Prinsloo'skloof and the Joubertina Loop - bandwith intensive!

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letsgofishing

Grey Hound
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Location
Sedgefield
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Honda XL650V Transalp
OK, so here goes my version:
"It was a dark and stormy night, with the rain hammering down on the corrugated iron roof and fiery flashes of lightning illuminating the ghostly desolation of the valley we were camped in."

Sorry, that was for a different ride report! This one has sunshine, beautiful blue skies and at night, the Milky Way and other countless millions of stars twinkling gently around us.

Just after eight on Saturday, the SC dogs rolled into Sedgefiled where I joined them. We hit the tar to Knysna where some of the guys topped up with gas, before proceeding to Simola Golf Estate where we would meet Chris L. We then set off towards Gouna and Kom se Pad. I've ridden it countless times and still think it is THE most beautiful ride through indigenous forest. This has to be on your Bucket List - and when you do ride it, take it slow. The day was warming up and the obligatory stop at Angies G Spot was just the thing to wash the dirt from our throats. Prince Alfred Pass was next, as we were due to meet Rooipoot at Avontuur. The road from the end of Kom se Pad to Avontuur has really been degraded due to all the seasonal traffic - particularly the stretch to De Vlugt.

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Meeting up with Chris L at Simola

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Along Kom se Pad - Leftless was too fast for me!

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Chris L

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Pad

And then onto Prince Alfred's Pass

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There's a fair amount of water flowing in the river in Prince Alfred's Pass.

Anyway, after another round of introductions, we set of on the tar towards Joubetina, where we filled up and had lunch at The Ark - great value for money, but the service is really on the slow side. We were going to do the loop that starts just before Joubertina and comes out 14km beyond it, but as we were to meet the PE dogs at around 3pm, we decided to skip it and head for Kareedouw where Watty, Uncle Al, Crab, Drazil and daughter were waiting for us. Some MORE paw shaking took place, accompanied by another cold one to prepare us for the ride into Jan Prinsloo's Kloof.

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The Ark at Joubertina

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Catching up with the latest news

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View from The Ark

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Meeting the PE dogs at Assegaaibosch


The owners of the farm and his family, who have owned it for four generations, led us (very slowly) in their bakkies into the kloof. At one point he stopped to explain to us that we were about to descend 450m in 1.5km - yes, it was quite steep, but I had expected the road to be much worse. The views along the way were stunning and as for the holiday houses on the river - what a spot!

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How this for a getaway-from-it-all spot!

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This is the steep bit!

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A couple of dogs chasing a bakkie!  :biggrin:

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The couple who were turned to stone after witnessing the murder.

Arriving at the old farmhouse.
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Crab

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Terror SA

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Pad

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Gryph

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Dr Dirt

After unpacking the bikes and settling in, Pad, Dr Dirt and myself decided to go for a swim in the river.
I dont think they are very good swimmers, as this is as deep as they got!
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And this is where they were meant to be!
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As dusk started settling, the fire was lit and the inevitable wild dog socialising began. Soon it was in full swing, with people stumbling over tent pegs, falling off benches and hanging up african masks to keep the spirits at bay. My camera doesn't take great pics at night, so see the main report for this.

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From L to R: Watty fortifying himself for the terrors ahead; Drazil following suit; Crab deep in thought about the legend of the kloof and Chris L just plain tired after a long day's ride. ;)

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From L to R: Terror SA; Trailrider or should that be Ghostrider; Dr Dirt; HorsePower the Harley maniac - big respect to him and Gryph who's a little camera shy.

I forgot to mention that as dusk fell, bats starting emerging from the roof - at least 20 if not more - 1 at time. TR wouldn't believe us as every time we told him to look round, he'd stare for a few seconds and then turn back. Just as he did so, another one would emerge. I think he just has a short attention span. In the background of the previous pic, you can see Rooipoot trying to capture a picture.

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The valley at dusk
 
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