- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
- 5,159
- Reaction score
- 345
- Location
- Brakpan, South Africa
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS HP2
Compliments of the season to all. I hope all made it home safely, or else at least alive. Yes Xmas has come on gone, and all that remains is to tell the story. First stop was the busy metropolis of Klaarstroom. I visited this place quite frequently during the last few years of my school career (late 70â??s) as I worked on my uncleâ??s farm over Decemberâ??s and had to pick up labourerâ??s here every morning around 5. Not much has changes since those days 
In this shop one can still buy anythingâ?¦. ;D
We stayed in Dana Bay near Mosselbay, and with all the lovely routed around, it wasnâ??t long before we started exploring. My partner in crime was Basil also known as Bikermice (BM) on the forum and his 16 year old son Jean. Just outside Mosselbay we turned off to Herbertsdale, and then turned off on a gravel track that would take us on a scenic road.
All along the road signs of the recent water damage was indicating that not so long ago this areas was severely drenched
Our route took us along the inland side of some serious mountains and soon we passed the Gourits rivier, about 100 km upstream from where it runs into the ocean.
Signs of the recent flooding was evident from all the wood piled against bushes and trees.
Eventually we crossed the main road from Ladismith to Riversdal, which meant only one thing â?? some serious footpeg scraping along the lovely passes.
We followed the gravel roads from Stilbaai and eventually witnessed the water damage of the Gourits closer to the ocean. Lots of valuable topsoil has simply been washed into the ocean.
Imagine how wide the river must have been flowing here
Our next venture was a bit more serious and involved some sleepover. Between Heidelberg and Zuurbraak the road was washed away, but we managed to pass through the carnage.
En route to Zuurbraak we passed Strawberry hill and eventually got to the turnoff towards the Tradouw pass.
This pass was recently rated in the â??WEGâ? magazine as one off SAâ??s top 10 passes and it was easy to see why.
As kids we were told these rivers hosted Coke Cola. We were never allowed to go down to the river and collect some coke, we just had to watch from a distance and desire
Our next stop was breakfast at the Country Pumpkin in Barrydale. On a previous visit I was handed a little Route 62 badge - cause I was on a bike, but rules have changed since, and you now have to buy it for yes youâ??ve guessed it R62 8)
With our tummies well and truly stuffed we headed towards Robertson via Montagu. For those that donâ??t know, Robertson is the home of the Klipdrift distillery ;D
Upon our arrival we were handed a welcome Klipdrift and Coke by the â??Brandewyntertâ? before commencing on a tour of the cellars.
Nice advert â?? It says â??Save Waterâ?
Upon our return from the cellar we had to do the tasting thing. First we sampled some regular Klipdrift Export, followed by Klipdrift Premium, Klipdrift Gold and eventually some Klippies and Cola.
Hereâ??s the original copper watch stuck on 08:02 â?? the time when Kosie sampled his brandy for the first time in 19whatever.
All the watches in the building are stuck on 08:02 except the ones showing other cities across the world. The reason for this that time stands still while one drinks Klipdrift - so they say.
Hereâ??s BM signing the visitorâ??s book. Notice the Klipdrift Xmas tree on the left
Nice add ;D
After the Klippies tour we headed towards Bainskloof as BM has never ridden here. This pass is not for the faint hearted as there are no regular barriers â?? merely a rock planted every meter or so - supposedly preventing you from going over the edge
More Coke Cola in the river
Once over the mountain one can view Wellington, or smellington as we called it while at school and Paarl further to the left
From Wellington we headed to Riebeek Wes as I wanted to show BM where I had grown up. Lunch was had at the Riebeeck Valley Hotel. The staff must have been on a go slow strike as we waited one and a half hours for our sandwiches.
After lunch we visited the Kloovenburg Wine Estate to sample some of SAâ??s finest
At least we had space for one bottle of the good stuff ;D
Just before Moorreesburg BM realized he had only packed one pair of socks, so the local Pep had to provide.
Just past Hopefield we turned off towards Laaiplek as BM wanted to visit some stands he had bought at Admiralâ??s Island in Port Owen. (This was the main reason for our trip)
Well the stands are still empty, but the wind was pumping.
I called a mate who was camping in Lambertsbaai, and soon we were heading that way for the night. Between Dwarskersbos and Elandsbaai the road is below sea level. See the elevation â?? top right on the GPS -.02m
We followed the gravel road nexto the railway tracks. Between Elandsbaai and Lambertsbaai this gravel road is tolled an done has to pay to use it
Elandsbaai â?? still one of the most beautiful little places on the west coast
Our evening in Lambertsbaai was marked by lotsa alcohol, laughs , etc as 94% of the people were from Namakwaland, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. For some reason I took no pics. Hereâ??s myself and Jean outside the campsite the next morning
Hereâ??s Rooies in the Lambertsbaai harbor, aint se purdy ;D
â?¦and Honey also in the same spot
From Lamberts we headed inland towards Clainwilliam as we wanted to cross the Ceder Mountains into the Tankwa Karoo. It was low thirties and it wasnâ??t 9 oâ??clock yet. This was going to be a scorcher.
In main road Clainwilliam this lady was preparing â??rooster koekeâ? so we sampled some â?? delicious
BM and Jean in the Ceders
Visiting C Louis Leipolds last resting spot
Even the geckoâ??s came out to check the bikes
The Cedermountains has some strange shapes and well worth a visit
We traveled towards Wupperthal and then took the turn off towards Uitspanningskraal
We followed the road through the Biedouw Valley and the road suddenly stopped at the mighty Doring river.
I have never crossed such a big river but as per standard operating procedure walked through to check the depth. I didnâ??t manage 10 metres where I stumbled over some rocks and landed in the water Boots & All. Well it was rather refreshing so I made the most of it.
BM and Jean followed but only after taking off all their kit
The water was halfway up my upper leg so I favored my chances of getting the bikes through. We had traveled for 3 hours till this stage and I was in no mood to go all the way back. Rooies was the first to swim, and I got her through fine
Honey was next and although she made me work harder, I managed to get her through safely as well
I guess this was the best way to get across
After all BM was Klipdrift kuiergas # 4487, so he had to be treated like royalty ;D
Meanwhile I was chilling under a thorn bush as the temp was close to 40 and #$%^& hot.
Soon life returned to normal as the sheep turned in for some drink
The opposite bank had some nice sand for extra energy sapping. Lotsa funâ?¦.. ;D
BM and son walking the sand
We were now into the Tankwa Karoo and wide open spaces greeted us with open arms 8)
Special words of thanks to Pierre and Ronel for letting us pass their land, although without their permission
We turned into the main road leading from Calvinia to Ceres, some 180 kmâ??s from Ceres. I told BM we should try and cover that under one hourâ?¦.
Soon I realized there was no way Rooies was going to make this with the remaining petrol so we tapped of to more realistic speeds
Honey in full flight
Rooies doing the flying thingâ?¦
I was running desperately low on fuel and headed for Touwsriver as it was closer. I covered the last 60 kmâ??s with the fuel guage showing empty, and would have picked up a tow from BM had I run outta fuel
From here we headed towards Montagu, Ashton, Swellendam and back to Danabay
My soaked feet had been inside my waterprufe boots and wet socks since 12â??ish, so when I took my boots off that evening I had real Oupa feet
Hereâ??s a selection of some other events we did which didnâ??t always include the bikes. Close relative catching up on a peep
BM and kids outside a wine tasting room,
Visiting the SA version of Stone Hedge
Meanwhile the women were giving the wine tasting some gas and was in high siprits in no time
Spectacular scenery outside Calitsdorp
The women displaying the cellarâ??s cold medals and generally just being high spirited ;D
Mean while the pickup was filling up with the good stuff
We found Koos Kombuissâ?? Rock and Roll Ossewa
The women being silly - stricking a pose
Returning yesterday I had to queue outside Beaufort West to get into town
So now weâ??re safely back at home and ready to hit the sawmill on Monday.
Have a GR8 2008 â?? all of you! 8)
In this shop one can still buy anythingâ?¦. ;D
We stayed in Dana Bay near Mosselbay, and with all the lovely routed around, it wasnâ??t long before we started exploring. My partner in crime was Basil also known as Bikermice (BM) on the forum and his 16 year old son Jean. Just outside Mosselbay we turned off to Herbertsdale, and then turned off on a gravel track that would take us on a scenic road.
All along the road signs of the recent water damage was indicating that not so long ago this areas was severely drenched
Our route took us along the inland side of some serious mountains and soon we passed the Gourits rivier, about 100 km upstream from where it runs into the ocean.
Signs of the recent flooding was evident from all the wood piled against bushes and trees.
Eventually we crossed the main road from Ladismith to Riversdal, which meant only one thing â?? some serious footpeg scraping along the lovely passes.
We followed the gravel roads from Stilbaai and eventually witnessed the water damage of the Gourits closer to the ocean. Lots of valuable topsoil has simply been washed into the ocean.
Imagine how wide the river must have been flowing here
Our next venture was a bit more serious and involved some sleepover. Between Heidelberg and Zuurbraak the road was washed away, but we managed to pass through the carnage.
En route to Zuurbraak we passed Strawberry hill and eventually got to the turnoff towards the Tradouw pass.
This pass was recently rated in the â??WEGâ? magazine as one off SAâ??s top 10 passes and it was easy to see why.
As kids we were told these rivers hosted Coke Cola. We were never allowed to go down to the river and collect some coke, we just had to watch from a distance and desire
Our next stop was breakfast at the Country Pumpkin in Barrydale. On a previous visit I was handed a little Route 62 badge - cause I was on a bike, but rules have changed since, and you now have to buy it for yes youâ??ve guessed it R62 8)
With our tummies well and truly stuffed we headed towards Robertson via Montagu. For those that donâ??t know, Robertson is the home of the Klipdrift distillery ;D
Upon our arrival we were handed a welcome Klipdrift and Coke by the â??Brandewyntertâ? before commencing on a tour of the cellars.
Nice advert â?? It says â??Save Waterâ?
Upon our return from the cellar we had to do the tasting thing. First we sampled some regular Klipdrift Export, followed by Klipdrift Premium, Klipdrift Gold and eventually some Klippies and Cola.
Hereâ??s the original copper watch stuck on 08:02 â?? the time when Kosie sampled his brandy for the first time in 19whatever.
All the watches in the building are stuck on 08:02 except the ones showing other cities across the world. The reason for this that time stands still while one drinks Klipdrift - so they say.
Hereâ??s BM signing the visitorâ??s book. Notice the Klipdrift Xmas tree on the left
Nice add ;D
After the Klippies tour we headed towards Bainskloof as BM has never ridden here. This pass is not for the faint hearted as there are no regular barriers â?? merely a rock planted every meter or so - supposedly preventing you from going over the edge
More Coke Cola in the river
Once over the mountain one can view Wellington, or smellington as we called it while at school and Paarl further to the left
From Wellington we headed to Riebeek Wes as I wanted to show BM where I had grown up. Lunch was had at the Riebeeck Valley Hotel. The staff must have been on a go slow strike as we waited one and a half hours for our sandwiches.
After lunch we visited the Kloovenburg Wine Estate to sample some of SAâ??s finest
At least we had space for one bottle of the good stuff ;D
Just before Moorreesburg BM realized he had only packed one pair of socks, so the local Pep had to provide.
Just past Hopefield we turned off towards Laaiplek as BM wanted to visit some stands he had bought at Admiralâ??s Island in Port Owen. (This was the main reason for our trip)
Well the stands are still empty, but the wind was pumping.
I called a mate who was camping in Lambertsbaai, and soon we were heading that way for the night. Between Dwarskersbos and Elandsbaai the road is below sea level. See the elevation â?? top right on the GPS -.02m
We followed the gravel road nexto the railway tracks. Between Elandsbaai and Lambertsbaai this gravel road is tolled an done has to pay to use it
Elandsbaai â?? still one of the most beautiful little places on the west coast
Our evening in Lambertsbaai was marked by lotsa alcohol, laughs , etc as 94% of the people were from Namakwaland, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. For some reason I took no pics. Hereâ??s myself and Jean outside the campsite the next morning
Hereâ??s Rooies in the Lambertsbaai harbor, aint se purdy ;D
â?¦and Honey also in the same spot
From Lamberts we headed inland towards Clainwilliam as we wanted to cross the Ceder Mountains into the Tankwa Karoo. It was low thirties and it wasnâ??t 9 oâ??clock yet. This was going to be a scorcher.
In main road Clainwilliam this lady was preparing â??rooster koekeâ? so we sampled some â?? delicious
BM and Jean in the Ceders
Visiting C Louis Leipolds last resting spot
Even the geckoâ??s came out to check the bikes
The Cedermountains has some strange shapes and well worth a visit
We traveled towards Wupperthal and then took the turn off towards Uitspanningskraal
We followed the road through the Biedouw Valley and the road suddenly stopped at the mighty Doring river.
I have never crossed such a big river but as per standard operating procedure walked through to check the depth. I didnâ??t manage 10 metres where I stumbled over some rocks and landed in the water Boots & All. Well it was rather refreshing so I made the most of it.
BM and Jean followed but only after taking off all their kit
The water was halfway up my upper leg so I favored my chances of getting the bikes through. We had traveled for 3 hours till this stage and I was in no mood to go all the way back. Rooies was the first to swim, and I got her through fine
Honey was next and although she made me work harder, I managed to get her through safely as well
I guess this was the best way to get across
After all BM was Klipdrift kuiergas # 4487, so he had to be treated like royalty ;D
Meanwhile I was chilling under a thorn bush as the temp was close to 40 and #$%^& hot.
Soon life returned to normal as the sheep turned in for some drink
The opposite bank had some nice sand for extra energy sapping. Lotsa funâ?¦.. ;D
BM and son walking the sand
We were now into the Tankwa Karoo and wide open spaces greeted us with open arms 8)
Special words of thanks to Pierre and Ronel for letting us pass their land, although without their permission
We turned into the main road leading from Calvinia to Ceres, some 180 kmâ??s from Ceres. I told BM we should try and cover that under one hourâ?¦.
Soon I realized there was no way Rooies was going to make this with the remaining petrol so we tapped of to more realistic speeds
Honey in full flight
Rooies doing the flying thingâ?¦
I was running desperately low on fuel and headed for Touwsriver as it was closer. I covered the last 60 kmâ??s with the fuel guage showing empty, and would have picked up a tow from BM had I run outta fuel
From here we headed towards Montagu, Ashton, Swellendam and back to Danabay
My soaked feet had been inside my waterprufe boots and wet socks since 12â??ish, so when I took my boots off that evening I had real Oupa feet
Hereâ??s a selection of some other events we did which didnâ??t always include the bikes. Close relative catching up on a peep
BM and kids outside a wine tasting room,
Visiting the SA version of Stone Hedge
Meanwhile the women were giving the wine tasting some gas and was in high siprits in no time
Spectacular scenery outside Calitsdorp
The women displaying the cellarâ??s cold medals and generally just being high spirited ;D
Mean while the pickup was filling up with the good stuff
We found Koos Kombuissâ?? Rock and Roll Ossewa
The women being silly - stricking a pose
Returning yesterday I had to queue outside Beaufort West to get into town
So now weâ??re safely back at home and ready to hit the sawmill on Monday.
Have a GR8 2008 â?? all of you! 8)
