Valley of 1000 hills

[SGB]

A little ride to the Wartburg off-road race, after an SMS from Gerry, through the "Valley" (being the most direct route) was on and we all met this morning at 6:30 at the Waterfall Engen.  The weather was a bit wet, occasional drizzle.  Gerry, Konrad, Craig, Bruce, Kevin and me took off in light rain - good riding weather, I thought as we pulled off - not too hot and the rain is not too bad, we should stay fairly dry.

The scenery was great with the low clouds, and no dust made it quite pleasant.  Some care with the freshly watered dirt surface was needed here and there, but nothing serious.

 

Gerry on his Suzuki has become quite a well known man over the years.  He knows the valley backwards, and his departure to England will cause a bit of a "hole" in our riding team here.  Gerry has been a great mentor and he will be missed in the Valley.  Thank you Gerry.



Making a stop to look around and have a chat.





Great scenery.....



This guy misread the conditions and ended in a bit of an awkward position.



Typical valley traffic, dictating alert riding.



The scenery inside the cloud was not so great, quite dense for the last 15 odd km to Wartburg.



The race was well attended, spent some time chatting and watching there.



Breakfast was good too!



Then rode back via Table Mountain and along the pipeline.  Good fun!  The comfort zone was challenged a little here and there, could be seen by interesting track patterns in the fresh road surface here and there.

Thank you manne, great day out there.  And the kuier afterwards at Kevin & Hilda's place rounded off a fun Saturday - thank you!

[Kev]

You rode back via Table Mountain? Bliksem!! Your arse must be tough!!    Nice area that 1000 hills - did not know they had a table mountain too. Cool pics! :thumbright:

[SGB]

Indeed - we have our very own Table Mountain in the Valley, and you can see it from the N3.  Just as flat on top as that koppie you see in Cape Town.  What do they call it there again??  

[DaCat]

Nice report and pics.  

[Gerry]

Hey guys , dont make me blush !

Only reason  that I have found my way around down there is because no one else was willing to join me exploring .

So I went , armed with a revolver , 2 cell phones , a map , enough tools & tubes to get me home & a note book , so I could kinda sketch where I was . Long before the average guy knew what a GPS was .

Remember , when exploring down there , or almost any where in Africa , only ask directions from taxi drivers . The average oke wandering along the road or track has no idea where he is , or how far it is to where ever you are looking to go .

The taxi guys are the information centres .

I rode along the old dirt roads , I'd see one & explore it & make notes .

Believe me I've ridden some brilliant roads , that go to a turning circle outside a shack shop ! Maybe 15 km , & then turn back .
But next time you pass that way , the curiosity has been satisfied .

Every ride down there I see new roads appearing , even tarmac ones now !

You guys have got a million miles of exploring to do right here on our door step , enjoy .

Its always a pleasure to ride with you guys , laid back , easy going !

I was amazed at Kevin's reaction to the speed the guys race at ! He was pretty gobsmacked !

I've raced some of these events , where I ( an ancient man of 51 ) have avareges over 80 km/hour for 400 km . Thats very quick ! Thats also very scary !

That is off road Racing , they were out for a 200km race , just over 3 hours racing . You gotta be fit , have trust in your own ability , & be committed . Also a huge amount of good luck helps ! The races are open , fast , & well marked . Can be dusty , & you can be racing with quads .

I am the WFO man , we run Enduro events in Kzn , there the guys ride a very technical course , normally about 120 km , at an avareage speed of less than 40 km per hour .

These events are very popular , because they are a challenge , slow & safe , well marked & well organised .

Thats the difference between the Off Road race & the Enduro .

Oh dear , thats the old mind wandering again , the thread was a valley ride & I've hijacked it onto races !

Sorry .

[X Banana Boy]

Thanks for the lekker pics.  Funny to see a Putco bus again.

[Gerry]

Hey X Banana boy , you wont belive the speed these guys are driving on the roads !

There are sharp corners where the inside has washed away , they are taking the busses around there , with the inside back wheel hanging in space !

I dont know what to think !  Is it expert driving or just pure ignorance ?

[JourneyMan]

Thanks SGB. A slighty wetted down dirt roasd stopping the dust is always lekker to ride.

Rescuing that stootskraper must have been quite a mission. :shock:

[shark_za]

Good tip with the taxi drivers Gerry. Thanks.

I'll be doing a WFO next year pity you wont be involved.
Good luck with your lightie and England, all the best wishes.

[Reg]

Hey SGB

Nice ride and pics.

Let me know next time you go, I stay 4KM from the "Waterfall Engen" garage.

Off topic, Table mountain is a landmark in the flying area, marks the border of PMB's airspace, and can be seen for miles, it is used for most nav's in that area.

[X Banana Boy]

Hey X Banana boy , you wont belive the speed these guys are driving on the roads !

There are sharp corners where the inside has washed away , they are taking the busses around there , with the inside back wheel hanging in space !

I dont know what to think !  Is it expert driving or just pure ignorance ?

I presume the latter.  Ignorance is bliss.  :shock:  :?

[Gerry]

X Banana Boy , the problem is , in most cases they are carrying loads of innocent people .

Those people are too scared to complain because of intimidation .

Their only option is to walk or shut up & take their chances with the public transport  !

When I passed one of these vehicles , several people were signalling him to stop for them , he did'nt bother , just ignored them & drove on by

Is'nt it funny how some people have absolutely no compassion for others at all !

[wino]

looks like a spectacular area to ride! thanks for the report

[X Banana Boy]

X Banana Boy , the problem is , in most cases they are carrying loads of innocent people .

Those people are too scared to complain because of intimidation .

Their only option is to walk or shut up & take their chances with the public transport  !

When I passed one of these vehicles , several people were signalling him to stop for them , he did'nt bother , just ignored them & drove on by

Is'nt it funny how some people have absolutely no compassion for others at all !

Ya same goes for the minibus taxis.  :shock:  :shock:   They gave never been taught how to act in what most people see as a civilized way.