Makmoer
Pack Dog
Just a quick one to share some pics of my recent impromptu solo stint to the West Coast. Started Thursday morning June 26th, same day they announced a country-wide cold front of epic proportions.. err... maybe not that harsh, but the wind blowing up into my Hornet said differently. Since the 1200 was due for a service, I planned to stop in Upington along the way. Four days didnt leave me much time for exploring, just needed to get out there... you know that feeling: desolation was needed.
Reached Vryburg at 5pm, and suddenly Upington seemed too far considering the nighttime wildlife traffic in those parts. Opted for a nice guesthouse in town, thats a personal treat - ride one star, sleep five star. Heck what can I say, I am spoiled dammit although I dont mind the usual digout with head on a klip.
Entrance to Vryburg..
Got going early Friday morning to a cool 0.5 degrees frosty morning.
Left at 7am arriving in Upington at 11am, headed straight to the local BMW dealer and they went way above and beyond, even getting their BMW guy from a day's leave to do the service. I recommend anyone to support these guys, splendid bunch of people, as is most people in those parts. Hospitality of note.
Snapped these custom panniers there... any ideas where they come from. Bike had a Namibia plate.
Two hours later (yeah, service done and dusted in 120 minutes flat), I headed out west for Macdougals Bay where I stayed in a friend's house on the beach. Arrived at 7.30pm, shivering and shaking... you'll all be familiar with knees slapping the tank, a different sort of tank slapper it was.
Gotta love this even though it doesnt twist, drift, shed rubber or makes your head spin:
Entrance into Springbok, getting dark and cold:
Macdougals:
Only guest on the beach:
Warm shower, off to bed and scanning my GPS for places of interest. Spotted "Die Wonder Gat" and set off seeing this geographical oddity. Head 90kms north to Alexanderbay, past the border post, keep going towards Sendelings Drift... good gravel ride along the Orange, pleased to see a Richtersveld signpost. So here is where they speak of.
View over the orange... all orange (c',mon, its a filter.. lugged a fat SLR all the way):
Wonder gat indeed odd... no fencing, with quad tire marks heading into the opening. Wondered how many dooskarretjies it will take to fill it to the brim?
Die wonder gat...
GS makes a damn nice picture.. I know, I know. Katoom will disappear in the filter (ride one myself, check my stats ok :mwink
My personal favorite of the weekend (copyright... snipers! I'll find you!):
The reason you ride 3300km in a long weekend, sit there and stare into Namibia:
Sundown in front of Inn (Port Nolloth):
Left Die Gat content, back to Macdougals... to find a message for business commitment on Monday, which implied a straight cut on Sunday.
Left Macdougals - after hearty meals at the Inn and equally friendly people, and my team (the Cheetahs ofblerriecourse) get whipped - at 6am on Sunday. Interesting the temperature differences on the low lying area before you get to Springbok.. started at 15degrees, dropping to 4 degreess 50kms later, through the pass with alarming side-winds pushing my turns wide. Not the place to wreck I guess.
Thank God for heated grips, even the clutch and brake fingers went dead in mere kilometers. Speaking of wind, coming down from Gauteng I had a horrible head-wind, dropping fuel consumption to 9l/100km.. thats heavy for a bike ha. Admittedly at 150km/h average, this boy runs with tongue dragging when its that cold... German boxer just loves the cold, fitting for its heritage I guess.
[EDIT] No comments on that GPS mount ok. Crappy Garmin mount for my usual Quest busted, so Nuvi had to make do... looks like crap, I know!
Just passed these guys at mach 1 en route to Kuruman... heads were still spinning inside (just kidding, serias):
So single push back to Pretoria, arrived 7.30pm covering 1330km in a day. Strangely enough not half as tired as with the 1150 GSA, could be the wind protection on the 1200GSA? Even next day I felt completely normal, not the usual post-plastic-like-disinterest (for lack of a better word).
Enjoyed the ride, enjoyed the people (the ones I actually got to see), and I love those lonely places.... in the words of HP Lovecraft:
"That is not dead which can eternal lie.
"And with strange aeons even death may die.."
Yes, its that deep.
I dedicate this trip to my riding partner Mathys
- an adventure biker of note -
we'll ride again bud..!
Reached Vryburg at 5pm, and suddenly Upington seemed too far considering the nighttime wildlife traffic in those parts. Opted for a nice guesthouse in town, thats a personal treat - ride one star, sleep five star. Heck what can I say, I am spoiled dammit although I dont mind the usual digout with head on a klip.
Entrance to Vryburg..
Got going early Friday morning to a cool 0.5 degrees frosty morning.
Left at 7am arriving in Upington at 11am, headed straight to the local BMW dealer and they went way above and beyond, even getting their BMW guy from a day's leave to do the service. I recommend anyone to support these guys, splendid bunch of people, as is most people in those parts. Hospitality of note.
Snapped these custom panniers there... any ideas where they come from. Bike had a Namibia plate.
Two hours later (yeah, service done and dusted in 120 minutes flat), I headed out west for Macdougals Bay where I stayed in a friend's house on the beach. Arrived at 7.30pm, shivering and shaking... you'll all be familiar with knees slapping the tank, a different sort of tank slapper it was.
Gotta love this even though it doesnt twist, drift, shed rubber or makes your head spin:
Entrance into Springbok, getting dark and cold:
Macdougals:
Only guest on the beach:
Warm shower, off to bed and scanning my GPS for places of interest. Spotted "Die Wonder Gat" and set off seeing this geographical oddity. Head 90kms north to Alexanderbay, past the border post, keep going towards Sendelings Drift... good gravel ride along the Orange, pleased to see a Richtersveld signpost. So here is where they speak of.
View over the orange... all orange (c',mon, its a filter.. lugged a fat SLR all the way):
Wonder gat indeed odd... no fencing, with quad tire marks heading into the opening. Wondered how many dooskarretjies it will take to fill it to the brim?
Die wonder gat...
GS makes a damn nice picture.. I know, I know. Katoom will disappear in the filter (ride one myself, check my stats ok :mwink
My personal favorite of the weekend (copyright... snipers! I'll find you!):
The reason you ride 3300km in a long weekend, sit there and stare into Namibia:
Sundown in front of Inn (Port Nolloth):
Left Die Gat content, back to Macdougals... to find a message for business commitment on Monday, which implied a straight cut on Sunday.
Left Macdougals - after hearty meals at the Inn and equally friendly people, and my team (the Cheetahs ofblerriecourse) get whipped - at 6am on Sunday. Interesting the temperature differences on the low lying area before you get to Springbok.. started at 15degrees, dropping to 4 degreess 50kms later, through the pass with alarming side-winds pushing my turns wide. Not the place to wreck I guess.
Thank God for heated grips, even the clutch and brake fingers went dead in mere kilometers. Speaking of wind, coming down from Gauteng I had a horrible head-wind, dropping fuel consumption to 9l/100km.. thats heavy for a bike ha. Admittedly at 150km/h average, this boy runs with tongue dragging when its that cold... German boxer just loves the cold, fitting for its heritage I guess.
[EDIT] No comments on that GPS mount ok. Crappy Garmin mount for my usual Quest busted, so Nuvi had to make do... looks like crap, I know!
Just passed these guys at mach 1 en route to Kuruman... heads were still spinning inside (just kidding, serias):
So single push back to Pretoria, arrived 7.30pm covering 1330km in a day. Strangely enough not half as tired as with the 1150 GSA, could be the wind protection on the 1200GSA? Even next day I felt completely normal, not the usual post-plastic-like-disinterest (for lack of a better word).
Enjoyed the ride, enjoyed the people (the ones I actually got to see), and I love those lonely places.... in the words of HP Lovecraft:
"That is not dead which can eternal lie.
"And with strange aeons even death may die.."
Yes, its that deep.
I dedicate this trip to my riding partner Mathys
- an adventure biker of note -
we'll ride again bud..!
