Waterplaas via Klein Rivier

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JERINOMO

Race Dog
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
1,194
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Location
Port Elizabeth
Bike
BMW F800GS
Waterplaas via Klein Rivier

STAGE 1.

Distance:  87km
Duration: 1h:30min


I had it all planned, route has been planned and plotted on Mapsource, and it has been downloaded on my GPS (3 Days old).
There’s an old saying:  “If all else fails read the instructions”. I was under the impression that if I download a route from mapsource onto the GPS, it will automatically show on the display. If I read the instructions when I bought my GPS, I would have known to import the routes via the “My Data” screen. Anyway I only found that out after I arrived home.

Not letting it affects me too much I was off at about 08:00 without my planned route. Wanted to make my first stop at Groendal Dam, but could not find the road to the dam. Decide to abort the Groendal section and went straight to the Cockscomb road, doing the route as best as I could remember.

As I turned into the Cockscomb road, I knew this is going to be a great day.

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Was just wondering if those roads on that distant mountain were accessible to the “public”

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I’ve planned to take a detour while doing the Cockscomb road, and did some 20km’s on farm roads. I was stopped by one of the farmers and asked where I was going. Not in an interrogative manner but rather to give me directions. After I told him that I visit Dion’s farm, he politely asked me to ride as silent as possible as the tree farms I’m crossing before Dion’s farm are Game farms. I’m glad I phoned Dion this morning to get permission to do some riding on his farm.

Let the fun and games begun. My turnoff into the first Game Farm. If life gets any better than this, I want to know about it.

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The majority of Farm roads are double track roads

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Some directions nailed to a tree

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A giraffe.  (I need a Camera. Cell phones are for phoning, not photography!!!)

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OK let me help you.

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Another gate to negotiate.

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A waterhole hidden behind some thorn trees.

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About a kilometre into this game farm I came upon two ostriches. I thought of what TR said about their sensitivity to noise and decided to wait until they vanish into the thicket. They had no intention to go off the road, so I slowly start to move forward hoping that they’ll get the message.

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And off they went ...down the road. I just followed about 100m behind, hoping that they will scatter, and then a third ostrich joined them.

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They jogged in front of me for about 2km’s. At the next gate they swirl to the right and looked back. They stopped, turned around and came walking toward me. I thought sh..t what’s going on. Maybe they where dazzled by the red beast. Maybe they were afraid of the “dark side” and were drawn by the “light”.    :imaposer:  A violent wave of the arm and they stopped. Maybe they were tamed or something.

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I was surprised by this little rivulet that was in flow.

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Eventually I arrived at Klein Rivier

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On arrival at the ranch, Dion was probably fixing something somewhere. It’s a good time for an early lunch. I grabbed a banana and a naartjie. Not to be too healthy, I tackled a bag of Big Corn bites.

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In the background is the kloof with a tented camp called Black Eagle Camp. After lunch I’ll take a ride down and show you the gates. I did not visit the tented camp, but I’ll show you some photographs I took when we had a weekend away.

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Some Guinea-fowl  that ruled the yard

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I gave them some Big Corn Bites and they liked it. Dion, if your speed chickens are having some indigestion, it’s the Big Corn Bites.

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This is the entrance into the kloof toward the gate of  Black Eagle Camp.

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It’s a beautiful, scenic road to the camp.

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The rest will follow soon.

 
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