wildside
Pack Dog
NAMIBIAN MEANDER 2009 !
13 December 2009 – 5 January 2010
KINGSLEY:
This is our first riding report so please bear with us and we hope you enjoy.
Our story begins when my wife, Karen, upgraded from pillion to her own bike. I believe this was done mainly to humour me and ensure against being left behind on future trips. I had been complaining about the weight of all the gear and another load that seemed a little heavier on every ride.
In hindsight I believe I have bred a monster, whose appetite for adventure riding will demand a varied menu. This is a situation that both delights me and leaves me a little apprehensive (and broke!).
Anyway this is not my story so I will do my best not to interrupt. If I do butt in it will be in self defence and under the AMI heading (Alpha Male Input).
KAREN:
As much as we long for the “ good old days “ which are soon gobbled up by marriage, bonds, parenting and other scary things we may be have to force ourselves to take time out and be a little irresponsible as a battle against mid-life crisis. We finally reached a point were we had time on our hands and decided to turn some of our dreams into reality!
Earlier in the year we cut our teeth on a few trips down to the Wildcoast, enjoying the scenery and experiencing the adventure riding and camping scene. Irresponsibility reared its beautiful head and April 09 found us pitching tent and eating lousy food on the banks of the Thambalakhan, Okavango and Kwando Rivers. I think we were in…” HOOK, LINE and SPARKPLUG” !
As with most drugs, “ MORE IS BETTER”. So, doing some gravel travel through Namibia in December 2009 had a certain appeal offering a more demanding adventure for two “ old toppies”.
Herewith our winning formula for a successful adventure through Namibia.
1. BIKES: One 25yr old, well travelled Tenere and a less experienced XT600 with only the Wildcoast , Botswana and Caprivi to its merit. Each bike expertly fitted with homemade top boxes which I was assured would stand up to the heavy loads and varied road conditions
2. RIDING GEAR: Much indecision on riding gear – eventually settled for the standard hiking gear – low on protection but easy to wash and wear. The whole image lacked “bling” but made for comfortable, cool riding.
3. CAMPING GEAR: Dust off your Splashy Fen equipment and you’re all but there. Not forgetting day/night temperature changes, spare gas, extra water/fuel.
4. FINANCES: Holding back on 2 months private school fees is a good starting point. Believe me, coming home with no cash certainly turns a holiday into a real adventure….!
5. A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR
But on a more serious note, after months of planning and preparing on a limited budget the general idea was to trailer the bikes up to KEETMANSHOOP, discover the back roads whilst heading north to the KUNENE RIVER, checking out RUACANA and EPUPA FALLS then looping back down via OPUWA, OMARUNGA and PURROS before experiencing the thrill of travelling south down the SKELETON COAST and then heading inland from WALVIS BAY to SESRIEM, a visit to DUWISIB CASTLE and finishing off our 3 week trip back at KEETMANSHOOP.
( Hopefully we will be able to load some pics )
13 December 2009 – 5 January 2010
KINGSLEY:
This is our first riding report so please bear with us and we hope you enjoy.
Our story begins when my wife, Karen, upgraded from pillion to her own bike. I believe this was done mainly to humour me and ensure against being left behind on future trips. I had been complaining about the weight of all the gear and another load that seemed a little heavier on every ride.
In hindsight I believe I have bred a monster, whose appetite for adventure riding will demand a varied menu. This is a situation that both delights me and leaves me a little apprehensive (and broke!).
Anyway this is not my story so I will do my best not to interrupt. If I do butt in it will be in self defence and under the AMI heading (Alpha Male Input).
KAREN:
As much as we long for the “ good old days “ which are soon gobbled up by marriage, bonds, parenting and other scary things we may be have to force ourselves to take time out and be a little irresponsible as a battle against mid-life crisis. We finally reached a point were we had time on our hands and decided to turn some of our dreams into reality!
Earlier in the year we cut our teeth on a few trips down to the Wildcoast, enjoying the scenery and experiencing the adventure riding and camping scene. Irresponsibility reared its beautiful head and April 09 found us pitching tent and eating lousy food on the banks of the Thambalakhan, Okavango and Kwando Rivers. I think we were in…” HOOK, LINE and SPARKPLUG” !
As with most drugs, “ MORE IS BETTER”. So, doing some gravel travel through Namibia in December 2009 had a certain appeal offering a more demanding adventure for two “ old toppies”.
Herewith our winning formula for a successful adventure through Namibia.
1. BIKES: One 25yr old, well travelled Tenere and a less experienced XT600 with only the Wildcoast , Botswana and Caprivi to its merit. Each bike expertly fitted with homemade top boxes which I was assured would stand up to the heavy loads and varied road conditions
2. RIDING GEAR: Much indecision on riding gear – eventually settled for the standard hiking gear – low on protection but easy to wash and wear. The whole image lacked “bling” but made for comfortable, cool riding.
3. CAMPING GEAR: Dust off your Splashy Fen equipment and you’re all but there. Not forgetting day/night temperature changes, spare gas, extra water/fuel.
4. FINANCES: Holding back on 2 months private school fees is a good starting point. Believe me, coming home with no cash certainly turns a holiday into a real adventure….!
5. A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR
But on a more serious note, after months of planning and preparing on a limited budget the general idea was to trailer the bikes up to KEETMANSHOOP, discover the back roads whilst heading north to the KUNENE RIVER, checking out RUACANA and EPUPA FALLS then looping back down via OPUWA, OMARUNGA and PURROS before experiencing the thrill of travelling south down the SKELETON COAST and then heading inland from WALVIS BAY to SESRIEM, a visit to DUWISIB CASTLE and finishing off our 3 week trip back at KEETMANSHOOP.
( Hopefully we will be able to load some pics )
