2 x Gelandestrasse on a Sunday pm purr in the Western Cape

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oo7

Race Dog
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Location
Los Angeles, USA
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BMW R1200GS Adventure
My mate Maverick (who, by the way, also on Sunday  became a daddie â?? yeah!!!) told me a while ago about one of his mates relocating back from Mudder England to the Fairest Cape and suggest that we get in contact for a beer or two on a ride together.

Well, it didnâ??t took me long to answer the phone and speak to Faantjie on the other side. Faantjie I have noticed is also a registered member here, nogals since 2006 and he have this amazing feat of having posted exactly  . . . . wait for it . . . .ZERO posts. Could anyone confirm whether anyone else have been registered longer without posting? Frieken lurker!

Anyway, what Faantjie lacks in post counts, he surely makes up for in personality and especially in his choice of steeds - Faantjie took delivery on Tuesday, 6 January 2009 of a brand-spanking (or is that bashing?) out-of-the-box-sidepod-speed machine. A brilliant red full monty version with traction control, ESA, ABS and what not. So when we decided on Friday to go for a ride on Sunday, I could hear it in the manâ??s voice that he was itching to get those valves pumping in a sideways fashion.

Since heâ??s (also) new in the Cape, I e-mailed him our meeting point co-ordinates and we met up late Sunday morning. Hereâ??s the man stocking up with fluids â?? Welcome home and welcome on this forum!
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After we joined up in Durbanville we took the road to Bainskloof Pass. I havenâ??t been across the pass for a very long time and had forgotten how narrow it was! What a ride up there! Eating up chicken strips in the corners while trying to avoiding knocking off your lid against the overhanging branches.  Here we are on top overlooking towards Wellington:

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And yours truly proudly sporting his new WD reflective vest.
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Faantjieâ??s machine only had about 700km odd on the clock, so the instructions to me was to keep it below 110km/h. And how nice it was to just cruise for a change. Not only is it safer and more economical, but you actually manage to look around a lot more â?? or was it just the stunning scenery?.

Here we are on the other side of Bainskloof pass towards Wolseley. What an awesome place!!!
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From Bainskloof we took the road to Wolseley and then took this dirt road past Kluitjieskraal on the way to the Nuwekloof pas.

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It was Faantjieâ??s first ride on dirt with the new bike and it wasn't difficult to spot that he just LOOOOVVVED it! 

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In fact, for a moment I thought he started to worship the machine,
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but then I realised his exuberance caught up with him as the weight of his panzer mobile caught him off guard and he had to let go !.
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Now its got houding!   

Thatâ??s one thing you donâ??t realise about the big adventure until you actually have the privilege of man handling it yourself â?? it is and remains and always will be a frieken heavy matsjien! And I find it most difficult to handle while it is completely stationary. Especially with steel toe tips not supporting with any grip when you need it most.. . .

Not sure what these mountains are called, but I think Ceres may just be right behind it.
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Faantjie in the distance
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Man â?? what an awesome road to ride! Nothing difficult, nothing technical â?? just plain nice to be out there on the back of a bike on a dirt road in fresh platteland farm air!!
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Gelandestrasse:
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A â??driffieâ? somewhere between the Voelvleidam and Riebeek Kasteel
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My front TKC after 13500kmâ??s â?? still going strong:
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The Travellers Rest in Riebeek Kasteel where we had lunch in the courtyard and almost decided to take a dip in their little pool â?? definitely a place to visit. The Hamburger was great. (Sorry Mav â?? forgot to take a pic â?? next time).
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Riebeek Kasteel is also a magical place â?? good idea to take the long haired chief of staff there if you want to score some points.

From Riebeek Kasteel we tried to take some small unmapped farm roads to Moorreesburg, but managed to get lost and had to turn around at a dead end. The wind was now blowing and it was a boring ride on a boring road from the PPC factory outside Riebeek Wes to Mooreesburg.

In Moorreesburg some more kark praat over a coke and then we hit the road to Darling:
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By now it was about 17h30 and the temp was still high:
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Another beautiful steed:
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Proudly WD:
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In Darling we stopped for a pee next to the pink container:
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From Darling we took the road to Silwerstroom Strand, which is basically just north of Melkbos. I have always wondered what the place looks like and to our surprise it was just one of the most beautiful beaches imaginable!
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From here we hit the road to Blouberg, had a beer at the Newscafe and parted as new best friends. What an awesome way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon!

Many happy rides to come, dude!


 
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