Weekend away from the rain - OR NOT!!!

With the weather forecast predicting a foul weekend in PE, I decided to accept the invitation extended by Mr T. and accompany them for an overnight stay at Noorspoort, just outside Steytlerville.  Accompanied by Dorothee, we left PE with heavy clouds threatening. Arriving at Mr T’s house in Uitenhage at 8, the rest of the group was already having coffee.


The group was to be made up of Mr & Mrs T on the 1200ADV, Ettienne and Daleen on the 1200GS, Dorothee on the F800, Mr T’s son, Sven on the 750 STen and myself.  

The plan was to take the gravel roads to Kirkwood for breakfast, then on to Steytlerville for the night.  

We picked up a slight drizzle just outside Uitenhage, the kind that is not wet enough to kill the dust, but wet enough to stick to the front of the bike and catch all the dust.

Some passing shots




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Entering Kirkwood.  Sven




Breakfast


The bikes


Sven having loads of fun


Mr & Mrs T


Ettienne and Daleen


We then found this riverbed, so I thought it would be a good idea to go and play in the mud.  ;D


Mr T saw how much fun I was having and decided to join me.  :biggrin:


Mr T having fun in the mud, or is it on the mud!  Man, the EC needs rain!!


Dorothee needed to fill up but then started complaining that the bowser didn’t work.


I reckoned she was doing it wrong so I had a go myself.  Turns out she was right.  It wasn’t working.  Apparently the pump is also suffering a drought of some kind.


The bikes waiting patiently for us to finish our nonsense.  What happens on the ride ...




Steytlerville.  I am always amazed that no one has ever tried to remove the guns from the top of the monument.


After a beer or 2 (or was it 3 or 4) we moved on, through Noorstpoort


After settling in and the guest house, Sven and I took a ride around the farm.  Now that was fun!  Terrain constantly changed from gravel to soft sand, to rocks of every size, steep uphills, steeper downhills.  A view from the top.  The area of trees on the left of the dry river is where we eventually ended up.




The good part of the road.


We encountered a few interesting sights.


This one amused certain people no end.  Again, what happens on the ride ...


And then Sven got the fire going.


Suppertime!


And Mrs T ended off with toasted marshmellows.





Sunday morning we decided to split, as Dorothee had not yet been to Miller Station.  Her and I decided to head in that direction via Klipplaat


The road, Steytlerville to Klipplaat.








Klipplaat


En route to Miller Station.




While we were here, a group of youngsters walked past carrying a fishing rod.  I asked them where on earth they were going to find a place to fish.  He pointed up the hill and told us about the Klipplaat dam.  So we decided to go and check it out.  The level is really low here too.


While we were here another fisherman, who apparently had consumed more liquid than was in the dam, asked Dorothee please to adopt his daughter.  It was time to move on!

The road to Miller Station


Dorothee, checking to see whether there was enough water in the dam for a swim.  That’s the same windmill that almost took of my head on my previous visit here.


Having a break.


Dry riverbed


Yours truly.


Some scenery along the concrete highway between Steytlerville and Willowmore.






After a quick coffee in Willowmore, we headed for Uniondale.  The poort is once again open for traffic so we headed for home.


Well that was the last opportunity for photos as the rain hit us halfway to Kareedouw.  It came down in buckets, for km after km after km.  Fortunately we were on the tar, more than can be said for the rest of the group, who had earlier in the day opted to return via Cockscomb.

Mr T and company, let’s see some real ‘Playing in the mud’ photos.