Grootseun
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 4,555
- Reaction score
- 282
- Location
- The bottom... and digging
- Bike
- BMW F800GSA
I made plans to spend time with my non-biking friends for a change? but they cancelled at the last minute... literally, I was standing with my cage keys in hand when my buddy phoned to beg for a raincheck?
30 minutes later saw me heading towards harties it was 13:00 (after spending 30 minutes chasing the stoopid farking dog all over the complex in riding pants and boots sweating my canoonies off?) I had a faint inclination to travel some canal dirt, armed with a topo map, and a fair sense of fakawe. This is DS biking... so things rarely go according to plan... and I found myself on the route we traveled to the klip on our goodwill run.
I did not have a hell of a lot of time. So fast tar it was, I took 2 wrong turns left (both ending in farms. with no farmers wives...)
Finally found the famous road where Red made poor bloudraad lay down for a little rest.
Deflated tires as this is fast dirt with some sandy patches thrown in for good measure.
Followed the familiar road past Dikololo and other private reserves to the second intersection, and turned right towards the viliage...This piece of road is great?soft sand.. Jumps... corners?monkeys...
Into the village... and it was quiet, just the blaring of the shabeen sound system... and some kids screaming hellos and waving from under a tree in a yard.
Found the track around the klip... and went around once...
I thought it to be really quiet. No quads, bikes or anything... not even locals. I made my way around and fount the ascent to the top...up I went... no idea if it was the right way up...thinking ?It wasn?t this steep last time we were here? writing that thought off to the courage we had at the shabeen when we were here last, I made my way to the top of the klip..In one piece.
(Picture to prove I?m not sucking this out of my thumb on a Sunday PM)
Enjoyed the view, and had a little time to walk around the top of the klip...
A storm was brewing in the distance with some feint rumblings of thunder reaching my ears.
(Sorry... going to get another beer)
Right... where was i? Thunder... oh yes.
Sooner rather than later in a cloud of dust and some great noise... I saw a bunch of quads and bikes arrive at the bottom of the klip. A little while later they arrived on top. After dismounting and some laughter and general talking Shite...some-one in the group asked loudly: ?Waar kom jy vandaan?? being myself... I said while pointing ?van daar onder af?...getting no reaction?I explained my journey from Johannesburg?they noted their admiration for getting to the top of the klip with my 650?
After kitting up I got onto my trusty donkey to make my way down...in front of all these farmers...i found it strange how my confidence disappeared when realizing I now have to perform in front of an audience.
I made it down with no incident...
I hit the road back. Over the jumps and through the soft sand. Instead of just heading back the way I came, I had some time and took the dirt towards Brits (as the sign said)
At the end of this long dirt highway, I saw the familiar start of the Canal routes I traveled with Shark and the guys when we visited the village last.
Bottomed out once?seeing an attractive looking little rise...thinking if I can build up enough speed I might get some air. But to my dismay, just before the rise was a serious run-off testing the limits of the Dakar?s suspension...
Took it a little easier after that...and still managed to overshoot a corner...Braking hard I managed to stop just off the dirt in some grass..: oops: back on the road...i enjoyed the dirt all the way to the tar...
I stopped at the famous wimpy garage to inflate my tires and made my way home.
All in all, I made good time, and had a little time to stop off at the local Keg for some refreshment
That was my 4hour solo to the klip and back.
(The mediocrity of my cell phone pics will hopefully be overlooked by the members of this board
)
30 minutes later saw me heading towards harties it was 13:00 (after spending 30 minutes chasing the stoopid farking dog all over the complex in riding pants and boots sweating my canoonies off?) I had a faint inclination to travel some canal dirt, armed with a topo map, and a fair sense of fakawe. This is DS biking... so things rarely go according to plan... and I found myself on the route we traveled to the klip on our goodwill run.
I did not have a hell of a lot of time. So fast tar it was, I took 2 wrong turns left (both ending in farms. with no farmers wives...)
Finally found the famous road where Red made poor bloudraad lay down for a little rest.
Deflated tires as this is fast dirt with some sandy patches thrown in for good measure.
Followed the familiar road past Dikololo and other private reserves to the second intersection, and turned right towards the viliage...This piece of road is great?soft sand.. Jumps... corners?monkeys...
Into the village... and it was quiet, just the blaring of the shabeen sound system... and some kids screaming hellos and waving from under a tree in a yard.
Found the track around the klip... and went around once...
I thought it to be really quiet. No quads, bikes or anything... not even locals. I made my way around and fount the ascent to the top...up I went... no idea if it was the right way up...thinking ?It wasn?t this steep last time we were here? writing that thought off to the courage we had at the shabeen when we were here last, I made my way to the top of the klip..In one piece.
(Picture to prove I?m not sucking this out of my thumb on a Sunday PM)
Enjoyed the view, and had a little time to walk around the top of the klip...
A storm was brewing in the distance with some feint rumblings of thunder reaching my ears.
(Sorry... going to get another beer)
Right... where was i? Thunder... oh yes.
Sooner rather than later in a cloud of dust and some great noise... I saw a bunch of quads and bikes arrive at the bottom of the klip. A little while later they arrived on top. After dismounting and some laughter and general talking Shite...some-one in the group asked loudly: ?Waar kom jy vandaan?? being myself... I said while pointing ?van daar onder af?...getting no reaction?I explained my journey from Johannesburg?they noted their admiration for getting to the top of the klip with my 650?
After kitting up I got onto my trusty donkey to make my way down...in front of all these farmers...i found it strange how my confidence disappeared when realizing I now have to perform in front of an audience.
I made it down with no incident...
I hit the road back. Over the jumps and through the soft sand. Instead of just heading back the way I came, I had some time and took the dirt towards Brits (as the sign said)
At the end of this long dirt highway, I saw the familiar start of the Canal routes I traveled with Shark and the guys when we visited the village last.
Bottomed out once?seeing an attractive looking little rise...thinking if I can build up enough speed I might get some air. But to my dismay, just before the rise was a serious run-off testing the limits of the Dakar?s suspension...
Took it a little easier after that...and still managed to overshoot a corner...Braking hard I managed to stop just off the dirt in some grass..: oops: back on the road...i enjoyed the dirt all the way to the tar...
I stopped at the famous wimpy garage to inflate my tires and made my way home.
All in all, I made good time, and had a little time to stop off at the local Keg for some refreshment
That was my 4hour solo to the klip and back.
(The mediocrity of my cell phone pics will hopefully be overlooked by the members of this board
)
