lonerider
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,906
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Stellenbosch
- Bike
- BMW R1150GS Adventure
Random collection of pictures taken during my ride up.
Route was:
Day 1: Stellebosch - Ceres - Sutherland - Carnarvon
Day 2: Carnarvon - Brandvlei - Pofadder
Day 3: Poffadder - Vioolsdrif
Then - Bash!! >
Didn't take a lot of pictures, sadly not even of the corrugations and trucks that made the second half of Day 2 an absolute nightmare.
Day 1
Day started with a Wimpy breakfast at the Winelands Engen 1-Stop with some old good friend. These would be the same people I'd be visiting in Carnarvon - but as Danie had just come back from the USA the night before, we all thought a good bit of Wimpy coffee would be the proper way to start a Karoo day.
Whilst they took the tar route back (errands to do on the way), I turned off for Ceres to take one of my favourite dirt roads to Sutherland. It soon became apparent that (sections of) the Karoo had had some rain - the vygies were out in full bloom!
Not all them were purple either - even found a few patches of yellow.
One for the "Roads in a distance" thread...
"Long and winding road"
Those vygies were prolific - think the bees might have been happy and busy this spring!
Day 2
Started out nice and early. Sadly my camera didn't do justice to the vista and light I saw that morning, but here's a shot that might give you some idea of how far one can see on a clear Karoo morning.
The road to Brandvlei was pretty good. Apparently the substrate has been laid for future tarring if the SKA project comes our way. So the first bit was smooth sailing.
Late morning I decided I was tired - more so that I could enjoy the delicious fresh apple and tasty biltong my gracious hosts had packed in for me when I left them that morning than from any exertion...
Strange thing is, on these never-ending Karoo roads there are very few places to pull over, and virtually no shady spots to rest under. So I was grateful when I spotted a lone, dilapidated scrawny thorn "tree" offering scant shade. I pulled off and parked underneath...
... only to notice that there were some picnic spots set up. Now why wouldn't they have put them near where the trees were growing...? ???
The 235 km from Carnarvon to Brandvlei passed without incident - except that I almost ended up going to Van Wyksvlei when I entered the wrong route on my GPS. Caught it in time, but it cost me about 20km of backtracking.
When I got to Brandvlei, I realised that in the 3 hours it took me to cover the 235 km, I had seen only 3 humans, no vehicles or vehicular dust trails (not even in the distance), and about 165+ sheep nibbling away at the Karoobossies...
In start contrast, my (unphotographed) ride from Brandvlei to Pofadder was most unpleasant. The roads I ended up on are used by heavily loaded quarry trucks and Interlink freight trucks - all barelling along the under-maintained gravel roads at full speed. Apart from the billowing sandstorms they created that left me blinded each time we crossed paths, they also made such deep, continuous corrugations in the road surface that the 200-odd km from Brandvlei to Pofadder was one long bone-jarring barrage of vibrations, bumps, rattles and mechanical masochism. Apart from loosing the filling I have yet to receive, the bike only suffered a loose mirror, quickly fixed after my numbed hands stopped tingling.
No photographs were taken of this bit of gravel hell, as I only wanted it - and the +35C and 20 knots headwinds - to go away.
Day 3
Pofadder to Vioolsdrif. I wanted to take a loop up north before coming back down to join the N14 - but due to a misunderstanding between my GPS and the actual terrain I ended up doing - and enjoying! - a lot more! No idea what roads I ended up on after taking the Klein Pella turnoff, but here are some pictures from that stretch.
Bash! / Bushwacked
Awesome place!
View from the shower:
Campsite and neighbours
Friday evening sunset
Saturday sunset
Serenity...
We live in a beautiful, diverse, random, open, inviting, friendly country!!
Route was:
Day 1: Stellebosch - Ceres - Sutherland - Carnarvon
Day 2: Carnarvon - Brandvlei - Pofadder
Day 3: Poffadder - Vioolsdrif
Then - Bash!! >
Didn't take a lot of pictures, sadly not even of the corrugations and trucks that made the second half of Day 2 an absolute nightmare.
Day 1
Day started with a Wimpy breakfast at the Winelands Engen 1-Stop with some old good friend. These would be the same people I'd be visiting in Carnarvon - but as Danie had just come back from the USA the night before, we all thought a good bit of Wimpy coffee would be the proper way to start a Karoo day.
Whilst they took the tar route back (errands to do on the way), I turned off for Ceres to take one of my favourite dirt roads to Sutherland. It soon became apparent that (sections of) the Karoo had had some rain - the vygies were out in full bloom!
Not all them were purple either - even found a few patches of yellow.
One for the "Roads in a distance" thread...
"Long and winding road"
Those vygies were prolific - think the bees might have been happy and busy this spring!
Day 2
Started out nice and early. Sadly my camera didn't do justice to the vista and light I saw that morning, but here's a shot that might give you some idea of how far one can see on a clear Karoo morning.
The road to Brandvlei was pretty good. Apparently the substrate has been laid for future tarring if the SKA project comes our way. So the first bit was smooth sailing.
Late morning I decided I was tired - more so that I could enjoy the delicious fresh apple and tasty biltong my gracious hosts had packed in for me when I left them that morning than from any exertion...
Strange thing is, on these never-ending Karoo roads there are very few places to pull over, and virtually no shady spots to rest under. So I was grateful when I spotted a lone, dilapidated scrawny thorn "tree" offering scant shade. I pulled off and parked underneath...
... only to notice that there were some picnic spots set up. Now why wouldn't they have put them near where the trees were growing...? ???
The 235 km from Carnarvon to Brandvlei passed without incident - except that I almost ended up going to Van Wyksvlei when I entered the wrong route on my GPS. Caught it in time, but it cost me about 20km of backtracking.
When I got to Brandvlei, I realised that in the 3 hours it took me to cover the 235 km, I had seen only 3 humans, no vehicles or vehicular dust trails (not even in the distance), and about 165+ sheep nibbling away at the Karoobossies...
In start contrast, my (unphotographed) ride from Brandvlei to Pofadder was most unpleasant. The roads I ended up on are used by heavily loaded quarry trucks and Interlink freight trucks - all barelling along the under-maintained gravel roads at full speed. Apart from the billowing sandstorms they created that left me blinded each time we crossed paths, they also made such deep, continuous corrugations in the road surface that the 200-odd km from Brandvlei to Pofadder was one long bone-jarring barrage of vibrations, bumps, rattles and mechanical masochism. Apart from loosing the filling I have yet to receive, the bike only suffered a loose mirror, quickly fixed after my numbed hands stopped tingling.
No photographs were taken of this bit of gravel hell, as I only wanted it - and the +35C and 20 knots headwinds - to go away.
Day 3
Pofadder to Vioolsdrif. I wanted to take a loop up north before coming back down to join the N14 - but due to a misunderstanding between my GPS and the actual terrain I ended up doing - and enjoying!
- a lot more! No idea what roads I ended up on after taking the Klein Pella turnoff, but here are some pictures from that stretch.
Bash! / Bushwacked
Awesome place!
View from the shower:
Campsite and neighbours
Friday evening sunset
Saturday sunset
Serenity...
We live in a beautiful, diverse, random, open, inviting, friendly country!!
