...

(Photo by Sprocketbek)

(Photo by briv)

As I never pitched a tent I ended up sleeping on the bank of the Breede River. Luckily the mosquitoes kept away!

Riding the Night Rod!

2011-11-28T14:16:00.003+02:00

During that week I spent every opportunity on the bike. It's a powerful bike, it's a beautiful bike. It runs well, it cruises well and it's got one hell of a acceleration. There are faster bikes out there, but on this one you “feel” the power. Right in your groin.

These were taken on an afternoon run to Herolds Bay:

I was invited to join the HOG Breede River Chapter on a run for the disabled on the Saturday in Worcester. Worcester is more than halfway from George to Cape Town so this presented me with an opportunity to make a weekend run of the trip back to Cape Town. The only problem was that the Wild Dog Breede Bash happened to be on the same weekend, also close to Worcester. The Breede Bash is an annual get-together of the Western Cape Wild Dogs, a fraternity of Dual Sport bikers. This would mean that I'd have to attend a Dual Sport event – on a Harley! So be it...

On Friday I hit the road to Robertson where I spend time with my friends Horsepower and Milady and on Saturday morning early we hit the road towards Worcester, about 50km down the road.

Milady on her new HD Street Bob:

We were joined by three more Harleys in Robertson. Quick stop at road works on the way to Worcester:

And in Worcester Harleys from all over the area gathered for the ride:

Proudly Breede River Chapter!

International Day of People with Disability (December 3) is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. People from many countries worldwide participate in various ways to promote the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Each year the day focuses on a different issue and the theme for 2011 was: “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development.”

Persons with disabilities make up an estimated 15 percent of the world’s population.

Getting ready at the head of the procession, followed by 100's of kids on bicycles, followed by a brass band and finally some fire trucks.

This region is called the Breede Riveer Vallei which, directly translated, means “broad river valley”. So we were the Breë manne van die Breede Rivier Vallei / The broad men of the broad river valley!

With the skinny lasses

The procession stopped at a nearby sports ground / resort where the festivities commenced:

A nice brunch was in order.

Speeches were made, donations were given and some of the underprivileged kids got Harley rides! Always a winner to put smiles on kids' faces.

Even the dignitaries got in on the fun! My friend Willie doing the honours with his HD Rocker.

It was a good day with great people and one of those experiences that make you realize once again that you have to be truly thankful. “There, but for the grace of God, go I...”

After lunch I had to take my leave of this group and head out – it was time for the Breede Bash!

"Bosberaad"

2011-10-26T16:23:00.000+02:00

One phone call and I was summoned. One call.

I am pretty busy these days, little time to ride and even less time to do reports, but when certain people speak you listen. Honeybadger is such a person. A wise traveller with experience I can only dream of. He also happens to be Mr. Tracks for Africa.

There was to be a "Bosberaad" in the Hell (where else?) and my pressence was requested. Important matters relating to travel and travel reporting was to be discussed. So on the morning of Saturday 30 July my bike was packed and ready.

I met another attendee - Bernard - nearby and soon we were on our way to Hell.

My rides used to start with Montagu Pass, but since we've moved it starts with the lesser known Great Brak Pass. Work on this pass began under Henry Fancourt White shortly after he finished the Montagu Pass. Although not as serious an impediment as what other passes had to contend with, the height and steep slope of the escarpment between George and Mossel Bay still necessitated the building of a suitable pass.

Looking back over the Pass to Great Brak:

This does not mean that Montagu Pass is not on my route anymore, I never miss a chance to ride Montagu Pass.

On this trip I was evaluating the Liquid Image Goggle cam, so there are some nice in-ride shots:

Brilliant views from here as always.

Bernard and I didn't get away as early as we would have liked, so we pushed on - close to Herold:

And entering the Klein Karoo through Paarde Poort:

We had a wet and cold winter, leaving the semi arid Klein Karoo green and beautiful. Some snow can still be seen on the Swartberg Mountain.

We soon caught up with Honeybadger's group which meant that we could now take it easy and travel with the group, but first, lunch in De Rust (recently named South Africa's Town of the Year ).

From De Rust we headed West along the Oude Muragie road. It runs through both farmland and indigenous area and has several little passes.

I have ridden here so many times before but each time is different. This area changes with every downpour, drought and season, it remains beautiful each time you see it.

Koos Raubenheimer dam:

This is a deep, rocky dam well known among fishermen. The dam has a a good population of largemouth bass and is extremely clear with visibility of usually more than 2 metres. Known by insiders as the bass Mecca of the Little Karoo, Raubenheimer regularly delivers bass in the 2 - 3 kilo range, even topping 3 kg, although the average seems to be more in the half to one kilo range.

We had no time to fish though. We still had some ways to go so we got some supplies and off we went...

Riding through Schoeman's Poort:

(Photo by Eugene)

(Photo by Eugene)

Swartberg Pass was beautiful as always, but we had to push on. Time was not on our side.

The last stretch...

Riding towards the setting sun, the helmet cam doing his thing:

There were some flooding here recently so there was some fun to be had...

(Photo by Eugene)

More water!

(Photo by Eugene)

I was riding behind SW Burger with Bernard closely following us.

Some footage from Bernard's helmet cam:

We weren't going as fast as it seems in the video footage. Fish-eyed lenses exaggerate speed.

A quick stop and regroup at the end of the road before the descent.

Honey badger - if that bike could talk...

The last push:

A quick look over the edge...

(Photo by SW Burger)

(Photo by Eugene)

...and as we approached our destination for the night darkness crept ever closer and soon we descended into the depths of Hell.

We were booked at Boplaas, a farm right at the end of Gamkaskloof, but as luck would have it the Gamkasriver was in full flood and the farm inaccessible.

No problem. Alternate arrangements were made and we ended up spending the evening at Pietjie and Hester Swanepoel's place with another traveller who rode his Honda here all the way from Germany.

We all settled in getting ready for a cold night. Usually OBS would do it's thing but tonight we had some hot chocolate vodka to keep us warm - and it works! Hy loop soos 'n Muis met Slippers!

Fire's were lit, drinks were poured and the "Bosberaad" began...

(Photo by Eugene)

Making Tracks out of Hell

2011-10-26T16:20:00.000+02:00

The next morning we rose to the most glorious day.

Our lodging for the night:

(Photo by SW Burger)

We had some rain during the night and this morning everything was fresh and green. We also had much more time today to soak it all in.

First we decided to head further into the Kloof to see why we could not get to Boplaas.

That's a good reason...

(Photo by Eugene)

Think I can make it?

Lets not tempt fate unnecessarily...

Cruising through the Kloof:

And looking back into this glorious place. Heavenly it is.

Such scenery. Luckily we're not pushed for time today.

(Photo by Eugene)

We even had time to fix a puncture - three times!

And finishing the ride with Swartberg Pass:

(Photo by SW Burger)

So? What happened?

Well, the helmet cam works a charm. I wouldn't have put the buttons on the throttle hand side though.

Oh! You mean with the "Bosberaad". Exciting times ahead!

Lots of ideas were bounced around the camp fire. It set the tone for what T4A wants to develop and notably the old 4th dimension Honeybadger is always referring to is coming to a reality. It's a concept of some platform on which to publish more than just points and lines, but rather rich (useful) content using different sources and media to provide maximum information and a richer experience to the traveller.

The term Travel Informed was coined and later changed to Travel Africa Informed based on input from the T4A forum.

With new technology available in the GPS unit and smart phone market new opportunities arise also with not only T4A maps but also content, information and links to reports of the area you're travelling in. There's to much to go into here, but keep an eye out for T4A on your smart phone in the very near future. Also, if you have a new T4A SD card in your GPS unit have a look under Where To> Extras > T4A Africa Guide. Johann impressed two heavy weight T4A users with this, one being Honeybadger himself!

On the hardcopy side T4A already offer paper maps in addition to the GPS maps and these might even expand to include "guidebooks" in future.

The landscape, as far as travel information is concerned, is changing. Like I said - Exciting times ahead!

Travel Africa Informed.

Moordkuil

2011-10-22T22:43:00.000+02:00

This is not a long Ride Report, just a quick pic report of cool guys and cool bikes I had the good fortune of riding with today:

Lonewolf - Honda TransAlp 650
Hamster - Yamaha Tenere 660
Izak1 - Yamaha Super Tenere
Myself - Honda TransAlp 700
RJVR - Honda TransAlp 700
KAAS - Honda TransAlp 700

It was just a quick ride in the general area. Some of the scenery:

At one stop we found this little guy. I identified it as an Egg Eater, cool snakes and fun to play with.

Egg eaters don't have teeth, they are totally harmless, but are easily mistaken for Night Adders (and visa versa). Night Adders do have teeth and poison. At one stage I wanted to pick it up but noticed the "V" at the back of the neck. I remembered that's how you tell the difference between an Egg Eater and a Night Adder but could not remember which had the "V" and which not so I left it alone. As it turns out, this was a Night Adder...

Back to the riding pics - we have some flood damage which makes for interesting riding.

Some river sand:

We also had some very cool water crossings.

I love water crossings!

My trusty steed. I don't ride her often enough any more.

What a fun day out.

We are the Southern Cape Wild Dogs and this is our back yard.

Northern Cape

2011-09-07T12:09:00.001+02:00

.

Northern Cape Passes Completed:

Ouberg Pass (Ride Report)
(Tankwa Karoo - Sutherland)
S32 24 16.9 E20 19 41.2

Oukloof Pass
(Beaufort West - Fraserburg)
S32 10 47.6 E21 47 02.5

SALT Pass
S32 23.023 E20 48.349

Teekloof Pass
(Merweville - Fraserburg)
S32 12 04.7 E21 37 14.5

Verlatekloof Pass
(Matjiesfontein - Sutherland)
S32 32 37.0 E20 36 48.0

Northern Cape Passes yet to be visited:

Anenous Pass
(Steinkopf - Port Nolloth)
S29 13 33.3 E17 36 26.4

Bailey's Pass
(Kamieskroon - Gamoep)
S30 09 48.4 E18 11 49.8

Bergenaarspad Pass
(Postmasburg - Groblershoop)
S28 29 23.4 E22 36 04.4

Burke's Pass
(Kamieskroon - Springbok)
S29 52 55.3 E17 52 44.8

Charles’ Pass
29° 0'22.57"S 19°11'7.55"E

Komsberg Pass
(Sutherland)
S32 40 46.3 E20 45 28.8

Messelpad Pass
(Namaqua National Park)
S29 54 23.9 E17 39 23.6

Studer's Pass
(Garies - Kamieskroon)
S30 24 01.3 E18 03 53.9

Wildeperdehoek Pass
(Namaqua National Park)
S29 56 29.2 E17 37 18.9

.

Western Cape

2011-09-07T11:48:00.004+02:00

.

Western Cape Passes Completed:

Akkedisberg Pass
(Riviersonderend - Stanford)
S34 24 34.7 E19 35 51.4

Attakwaskloof Pass (Ride Report)
(Mosselbay - Oudtshoorn)
S33 50 33.1 E21 58 59.4

Bainskloof Pass
(Wellington - Ceres)
S33 36 08.6 E19 06 42.2

Botterkloof Pass
(Clanwilliam - Calvinia)
S31 49 38.1 E19 15 58.6

Blinkberg Pass
(Prince Alfred Hamlet - Wuppertal)
S32 42 09.7 E19 25 07.9

Bosluiskloof Pass
(Laingsburg - Gamkapoortdam)
S33 20 31.8 E21 29 06.7

Burgers Pass
(Montagu - Touwsrivier)
S33 41 28.0 E19 55 12.1

Cederberg Pass (aka Uitkyk Pass)
(Clanwilliam - Algeria)
S32 07 15.1 E19 10 44.9

Chapman's Peak Drive (Ride Report)
(Houtbaai - Sun Valley)
S34 04 33.8 E18 21 50.9

Cloete's Pass (Ride Report)
(Van Wyksdorp - Herbertsdale)
S33 57 31.2 E21 47 52.6

Du Plessis Pass
(Mosselbaai - Herbertsdale)
S34 04 38.8 E21 46 18.4

Du Toitskloof Pass
(Paarl - Worcester)
S33 43 29.1 E19 08 48.0

Eselbank Pass
(Cederberg Oasis - Wuppertal)
S32 17.954 E19 13.357

Gamkaskloof Pass
(Prins Albert - Die Hel)
S33 20.682 E21 45.248

Garcia's Pass
(Riversdale - Ladismith)
S33 58 05.9 E21 13 10.5

Grootrivier Pass
(Tsitsikamma National Park)
S33 57 56.5 E23 33 41.7

Grootrivier Pass
(Cederberg)
S32 36 38.3 E19 22 03.2

Gysmanshoek Pass (Ride Report)
(Heidelberg - Warmwaterberg)
S33 55.949 E21 04.358

Hex River Pass
(De Doorns - Touws River)
S33 24 05.9 E19 45 34.9

Hoek-se-Berg Pass
(Wuppertal - Clanwilliam)
S32 09.203 E19 11.196

Homtini Pass
(Knysna - George)
S33 56 59.0 E22 55 07.4

Hoogekraal Pass
(Knysna - George)
S33 55 56.6 E22 46 52.1

Houhoek Pass (Old)
(Grabouw - Botrivier)
S34 12.699 E19 10.123

Houhoek Pass
(Grabouw - Botrivier)
S34 12 49.5 E19 10 02.1

Huisrivier Pass
(Ladismith - Calitzdorp)
S33 30 09.5 E21 35 45.9

Kaaimans Rivier Pass
(George - Wilderness)
S33 58.266 E22 32.863

Karatara Pass
(Knysna - George)
S33 55 29.4 E22 50 59.7

Kareedouwberg Pass
(Prince Albert - De Rust)
S33 16 39.8 E22 16 41.6

Katbakkies Pass
(Citrusdal - Tankwa Karoo)
S32 53 53.5 E19 33 25.0

Kogmans Kloof Pass (Ride Report)
(Ashton - Montagu)
S33 48 47.5 E20 05 23.9

Kouberg-pas
(Wupperthal - Heuningvlei)
S32 16 03.6 E19 12 39.7

Meiringspoort Pass
(De Rust - Beaufort West)
S33 24 58.9 E22 32 58.8

Middelberg Pass
(Ceres - Citrusdal)
S32 37 40.7 E19 08 31.5

Molteno Pass
(Beauford West - Loxton)
S32 13 34.2 E22 33 44.1

Montagu Pass (Ride Report)
(George - Harold)
S33 53.013 E22 25.860

Nieuwoudt Pass
(Cederberg)
S32 20 50.1 E19 00 47.9

Op de Tradouw Pass
(Barrydale)
S33 55.090 E20 37.466

Ouberg Pass (Ride Report)
(Montagu)
S33 41 42.7 E20 14 39.1

Outeniqua Pass
(George - Oudtshoorn)
S33 53 32.6 E22 24 09.7

Phantom Pass
(Knysna - George)
S34 00 06.0 E22 59 41.9

Potjiesberg Pass
(Uniondale - George)
S33 42 45.0 E23 02 51.1

Prince Alfred's Pass
(Knysna - Avontuur)
S33 46 11.4 E23 08 36.2

Rammelkop Pass
(Sutherland - Merweville)
S32 32.033 E21 12.473

Robinson Pass
(Mossel Bay - Oudtshoorn)
S33 52 51.8 E22 01 34.3

Rooiberg Pass
(Van Wyksdorp - Calitzdorp)
S33 39 00.3 E21 38 34.8

Rooihoogte Pass
(Montagu - Touws River)
S33 36 34.0 E19 50 26.6

Rooinek Pass
(Laingsburg - Ladismith)
S33 19 28.8 E20 55 21.4

Schoemanspoort Pass
(Oudtshoorn - Prince Albert)
S33 25 22.2 E22 14 45.1

Seweweeks Poort
(Laingsburg - Calitzdorp)
S33 24 49.0 E21 24 24.9

Shaws Pass
(Caledon - Hermanus)
S34 18 40.1 E19 24 55.3

Silver Rivier Pass
(George - Wilderness)
S33 57 54.9 E22 33 42.6

Sir Lowrey's Pass
(Somerset West - Grabouw)
S34 08 58.2 E18 55 41.9

Skitterykloof Pass
(Citrusdal - Tankwa Karoo)
S32 52 50.6 E19 44 07.3

Swartberg Pass
(Oudtshoorn - Prince Albert)
S33 18 59.8 E22 02 36.6

Touws Rivier Pass
(George - Sedgefield)
S33 56 47.8 E22 36 46.5

Theronsberg Pass
(Touwsrivier - Prince Alfred)
S33 16 49.8 E19 29 38.6

Tradouw Pass
(Barrydale - Suurbraak)
S33 58 18.0 E20 42 05.9

Uitkyk Pass (aka Cederberg Pass)
(Clanwilliam - Algeria)
S32 07 15.1 E19 10 44.9

Uniondale Poort
R339 (Uniondale - Knysna)
S33 40 52.4 E23 08 55.2

Photo pending...

Van Der Stel Pass
(Villiersdorp - Botrivier)
S34 09 16.7 E19 13 54.3

Viljoens Pass
(Grabouw - Villiersdorp)
S34 05 40.4 E19 03 01.4

Witnek Pass
(Laingsburg - Ladismith)
S33 19 28.8 E20 55 21.4

Western Cape Passes yet to be visited:

Bothmaskloof Pass
(Malmesbury - Riebeek-Kasteel)
S33 24 21.4 E18 52 35.9

Dasklip pass
(Porterville)
32°54'13.59"S 19° 2'17.97"E

De Jagers Pass
(Beaufort West)
S32 04 35.8 E22 44 50.7

Franschhoek Pass
(Franschhoek - Villiersdorp)
S33 54 58.5 E19 09 30.1

Gabriëls Pass
S32°26'26.95" E19°14'8.95"

Gannaga Pass
(Tankwa Karoo - Middelpos)
S32 07 39.3 E20 05 34.1

Gifberg Pass
(Vanrhynsdorp)
S31 44 38.8 E18 46 45.0

Gydo Pass
(Ceres - Citrusdal)
S33 14 02.1 E19 19 50.8

Michell's Pass
(Wolseley - Ceres)
S33 23 27.3 E19 16 42.9

Nuwekloof Pass
(Gouda - Tulbagh)
S33 18 45.0 E19 04 26.1

Pakhuis Pass
(Clanwilliam - Calvinia)
S32 08 44.7 E19 02 02.7

Piekenaarskloof Pass
(Piketberg - Citrusdal)
S32 38 34.3 E18 56 51.0

Stokoe’s Pass
S34° 4'31.55" E18°59'47.00"

Swaarmoed Pass
(Ceres - Touwsrivier)
S33 20 33.6 E19 30 25.3

Vanrhyns Pass
(Vanrynsdorp - Nieuwoudtville)
S31 23 00.7 E19 01 21.7

Versveld Pass
(Piketberg - Piket-Bo-Berg)
S32 51 11.9 E18 44 32.2

.

Every Girl's Dream

2011-08-19T20:23:00.003+02:00

Every young girl has a dream... to steal the scene at her Matric Dance! A girl called DiDi had such a dream.

Tonight her dream came true.

It all started with an e-mail (two days before the fact) from Coded MCC, a mail that spread among the local biking community like wildfire:

Hi all

We have an Amazing Girl celebrating her Matric Dance on Friday 19 August. She has lost her foot due to Cancer, and has now been diagnosed with Cancer in her Lungs.

Her wish is to be escorted to her Matric Dance by a Group of Bikers. We are getting together at 17:30 at York – McDonald’s and will escort her to York High!

We asking all bikers who would like to make her smile, to join us to fulfill her dream!

Hope to see you all there

Love and Respect

House

True to the spirit of brotherhood among bikers the turnout was great.

Some of the Wild Dog's arriving:

When Didi arrived she was blown away by the turnout. Little did she know at this stage that the numbers would still double.

She looked absolutely stunning!

The Girl of the hour and the lucky man:

More and more and more bikes arrived and kept arriving and soon the mass ride was under way.

We took a round about route through George before heading down the main street.

Didi and her escort:

A quick regroup at the bottom of York street before heading to the Matric Dance:

Traffic around York High was quite congested... and then 100+ bikes arrived!

The girl of the moment:

She got out of the car to cheers and screams. Tears of joy flowed.

Their Special Moment:

Go well Didi. It was a privilege to be part of your special night.

Update:

The Bike

2011-07-26T20:03:00.000+02:00

It's beautiful, sleek & sexy. Long, lean and mean, stretching nearly six feet from axle to axle, it's unmistakably chopper. It's got that stretched-out, spidery look where the only really solid part of the bike is the engine. A style of bike from the farthest fringes of the two-wheeled world.

When you have a look at the impressive list of features on this bike you realize that this is an engineering work of art. A lot of work have gone into making this bike look like an "Old School" chopper without sacrificing any of the technology we've come to expect in today's bikes. The Fury is a shaft driven bike sporting a liquid cooled 1312cc engine, yet the cooling system is discreet, blending in with the frame behind the front wheel preserving the "air cooled" look. The V-twin also boasts a new programmable EFI system and produces 42.5kW and more importantly on a bike like this 107Nm of torque. Further features include a combined ABS system specially tailored to fit the minimalistic styling.

As far as instrumentation go you only seem to have a speedometer in front of you until you find that here too the old school look has been preserved, but you're still provided with the necessary you've come to expect on a modern bike when various lights and indicators light up from behind black paneling below the speedometer.

Choppers give credence to the old saying, “form over function.” Foremost, choppers are about style and being (and looking) cool. That is difficult to achieve in a motorcycle that's actually meant to be ridden, but Honda nailed it. When I rode it last year I just wanted to keep on riding. I desperately wanted to hit the Route 62 and just keep going. This year I had my chance.

Even for a Honda fan like me it's difficult to believe that one of the world's most conservative motorcycle companies built a production bike like this. I have never considered a chopper styled bike before, but that short ride at the launch last year opened up a whole new world of possibilities to me. I was blown away. Once you’ve experienced the Fury you’ll know you’ve experienced a Honda like none other. Ever. The look, the ride, the sound, the way this bike makes you feel.

It's like I said last year: "People notice when you ride past. Men stare and women swoon! Is that really true? Does it matter? That is what this bike makes you feel like. Be honest, when last have you ridden a bike that made you feel like that?"

The Honda Fury - Art you can Ride...

The Poser

2011-07-26T20:01:00.000+02:00

According to the definition a Poser / Poseur is someone who pretends to be something they aren't. Conformists to an image. Posing is not just about looking the part, it's also important to be seen looking the part. With a poseur the look and experiences they relate are fake. They just do it to make themselves look and feel better. Insecurity (and money) plays a part in being a Poseur.

I felt like a "Poseur" riding this bike. I don't belong to a bike club. I don't usually wear leathers. I was dressing into an image I'm not. But I liked it!

I looked like a biker. The scruffy kind that ride their bikes from bar to bar, only shave once every so often and hit the road in any direction on a whim. A rider that's free. A guy that's happy as long as there's petrol in the tank.

I think the way a bike makes you feel is a big part of our love for these two wheeled machines. It's like the guy on a brand new and shiny Dual Sport bike riding to work on a Monday morning with his panniers and everything fitted. It makes him feel like he can hit the road and ride to Cairo if he wanted. He never will of course, but he "could". The sad part is, they never do.

I never commute with my duallie, when I get on it I usually go on a trip. So on that bike I don't feel like I "could". I do!

This Fury is different though. I liked it so much I started riding it everywhere - to work, to the shops, wherever - usually wearing the "leathers". You don't get used to the looks you get. Smiles, nods, admiration? This bike is the ultimate poser's bike. Every poor sod sitting in traffic in his dreary middle management car wishes he was you, riding free. And all the while it felt like I "could" hit Route 62 at any time and just keep going. But until I did I would remain a "poseur".

Imagine riding to work on a Monday morning and really doing it. Not caring, just going. Nothing but a credit card and maybe a toothbrush and a change of underwear.

Riding free.