Goby
Pack Dog
Hi Guys,
Just a short discription of my recent weekend in the Swartberge. Started off early on Friday morning, riding 2-up on my KLR08, towards Steytlerville, because the Langkloof route was still "closed"? Perfect weather, some dark clouds over the horizon behind Kirkwood. Enjoyed the ride at a steady 125km/h. Stopped at Noupoort Padstal to have breakfast sarmie and coffee, then on to Steytlerville. Only stopped briefly in Steytlerville to stretch legs and listen to the early morning chirps between the local brown people. "Hey Dikgat, waar gaat jy heen?" "Ja, Maergat, wat se jy?" etc.
Then onto the cement road near Willowmore, very quiet, no traffic except for the 2 farmers that passed us with a friendly wave from their Isuzu bakkies. Man, there are a lot of Isuzu bakkies in the Karoo!
Willowmore for some orange juice, and then on towards Uniondale. Turned away towards Barandas and on to De Rust, our final destination for Friday. Perfect road up to De Rust, no potholes and ideal for steeking on a superbike. Booked into Tonnelkop Self Catering, very nice accommodation, and biker friendly. Friday night with a ostrich burger and I am ready to go.
Saturday morning off through Meiringspoort, and on to Prince Albert. Great little Karoo town this, with a lekker farmers market and plenty to chow. I was pushing to get into the Pass, but the pillion was keen on shopping, so we only managed to get into the Swartbergpas at 11h00. Had to give Gamkaskloof a miss this time, due to timing issues, but I have it on my list for next time. The Swartbergpas is great, and you need to get there if you haven't seen it yet. Nice roads, good enough for your family saloon, and great panoramic views. Back down the other side and through Oudtshoorn . Already the flood damage was evident in this area. Got back to De Rust at 16h00, a day well spent and great roads discovered. The tar roads around the Cango Caves are brilliant and perfect for bikes.
Sunday morning back to PE via Uniondale and Langkloof. Stopped briefly at the Stompdrift Dam and then on to Barandas. The flood damage in the Uniondale area was horrific. We had to turn around in Uniondale Poort, as the road was totally swept away, and the Kawasaki wasn't keen to take on the rushing water. Managed to get back onto the Langkloof road, but found some more flood damaged roads and farmlands. It will take a long time for the Langkloof to heal the scars of this flood. All low level bridges and drifts were partly or completely covered in sand and gravel and some driftwood. Cleaning-up operations are in place. We enjoyed the scenery in the Langkloof, with a short stopover in Joubertina, before we hit the last stretch to PE. We got home at 14h30, with sensitive butts and smiles on our sunburnt faces. Fact remains, if you don't have a bike, you don't have a life!!! Definitely a road trip I can recommend to everybody. Awesome!
Just a short discription of my recent weekend in the Swartberge. Started off early on Friday morning, riding 2-up on my KLR08, towards Steytlerville, because the Langkloof route was still "closed"? Perfect weather, some dark clouds over the horizon behind Kirkwood. Enjoyed the ride at a steady 125km/h. Stopped at Noupoort Padstal to have breakfast sarmie and coffee, then on to Steytlerville. Only stopped briefly in Steytlerville to stretch legs and listen to the early morning chirps between the local brown people. "Hey Dikgat, waar gaat jy heen?" "Ja, Maergat, wat se jy?" etc.
Then onto the cement road near Willowmore, very quiet, no traffic except for the 2 farmers that passed us with a friendly wave from their Isuzu bakkies. Man, there are a lot of Isuzu bakkies in the Karoo!
Willowmore for some orange juice, and then on towards Uniondale. Turned away towards Barandas and on to De Rust, our final destination for Friday. Perfect road up to De Rust, no potholes and ideal for steeking on a superbike. Booked into Tonnelkop Self Catering, very nice accommodation, and biker friendly. Friday night with a ostrich burger and I am ready to go.
Saturday morning off through Meiringspoort, and on to Prince Albert. Great little Karoo town this, with a lekker farmers market and plenty to chow. I was pushing to get into the Pass, but the pillion was keen on shopping, so we only managed to get into the Swartbergpas at 11h00. Had to give Gamkaskloof a miss this time, due to timing issues, but I have it on my list for next time. The Swartbergpas is great, and you need to get there if you haven't seen it yet. Nice roads, good enough for your family saloon, and great panoramic views. Back down the other side and through Oudtshoorn . Already the flood damage was evident in this area. Got back to De Rust at 16h00, a day well spent and great roads discovered. The tar roads around the Cango Caves are brilliant and perfect for bikes.
Sunday morning back to PE via Uniondale and Langkloof. Stopped briefly at the Stompdrift Dam and then on to Barandas. The flood damage in the Uniondale area was horrific. We had to turn around in Uniondale Poort, as the road was totally swept away, and the Kawasaki wasn't keen to take on the rushing water. Managed to get back onto the Langkloof road, but found some more flood damaged roads and farmlands. It will take a long time for the Langkloof to heal the scars of this flood. All low level bridges and drifts were partly or completely covered in sand and gravel and some driftwood. Cleaning-up operations are in place. We enjoyed the scenery in the Langkloof, with a short stopover in Joubertina, before we hit the last stretch to PE. We got home at 14h30, with sensitive butts and smiles on our sunburnt faces. Fact remains, if you don't have a bike, you don't have a life!!! Definitely a road trip I can recommend to everybody. Awesome!
