Ben 10 Eco Challenge - Challenges were had

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LYCAN

Race Dog
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Ben 10 Eco Challenge discovery:

This whole Adventure expedition started in early October when SWAMBO was taking me home to fetch my Pajero after dropping my bike off for a service…

On our way home, we noticed a sticker on the top box of a KTM 1050…the sticker read “I completed the Ben 10 Eco Challenge” …

“What is the Ben 10 Eco Challenge?”, SWAMBO wanted to know…
“I don’t know…”, I replied
After asking my dear old friend Google….
“It seems to be an Adventure challenge that requires you to visit sign boards on top of 10 chosen gravel passes in the Eastern Cape, and complete this within 7 days”, I told SWAMBO
“That sounds interesting, we should do this some or other time”, SWAMBO replied


Ben 10 Eco Challenge locked in:

Fast forward to early November….and our holiday plans for early December was not panning out, luckily nothing was set in stone…
‘So, what are we going to do for our holiday early December?”, SWAMBO asked one fateful afternoon.
“I don’t know…but I think I need to go where cell reception is little and nature is a lot…”, I replied.
“What about taking on the Ben 10 Eco Challenge with the Pajero?”… SWAMBO laid the seed.
“Well, it should be a lot of fun…wonder how it would be to do it on the back of my GSA beast?”
SWAMBO then suggested I contact Aaklige Attie and find out if he and his family would be up for the challenge, then the 2 SWAMBO’s can party in the Pajero, and Aaklige Attie and myself can play with the bikes.

Next day I ring up Aaklige Attie and briefly enlighten him on the Ben 10 Eco Challenge, as well as tell him about SWAMBO’s plan.
Later after he checked out the Challenge set out on the Mountain Passes of South Africa website, he gives me a call….

Aaklige Attie with a sarcastic tone, “ This does not seem like the sort of thing that I like doing on the back of a bike…”

My sarcastic tone, “I feel you bother, also not the type of thing I like to put my bike through, but SWMBO has her heart set on this, thus as a supporting husband…I am willing to make an exception in order to make her happy”

Aaklige Attie (sarcastic tone): “I hear you my friend, and seeing that I was your best man at your wedding, I will once again stand by your side on this one…”

My sarcastic tone:  “Thank you bother, will be nice to have another one suffering through this thing in order to keep the wife happy, but hell…if the wife says that that we have to go Adventure biking, we should not dare say no…even if we don’t want to…”

Thus it was less than a month to the planned week of starting the Ben 10 Eco Challenge, and we found accommodation in Rhodes at Walkerbouts Bokhuase, and we started gathering more information from whatever sources we could.


Expedition party expansion

A few days later I spoke to my father, FrancoisTz, and told him about our plans for this holiday…and he sounded intrigued, so I asked him to think about it and let me know.
He mentioned it to his SWAMBO, and left for work….
Later the day he gives me call…
FrancoisTz, “I told Natasha about this plan and left for work, when we met for lunch she decided to do the challenge. But not with the Landy…she wants to do it on the back of her own bike!”
My reply: “That is wonderful! As long as you guys know that we are not going to a SPA, but it will be a hard working holiday for the body and a relaxing experience for the soul”
FrancoisTz, “We understand it as such, and will have a look at the website and watch the videos”
My reply: “ Great stuff, and don’t worry about being new to the Adventure riding scene. Attie and myself will be there the whole time, and we do not leave anyone behind.”

Aaklige Attie, also decided that his 16 year old son will be joining us on the back of his Honda 250 Rally.
So we had a nice group of bikes, and the SWAMBO Pajero at the back.
Ben 10 Eco Challenge was set to be done during the second week of December.
Everyone will gather at my place in Bloemfontein on the Friday, and we will set off for Rhodes on the Saturday….


Group as from this point:
Myself with 1200 GSA A/C (some riding experience)
Aaklige Attie with 1200GSA LC (some riding experience)
FrancoisTz with 1200 GSA A/C (Newbie)
Rynhard with Honda 250 Rally (Newbie)
Natasha with 650 GS (Newbie)

Lizanne, my SWAMBO, with Pajero 3.2 GLX (very little 4x4 experience)
Jana, Attie’s SWAMBO, will join in Pajero and has good 4x4 experience


Quick over view of gathered information:
1) Mountain Passes of South Africa, wealth of information with regards to how and where to access the passes. Videos give you a good over view of the passes.
2) Recent videos on You tube, good idea of recent road condition
3) Forums, some useful information and scattered recent experiences
4) Safari4x4 in Bloemfontein, recent information on some of the passes

General consensus on passes:
• Passes are ridable/driveable if conditions play along
• Bastervoetpad pass is not for the novice rider, and should be approached from a west-to-east direction, but not in the rain
• Ben McDhui is tough but you will need to find out about current conditions at Tiffendale Ski Resort.




Preparations on vehicles started and regular phone calls kept everyone in the loop of the preparations.
Aaklige Attie’s excitement could not be controlled any further, and the Oosthuizens arrived the Thursday in Bloemfontein…
Thus we braaied, drank Rum, and laughed while waiting for FrancoisTZ and Natasha till Friday afternoon.

Everyone found themselves in Bloemfontein on Friday (7 December 2018), ready to depart on Saturday Morning for Rhodes.
Plan is to do Joubert’s Pass on Saturday, out side Lady Grey, on the way to Rhodes…

 

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