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NIEKIE

Pack Dog
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
396
Reaction score
0
Location
Sasolburg; Free State
Bike
BMW R1200GS
As I would say in Afrikaans, â??Dit was Tydâ?. Tyd vir â??n bietjie bike ry. And what better than tearing up the dirt a bit. Since a friend of mine, Miles, bought an 800GS before Christmas we had some riding to do. I promised that I would ride with him over December when we were back from the coast. I suppose I did not need much convincing. On Monday 29 Dec 2008 we were up at the break of dawn. I planned a trip from Sasolburg via some back roads to Clarens area and back for the day. It was going to be Miles (BMW 800 GS), Me (Niekie â?? BMW 1200 GS) and my son Willie.

We met at the Country Butchery in Viljoensdrift near Vereeniging and left just after 5:15. It was tar to Heilbron and on the way to Frankfort before we turned of on dirt which took us to Tweeling. Most of the roads we travelled were in a very good condition making for a very enjoyable day. Tweeling is a "hoes and a poep" and youâ??re through and we carried on via dirt to Kestell. On the way we enjoyed some rolls I prepared as snacks and took a short tar section to Kestell. We planned to stop for coffee in Kestell but when we found the first coffee shop to be indicated as CLOSED with a sign, we settled for cold drink at the garage and moved on.

We took the tar road to Bethlehem and turned of on a very small farm road that led us via the back roads to Clarens. It is some of the most spectacular areas we find in South Africa. The back of Golden Gate (if I can call it that) makes for beautiful landscape viewing not open to the normal visitors via the usual tar road.

We ended up in Clarens for a Pizza and coke before we left for Fouriesburg. At the Old Mill Drift turn of we left the tar again to follow a circular route along the Lesotho border. We also followed a twee spoor track down to the Caledon river. According to Southern Africa street maps it appears as if you can enter Lesotho here. A guard house and all is indicated but we realized it will not happen. We returned to the main route and rode on to Bethlehem for fuel. On the way to Bethlehem my son Willie fell asleep on the back and I had to hold onto him riding into Bethlehem. At Midas we found luggage tie down straps to strap him in if necessary but did not use it in the end.

After refuel we followed the GPS to go via Tarzan (a railway siding) between Bethlehem and Petrus Steyn and then home, but to our surprise the road (national road and tarred) was locked up. There was a gate and padlocked. Apparently the road is to bad and full of potholes so they rather locked it instead of fixing. A detour took us back to Reitz where we returned via most beautiful dirt roads to Heilbron and Sasolburg. One very enjoyable day of riding and thumbs up to Miles back on the 2 wheels after 20 years.

Regards
Niekie

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Kestel

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