Chrissie B
Race Dog
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,229
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Costa Blanca, Spain (NC750X)
- Bike
- Honda NC750X
Ride to Africa Twin Club Nationals in Graskop:
So finally the Africa Twin Club decided to have their Nationals near my backyaart... in Graskop. :thumleft:
A bunch of them decided they'll do a pre-nationals ride to Swaziland and make their base here at The Gold Nugget Guesthouse... cool, so I make a plan to take Thursday off to do the Swazi ride with them. But it was not to be, my Africa Twin’s battery died at the SA border, managed to jump start the bike a few times, but it just kept cutting outll!!! Now I was not in a good mood at all... so I phone home... pleeze help... long story short, I need a new 'partner', as he left me stranded at the border for almost 5 hours!!! So now he is definitely FIRED for good!!!
Thanks to Ben and Gerrit who eventually arrived with a new battery and my bike was mobile again.
So... since I missed out on that ride I decided to join the guys on the ride to Graskop the following day... I had to get out of here anyway before there was a dead body to be buried in the garden!!
So me and 7 Guys (Lucky Me… or was it lucky them…ot set out on Friday morning. The plan was to go up Josefdal Road, then turn left to Shiyalongubo Dam, out at Louw’s Creek, double back on the R38 and turn right at Paradors Game Farm, through the farm, then onto Boulders road, a short stretch on the R40 and then into the township near Kaapmuiden to do the Kruger Park fence road, which runs between the railway line and the fence. Then lunch in Hazyview and another stretch in the forest and plantations around there.
Now I must admit that is a longer ride than what I'm used to, but I was sure I would manage that. :3some:
The first bit past the Dam was easy for the most part, except the descent to Louws Creek, the road was washed out and the corners are quite tight and steepish in places.
Paradors was a little more challenging, twee spoor and a steep incline, and then it levelled out to be a really nice gravel road. We had to open and close the gates there, but no one seemed to mind us riding through the farm (we did behave though!).
And then the fun began in earnest… I did the Kruger Park fence road in the opposite direction a few years ago, so I thought I knew what I was in for… but it was nothing like the last time… not as much water, but more rutted and overgrown in lots of places, and all those whoopsies… had fun with the first few, but then realised that sometimes there was holes and scarey stuff on the other side, so was really careful, maybe too much so (according to the sweeper!).
There were two water crossings where I decided I really don’t wanna do them, so one of the guys took my bike through, the one had little water, but I remembered it was rather slippery in the past, and the other had steep embankments on either side, with washed out parts next to the path… and I was too exhausted at that point to attempt this… afterwards I was a bit sorry, as I’m sure I would have managed just fine.
It was a lot of fun, even though I was allegedly going too slow most of the time, and it was much more physical than I had bargained for… I had a few heart stopping moments when I chose the wrong lines, but my faithful Africa Twin just did everything I asked of it, just wished it was not so darn heavy!
Thanks to the Africa Twin Club guys for a wonderful ride, and thanks to my sweeper, Coen, who was probably getting really tired of riding slowly behind me, and helping me out of sticky situations!!!
At Hazyview I decided to take the tar to Graskop, and Schalk and Gerrit decided to join me for a nice twisty ride… which was quite lekker too!
Arrived at Panorama in Graskop around mid afternoon and had a lot of kissing and greeting to do, lol… was so great to see some of the peeps that I had not seen for ages.
I was supposed to come straight back home on Saturday morning… but I enjoyed myself so much that I decided to stay until Sunday! >
Thanks to all the peeps, from the Africa Twin Club, who attended the Nationals for a great weekend. :laughing4:
Here are a couple of pics, mostly hi-jacked, as I don’t have a camera…
Early morning on Shiyalongubo Road, it did clear up later:
So finally the Africa Twin Club decided to have their Nationals near my backyaart... in Graskop. :thumleft:
A bunch of them decided they'll do a pre-nationals ride to Swaziland and make their base here at The Gold Nugget Guesthouse... cool, so I make a plan to take Thursday off to do the Swazi ride with them. But it was not to be, my Africa Twin’s battery died at the SA border, managed to jump start the bike a few times, but it just kept cutting outll!!! Now I was not in a good mood at all... so I phone home... pleeze help... long story short, I need a new 'partner', as he left me stranded at the border for almost 5 hours!!! So now he is definitely FIRED for good!!!
Thanks to Ben and Gerrit who eventually arrived with a new battery and my bike was mobile again.
So... since I missed out on that ride I decided to join the guys on the ride to Graskop the following day... I had to get out of here anyway before there was a dead body to be buried in the garden!!
So me and 7 Guys (Lucky Me… or was it lucky them…
ot set out on Friday morning. The plan was to go up Josefdal Road, then turn left to Shiyalongubo Dam, out at Louw’s Creek, double back on the R38 and turn right at Paradors Game Farm, through the farm, then onto Boulders road, a short stretch on the R40 and then into the township near Kaapmuiden to do the Kruger Park fence road, which runs between the railway line and the fence. Then lunch in Hazyview and another stretch in the forest and plantations around there.Now I must admit that is a longer ride than what I'm used to, but I was sure I would manage that. :3some:
The first bit past the Dam was easy for the most part, except the descent to Louws Creek, the road was washed out and the corners are quite tight and steepish in places.
Paradors was a little more challenging, twee spoor and a steep incline, and then it levelled out to be a really nice gravel road. We had to open and close the gates there, but no one seemed to mind us riding through the farm (we did behave though!).
And then the fun began in earnest… I did the Kruger Park fence road in the opposite direction a few years ago, so I thought I knew what I was in for… but it was nothing like the last time… not as much water, but more rutted and overgrown in lots of places, and all those whoopsies… had fun with the first few, but then realised that sometimes there was holes and scarey stuff on the other side, so was really careful, maybe too much so (according to the sweeper!).
There were two water crossings where I decided I really don’t wanna do them, so one of the guys took my bike through, the one had little water, but I remembered it was rather slippery in the past, and the other had steep embankments on either side, with washed out parts next to the path… and I was too exhausted at that point to attempt this… afterwards I was a bit sorry, as I’m sure I would have managed just fine.
It was a lot of fun, even though I was allegedly going too slow most of the time, and it was much more physical than I had bargained for… I had a few heart stopping moments when I chose the wrong lines, but my faithful Africa Twin just did everything I asked of it, just wished it was not so darn heavy!
Thanks to the Africa Twin Club guys for a wonderful ride, and thanks to my sweeper, Coen, who was probably getting really tired of riding slowly behind me, and helping me out of sticky situations!!!
At Hazyview I decided to take the tar to Graskop, and Schalk and Gerrit decided to join me for a nice twisty ride… which was quite lekker too!
Arrived at Panorama in Graskop around mid afternoon and had a lot of kissing and greeting to do, lol… was so great to see some of the peeps that I had not seen for ages.
I was supposed to come straight back home on Saturday morning… but I enjoyed myself so much that I decided to stay until Sunday! >
Thanks to all the peeps, from the Africa Twin Club, who attended the Nationals for a great weekend. :laughing4:
Here are a couple of pics, mostly hi-jacked, as I don’t have a camera…
Early morning on Shiyalongubo Road, it did clear up later:
