TEN PASSES TO THE STARS AND BACK IN TWO DAYS

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Joyride

Race Dog
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
682
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Location
Cape Town, Western Province
Bike
KTM 950 SE
Saturday morning just past seven the six of us left from the Caltex Garage in Durbanville for Gannaga Lodge, situated in the Tankwa Karoo National Park near Middelpos.
(JohanGS, Bertow, Frans, Joyride and two members to be)

It was a beautiful morning but we all realized it would be hot later in the day, especially in the Karoo.

One 1150GS (German Shepard) and five Japanese Hounds (Hondas) howled over the scenic Bainskloof pass and then Michellâ??s pass en route to Ceres. After a quick stop in Ceres we slipped over Gydo pass to get to Op-die-Berg for some petrol and breakfast.

A bit of tar after that and then the fun started, the first gravel on our way to Katbakkies pass. The top of the pass treated us on breathtaking scenery. The roads endlessly curling like snakes over the hills, promising some more scenery and adventure.

Just over Katbakkies near some ruins along the road, one of the hounds bit some dust, but not too serious to get up and continue. We took a left at the T-junction on the road from Ceres to Citrusdal and proceeded to Tankwa. It was suggested that we took a detour through a private Game Park for some sightseeing and so we did.

It was on that detour that we came to a sandy section. Two hounds and the German Shepard bit some dust here, luckily also minimal to no damage to the bikes.

We sweat like horses and were drenched in our own sweat by the time we got to the other side of the sandpit and could already taste the beer in our mouths. The part of the park here was supposed to be the plant park but in some sections we wondered what happened to the plants.

We were a bit lost at some stage and had to consult with the maps and GPS to finally get our way to the main road that leads to the park entrance. Eventually we reached the park and proceeded through some washed away sections of the road to Gannaga pass. The sweat and dust were al worth enduring to get to this pass. The views are really magnificent and something out of the ordinary.

The stone build lodge on top of the pass welcomed our tired, dirty, dehydrated bodies and we were immediately invited to the bar to wash down the worst dust, an offer which we willingly and gratefully accepted. Later on we were treated on some very good food and afterwards we ensure that we wonâ??t suffer from dehydration the next day.

Sundayâ??s ride took us to the one horse town of Middelpos and from there to Sutherland, all on gravel. The R355 to Matjiesfontein leads us through Rooikloof- and Verlatekloofpass, after which we took the R356 back to Ceres over the Theronsbergpass and then over Bainskloof again to Wellington.

Six dirty and tired but happy dogs arrived home late Sunday afternoon after 770km and 11 hours and 49 min in the saddle from an unforgettable ride over the past two days.

Photos Collages (taken by all of us)
Bains Kloof
Gydo Pass
Katbakkies Pass
Road to Tankwa Park
Tankwa Park
Gannaga Pass
Gannaga Lodge
Bikes
Middelpos & Sutherland
Back to Ceres

Photos
1. Bainskloof scenery
2. Road ahead of Katbakkies
3. Road looking back from Katbakkies
4. Road on the other side of Katbakkies
5. Road to Tankwa Park
6. View from the lodge
7. Sunrise at the lodge
8. We at the lodge
9. Middelpos
10. Road to Sutherland




 

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