ClimbingTurtle
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
- May 6, 2011
- Messages
- 10,247
- Reaction score
- 885
- Location
- Gauteng, South Africa
- Bike
- BMW (all models)
The HOT or WET tour – November 2012
About 18 months ago, YoungGSer and I planned a tour along the Northern border of our fair land, going in a Westerly direction…. Due to some financial issues, they planning stayed planning and the trip was canned – disappointment all round…..
So a year later, the topic was broached again and this time I vowed not to let the money-goblin get the better of this plan….. But the timing and destination would be a while in the making, all we knew was that we were on for a trip! Slowly, slowly kit was organized, bikes serviced, tyres mounted, tents and tuna purchased and families briefed to miss us for a while….
In due course we decided that we had to make a choice – WET, the Eastern & Southern Cape mountain passes, with Sani thrown in….? Or HOT, which would mean Namibia……! Wet was voted in and routes were planned with MapSource, BaseCamp, Google Earth and the good old Map Book! Dates were picked, appointments changed, leave approved and families briefed on missing us. The dates would be 10th November till 27th November! Dates are now cast in Stone! That was until Garth remembered the Linkin Park concert on the 10th, but no matter, a day late in leaving wouldn’t be the end of the planet according to the Mayans.
Time went slowly past and the bikes were pre-packed for weight checks etc. Nerves were up and camera’s were packed in the week prior to the departure. The Tuesday before we left, I had reason ito pop in to see Adventurer and have a chat, now Kurt being the fine chap he is, he had an opinion that 2 weeks should not be wasted in the Cape, and that the only answer was Namibia….. I gave it a nights thought and broached the topic over a post dinner whisky with Garth the next evening. After examining the option in detail for 2 or 3 minutes, we changed the venue and deleted the maps, changed map-books and re-opened Google earth to see what we could see, and then re-briefed the families to miss us in that direction….
To meet the protagonists: My nephew, YounGSer (Garth) riding his 2009 GS called Charlie, and I, ClimbingTurtle (Steve) riding my 2010 GS Adventure called Lump – with the Garmin ZUMO660 fitted, which made me the rider at the back most of the time…….
Day 1 to follow in short order......
About 18 months ago, YoungGSer and I planned a tour along the Northern border of our fair land, going in a Westerly direction…. Due to some financial issues, they planning stayed planning and the trip was canned – disappointment all round…..
So a year later, the topic was broached again and this time I vowed not to let the money-goblin get the better of this plan….. But the timing and destination would be a while in the making, all we knew was that we were on for a trip! Slowly, slowly kit was organized, bikes serviced, tyres mounted, tents and tuna purchased and families briefed to miss us for a while….
In due course we decided that we had to make a choice – WET, the Eastern & Southern Cape mountain passes, with Sani thrown in….? Or HOT, which would mean Namibia……! Wet was voted in and routes were planned with MapSource, BaseCamp, Google Earth and the good old Map Book! Dates were picked, appointments changed, leave approved and families briefed on missing us. The dates would be 10th November till 27th November! Dates are now cast in Stone! That was until Garth remembered the Linkin Park concert on the 10th, but no matter, a day late in leaving wouldn’t be the end of the planet according to the Mayans.
Time went slowly past and the bikes were pre-packed for weight checks etc. Nerves were up and camera’s were packed in the week prior to the departure. The Tuesday before we left, I had reason ito pop in to see Adventurer and have a chat, now Kurt being the fine chap he is, he had an opinion that 2 weeks should not be wasted in the Cape, and that the only answer was Namibia….. I gave it a nights thought and broached the topic over a post dinner whisky with Garth the next evening. After examining the option in detail for 2 or 3 minutes, we changed the venue and deleted the maps, changed map-books and re-opened Google earth to see what we could see, and then re-briefed the families to miss us in that direction….
To meet the protagonists: My nephew, YounGSer (Garth) riding his 2009 GS called Charlie, and I, ClimbingTurtle (Steve) riding my 2010 GS Adventure called Lump – with the Garmin ZUMO660 fitted, which made me the rider at the back most of the time…….
Day 1 to follow in short order......
