MAT250
Puppy
Now that the rack on the TTR is sorted out and I’ve done a daytrip with a bit of exploring to get an idea of what distances and at what speeds are possible per day, I thought it is time to pack the bike for a weekend trip … no idea in particular of where to go but West seems as good as any. 05:30 Saturday morning I SMS my friend saying I’m not going to pitch for cycling and snooze till a bit later. After packing a few things for a truly Minimalist Adventure Tour (MAT) and spending some time figuring out what the best arrangement would be to secure everything to the virgin rack, I’m out the gate just before 10:00.
The roads in town are crowded with people in cars hurrying to the shops, I’m on my bike leaving it all behind with a grin on my face ....West is still a whole day’s riding away.
I head through the mountains at Hennops to Hartbeespoort and stop on the dam wall to take some photos.
And just past the wall I make a quick stop at Tant Malie se Winkle (Aunt Malie’s Store) before I settle into cruising mode for the stretch to Magaliesburg.
At Magaliesburg I stop for lunch and then take the road to Derby where I refuel for the first time after doing 158km since leaving home. This road and the section from Deby to Koster is boring with not much to see but a few odd and almost abandoned railway towns and no matter what direction you are travelling in, it seems you are always riding into the wind. (The effect of this was obvious at the second refuelling stop, 22.74km/l).
From Koster I still head West to Swartruggens, still into the wind but I’ve never been onto this road so time and km passes quickly. The day is getting old so a place to stay for the night is starting to feature every now and then in my mind …. I notice a sign in Swartruggens indicating a dam and campsite so I take the first road left (south) to Mafikeng but some km out of town there is still no sing of a dam or any further signposts so I stop to look at the map ….hmmm, no dam either, perhaps it is to small to be on the map … but there is a dam on the map to the North of Swartruggens, actually three dams and I’m sure it would be possible to camp at, at least one of them. A farmer confirms this so Marico Bushveld Dam becomes the target.
Going North through Swartruggens the road takes me through the bushveld and some mountains at Lindleyspoort and then West again. Some distance after turning West I start thinking about fuel, in this part of the world a town on a map could simply be a few houses and nothing else. I stop to ask a farm worker and he confirms that fuel is available in Silverkrans not to far from there. It is now late afternoon and Silverkrans is buzzing in typical African style …. I have to slow right down to avoid children, chickens, donkeys and there are people pushing wheelbarrows full of beer all over the place and road …. but there is fuel so I stop to refuel for the second time.
They also sell beer there but think better of it I move on, the day is now really starting to get old and I still don’t have a place to sleep.
In Pella I stop to put my earplugs back in after the hasty departure at the petrol station and notice a beer tavern that is not to busy. Great stuff, R6 / 76 US Cent a beer and with 4 beers stashed into the luggage I’m on the road again after having to take a happy snap of the very merry patrons.
Just past 17:00 and with the sun low on the horizon I roll into the campsite at the dam happy to find out they will let me in on the motorbike and having a place to sleep for the night.
Pitching the tent I discover the tent pegs are missing, a result of load sharing on a previous trip …. but a couple of wooden pegs and beers later the tent is up. Dinner is Beans-in-Tomato Sauce-Noodle-Soup followed by coffee .... all from my trusty old fire-bucket.
A look in the map book reveals that I’m off the usual page and about 60-70km from Botswana …. sipping coffee in the dark under a zillion stars I can’t help but smile!!
Sunday afternoon I arrive back home just after sunset and just in time to see the International Space Station shoot overhead twice at a ridiculous speed around 18:55. Total distance for the weekend - 606km mostly on-road, average fuel consumption 24.32km/L. (Worst fuel consumption 22.74km/L, best 25.77km/L)
The roads in town are crowded with people in cars hurrying to the shops, I’m on my bike leaving it all behind with a grin on my face ....West is still a whole day’s riding away.
I head through the mountains at Hennops to Hartbeespoort and stop on the dam wall to take some photos.
And just past the wall I make a quick stop at Tant Malie se Winkle (Aunt Malie’s Store) before I settle into cruising mode for the stretch to Magaliesburg.
At Magaliesburg I stop for lunch and then take the road to Derby where I refuel for the first time after doing 158km since leaving home. This road and the section from Deby to Koster is boring with not much to see but a few odd and almost abandoned railway towns and no matter what direction you are travelling in, it seems you are always riding into the wind. (The effect of this was obvious at the second refuelling stop, 22.74km/l).
From Koster I still head West to Swartruggens, still into the wind but I’ve never been onto this road so time and km passes quickly. The day is getting old so a place to stay for the night is starting to feature every now and then in my mind …. I notice a sign in Swartruggens indicating a dam and campsite so I take the first road left (south) to Mafikeng but some km out of town there is still no sing of a dam or any further signposts so I stop to look at the map ….hmmm, no dam either, perhaps it is to small to be on the map … but there is a dam on the map to the North of Swartruggens, actually three dams and I’m sure it would be possible to camp at, at least one of them. A farmer confirms this so Marico Bushveld Dam becomes the target.
Going North through Swartruggens the road takes me through the bushveld and some mountains at Lindleyspoort and then West again. Some distance after turning West I start thinking about fuel, in this part of the world a town on a map could simply be a few houses and nothing else. I stop to ask a farm worker and he confirms that fuel is available in Silverkrans not to far from there. It is now late afternoon and Silverkrans is buzzing in typical African style …. I have to slow right down to avoid children, chickens, donkeys and there are people pushing wheelbarrows full of beer all over the place and road …. but there is fuel so I stop to refuel for the second time.
They also sell beer there but think better of it I move on, the day is now really starting to get old and I still don’t have a place to sleep.
In Pella I stop to put my earplugs back in after the hasty departure at the petrol station and notice a beer tavern that is not to busy. Great stuff, R6 / 76 US Cent a beer and with 4 beers stashed into the luggage I’m on the road again after having to take a happy snap of the very merry patrons.
Just past 17:00 and with the sun low on the horizon I roll into the campsite at the dam happy to find out they will let me in on the motorbike and having a place to sleep for the night.
Pitching the tent I discover the tent pegs are missing, a result of load sharing on a previous trip …. but a couple of wooden pegs and beers later the tent is up. Dinner is Beans-in-Tomato Sauce-Noodle-Soup followed by coffee .... all from my trusty old fire-bucket.
A look in the map book reveals that I’m off the usual page and about 60-70km from Botswana …. sipping coffee in the dark under a zillion stars I can’t help but smile!!
Sunday afternoon I arrive back home just after sunset and just in time to see the International Space Station shoot overhead twice at a ridiculous speed around 18:55. Total distance for the weekend - 606km mostly on-road, average fuel consumption 24.32km/L. (Worst fuel consumption 22.74km/L, best 25.77km/L)
