Author Topic: 3 Bikes, 4 Provinces, 9 days, 4249km and countless curious encounters (Read 9736 times)

Herklaas · « **Reply #22 on:** May 23, 2016, 03:04:14 pm »

Nou verlang ek sommer na my TA, was ook 'n bloue, jy het te veel spanners ingepak, net ekstra gewig wat jy nie gaan nodig kry nie, behalwe as jy 'n Katie langs die pad teekom.

V-TORR · « **Reply #23 on:** May 26, 2016, 12:26:40 pm »

Day1: Pretoria to Orania (703km)

It’s is before dark when we leave Pretoria. The plan is to be on Orania at 16:00.
We had a sterling time the night before at Theotherguy’s house with his brother, sister and her significant other coming over for a pizza night, photo-share, and his mother’s hilarious stories about being a teacher on a short-ish temper. What a great bunch they are!

From Pretoria we take the N1 South towards Jo-burg where we get on to the N12 South.
It is early in the morning, the road is open, the weather is clear and we make good progress, but I am becoming aware of some short-comings in my gear. My gloves were not keeping my hands warm despite the salesman’s promise:”summer gloves with winter inners is fine for winter”...-bullshit!
By the time we drive into Potch I can’t feel my hands.

V-TORR · « **Reply #24 on:** May 26, 2016, 12:43:23 pm »

Our next stop was scheduled to be in Klerksdorp, but I quit at the first garage I see in Potch.
My hands are too cold to continue and I want to stall until the sun sits higher. After a quick chain oil session (first of many for me) and a refuel we have breakfast at the Wimpy.

V-TORR · « **Reply #25 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:00:02 pm »

By 8:40 we get going again and at 12:00 we are in the Karoo.
Theotherguy is an enthusiastic photographer and told us waaaaay before the trip that he needs a classic windmill shot in the Karoo. That meant that we stopped at every windmill just for incase it can be THE shot.
First windmill:

Divot · « **Reply #26 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:06:14 pm »

MiniDan · « **Reply #27 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:27:24 pm »

V-TORR · « **Reply #28 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:47:22 pm »

Flat with grass.
That is the theme of the N12 from Klerksdorp to Kimberley.

There is a great mining Museum in Kimberley that is managed by De Beers.
0012 saw it before so while he relaxed with a beer at the Hotel next door, myself and Theotherguy went for a walk.

V-TORR · « **Reply #29 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:49:17 pm »

In 1882, Kimberley was the second town in THE WORLD (After Philadelphia in the USA) to have electric streetlights.
The museum tries to capture the old town as it was before the mine shut down.

V-TORR · « **Reply #30 on:** May 26, 2016, 01:51:57 pm »

There might still be great riches at the bottom of the “groot gat” but because of the cost of pumping out the toxic mine-water it is today only a museum. The hole is over a kilometre deep, and dug by hand. There’s a great look out structure from where you can see the hole and some parts of Kimberley.

V-TORR · « **Reply #31 on:** May 26, 2016, 02:00:54 pm »

It was almost 17:00 when we hit the road again.
A quick bum-rest, and a few photos on the highway.

V-TORR · « **Reply #32 on:** May 26, 2016, 02:13:13 pm »

Thanks to our long "rest" in Kimberley we were running behind our planned 16:00 arrival time, and only stopped in Orania after dark.
We were knackered. My parents came for a braai after which we tucked in.

Tomorrow we drive our first dirt roads!

westfrogger · « **Reply #33 on:** May 26, 2016, 02:39:16 pm »

profiler · « **Reply #34 on:** May 26, 2016, 10:18:57 pm »

landieman · « **Reply #35 on:** May 27, 2016, 05:50:24 am »

Bring It On · « **Reply #36 on:** May 29, 2016, 07:32:36 pm »

This looks interesting....

Looking forward to the rest.

Draadwerk · « **Reply #37 on:** May 29, 2016, 07:47:41 pm »

Laat ons rol...

4 Kays · « **Reply #38 on:** May 29, 2016, 08:26:20 pm »

Keep the rr coming

spoedvark · « **Reply #39 on:** May 29, 2016, 08:27:42 pm »

Subscribed