Day 6
Bollocks! It had been raining throughout the night and didn?t look like clearing up early. Our plan was to ride to ?die Hel?, which would start with the gravel road up the Swartberg pass and then a turnoff to our destination. www.diehel.com
Gearing up for the ride in the rain, and doing some maintenance on the chain.
Leaving the resort:
At the start of the Swartberg pass. The pic doesn?t convey the rate at which it was pissing down. We sat a while, discussing whether we should do it?
Bugger it, this is why we came here! Let?s go!
Needless to say, the road was slippery ? I was reminiscing about my ride that led to the xxx report?mmm
No, I did not walk with the bike. I stopped to take a photo!
Reaching the top of the pass. Weird, on this side of the mountain it was pissing down and the wind was howling. Dropping down on the other side, however?
dry and no wind. No complaints though, we made the right decision!
A bit late to test out the poncho!
The turnoff to Gamkaskloof, die Hel!
One of the pics of the trip for me ? Venter showing off his stuff!
The klr just doesn?t have the same impressiveness, but don?t underestimate its functionality! And the rider!
The heat was making us sweat under the raingear. Or alternatively interpreted as: well, he was lying there for the taking!
?Oom Koos se Klip? = Uncle Koos? Rock
Don?t know why..
Chris? topbox flew off again, luckily it didn?t fly down the mountain!
A small stream provided for some fun:
How not to exit, well, at least keep your feet on the pegs, and don?t put the front down on your foot!
A straight stretch before the drop into the Hel:
The drop into the Hel ? 400m of it:
Chris dragging the wheel around the corner ? that?s the way to do it!
What do you think happened to the chunk that broke away?
Reaching the bottom of the Gamkaskloof. Well, it was not nearly as scary/difficult as we thought it would be.
The only restaurant in the area, but it only serves on appointment! Luckily, they had some cold beers to sell!
If one of the bikes broke down, we could always hook this wagon to one of the BM?s!
The track through the kloof:
This (used)house was just opposite the house where we stayed for the night. It?s called the Honeymoon House. I guess it will be vacant for the night?unless fossils were going to be shown off!
A picture of the first motor car that was brought to the valley. Apparently they brought it through the river. The curator of the park told us that he ?heard? a story about the people in the kloof who paid a deposit to buy a tractor. Once the tractor found its way into the kloof, they made no further payments and dared the seller to come to the kloof and repossess the tractor!
This delicately restored cottage was ours for the night. Here, Venter is showing off the latest in fashion to keep the devil at bay! Or maybe he?s trying to lure him into the Honeymoon House??
The house was once occupied by Sankie Marais, who was a schoolteacher in the kloof.
Getting chummy. As in ?out of the closet?, is there something relevant in ?looking in through a window??
Stoking the fire!!!!
Bollocks! It had been raining throughout the night and didn?t look like clearing up early. Our plan was to ride to ?die Hel?, which would start with the gravel road up the Swartberg pass and then a turnoff to our destination. www.diehel.com
Gearing up for the ride in the rain, and doing some maintenance on the chain.
Leaving the resort:
At the start of the Swartberg pass. The pic doesn?t convey the rate at which it was pissing down. We sat a while, discussing whether we should do it?
Bugger it, this is why we came here! Let?s go!
Needless to say, the road was slippery ? I was reminiscing about my ride that led to the xxx report?mmm
No, I did not walk with the bike. I stopped to take a photo!
Reaching the top of the pass. Weird, on this side of the mountain it was pissing down and the wind was howling. Dropping down on the other side, however?
dry and no wind. No complaints though, we made the right decision!
A bit late to test out the poncho!
The turnoff to Gamkaskloof, die Hel!
One of the pics of the trip for me ? Venter showing off his stuff!
The klr just doesn?t have the same impressiveness, but don?t underestimate its functionality! And the rider!
The heat was making us sweat under the raingear. Or alternatively interpreted as: well, he was lying there for the taking!
?Oom Koos se Klip? = Uncle Koos? Rock
Don?t know why..
Chris? topbox flew off again, luckily it didn?t fly down the mountain!
A small stream provided for some fun:
How not to exit, well, at least keep your feet on the pegs, and don?t put the front down on your foot!
A straight stretch before the drop into the Hel:
The drop into the Hel ? 400m of it:
Chris dragging the wheel around the corner ? that?s the way to do it!
What do you think happened to the chunk that broke away?
Reaching the bottom of the Gamkaskloof. Well, it was not nearly as scary/difficult as we thought it would be.
The only restaurant in the area, but it only serves on appointment! Luckily, they had some cold beers to sell!
If one of the bikes broke down, we could always hook this wagon to one of the BM?s!
The track through the kloof:
This (used)house was just opposite the house where we stayed for the night. It?s called the Honeymoon House. I guess it will be vacant for the night?unless fossils were going to be shown off!
A picture of the first motor car that was brought to the valley. Apparently they brought it through the river. The curator of the park told us that he ?heard? a story about the people in the kloof who paid a deposit to buy a tractor. Once the tractor found its way into the kloof, they made no further payments and dared the seller to come to the kloof and repossess the tractor!
This delicately restored cottage was ours for the night. Here, Venter is showing off the latest in fashion to keep the devil at bay! Or maybe he?s trying to lure him into the Honeymoon House??
The house was once occupied by Sankie Marais, who was a schoolteacher in the kloof.
Getting chummy. As in ?out of the closet?, is there something relevant in ?looking in through a window??
Stoking the fire!!!!
