MadDog
Pack Dog
After some last minute planning on Friday I decided that a good ride was in order for Saturday morning and started planning to return to the town where i grew up, Mtunzini in Zululand.
I left Durban this morning at 7:30 and after a quick fill up of fuel and some liquid nourishment for myself I headed off on the M4 and joined the R102 at Ballito. I have been wondering for quite some time if the old road I travelled to Durban from Mtunzini still existed and I was pleasantly surprised to see it looking very familiar and not in too bad a condition considering the number of years its been neglected from when the toll roads were constructed.
The ride to Mtunzini was uneventful and very scenic and the Tenere performed flawlessly, its really starting to loosen up now after almost 3000kms.
I pulled into the Fat Cat restaurant in Mtunzini at 9am exactly and had a fantastic Basil Pesto Omlette and some toast with preserves and a surprisingly good Cappuchino, then it was time to head off exploring....
I have included a few pics taken on my cell phone so the quality is not fantastic but the scenery is much better than depicted. I would highly recommend that any DS bike riders explore this area and take their time doing so. Mtunzini is still very unspoiled and well maintained.
I found the old dirt track between the prawn farm and the railway lines near the parksboard entrance to the lagoon and went looking for my 2 friends the Mud Monster and the Sand Monster, found them both at different points throughout the day, both send their regards to all the WildDog's
This old railway bridge was a prime fishing spot for many of us locals growing up, some truly huge Grunter got lifted out of the water here whilst fishing off the concrete pillars supporting the bridge.
After finding the old fishing ground, I went off in search of the famous Raffia Palm monument, these Palms are simply huge and a sight to behold. they have been there as long as I can remember and the site is now declared as a monument.
On route to the monument I found the 1st of my 2 friends, we had a little heart to heart and agreed not to try to kill each other today. Did some duck waddling through and said my goodbyes ..
After the Mud there was some beautiful scenery just before the railway lines that can be seen in the distance
The old Mtunzini railway station, now a derelict old building. So sad to see it looking like this, I remember it in its prime and travelled on the old diesel electric trains up the coast many times in my youth.
Forestry is still a booming business in these parts and there are endless miles of prime gravel roads running around the various Mondi facilities in the area. The smell is still interesting to say the least
After following the route kindly provided by GundaGunda for a while, I found a dirt track heading closer to the railway lines and set off exploring, there was another old derelict building down there by the line switchgear, must have been an old farm station in its heyday.
The gravel roads are in excellent condition in these parts and I could really explore the Tenere's abilities and my own without any other traffic to be seen, come to think of it, I never saw another car on these roads while I was out there.
Went exploring the more technical bits from here and found my friend the Sand Monster, he's a mean SOB but we came to an agreement and I got to ride the single tracks behind the dunes for a while, no photos at this point as I was too busy trying my hardest to stay on the bike. I did get a mugshot of the Sand Monster however
Took this one at the Tugela Mouth
and this one Overlooking the Tugela valley
From here, it was an uneventful ride home again on the N2 until Ballito where I joined the M4 again.
Just a worthwhile mention here, a few weeks ago I bought some new wide footpegs from KTMJedi on the Forum and this ride was my 1st offroad trip using them. I must thank KTMJedi 1st and foremost for the fantastic service and all the help when the pegs didn't fit. 2nd I should mention that these RocStompa ProStomp's are simply sublime, no matter what the conditions and no matter how much mud, my boots did not even slip a single millimeter. These things grip your boots like baby poop grips a nappy.
All in all, I had a fantastic ride and would be happy to join anybody who wants to explore the same tracks at some point in the future.
I left Durban this morning at 7:30 and after a quick fill up of fuel and some liquid nourishment for myself I headed off on the M4 and joined the R102 at Ballito. I have been wondering for quite some time if the old road I travelled to Durban from Mtunzini still existed and I was pleasantly surprised to see it looking very familiar and not in too bad a condition considering the number of years its been neglected from when the toll roads were constructed.
The ride to Mtunzini was uneventful and very scenic and the Tenere performed flawlessly, its really starting to loosen up now after almost 3000kms.
I pulled into the Fat Cat restaurant in Mtunzini at 9am exactly and had a fantastic Basil Pesto Omlette and some toast with preserves and a surprisingly good Cappuchino, then it was time to head off exploring....
I have included a few pics taken on my cell phone so the quality is not fantastic but the scenery is much better than depicted. I would highly recommend that any DS bike riders explore this area and take their time doing so. Mtunzini is still very unspoiled and well maintained.
I found the old dirt track between the prawn farm and the railway lines near the parksboard entrance to the lagoon and went looking for my 2 friends the Mud Monster and the Sand Monster, found them both at different points throughout the day, both send their regards to all the WildDog's
This old railway bridge was a prime fishing spot for many of us locals growing up, some truly huge Grunter got lifted out of the water here whilst fishing off the concrete pillars supporting the bridge.
After finding the old fishing ground, I went off in search of the famous Raffia Palm monument, these Palms are simply huge and a sight to behold. they have been there as long as I can remember and the site is now declared as a monument.
On route to the monument I found the 1st of my 2 friends, we had a little heart to heart and agreed not to try to kill each other today. Did some duck waddling through and said my goodbyes ..
After the Mud there was some beautiful scenery just before the railway lines that can be seen in the distance
The old Mtunzini railway station, now a derelict old building. So sad to see it looking like this, I remember it in its prime and travelled on the old diesel electric trains up the coast many times in my youth.
Forestry is still a booming business in these parts and there are endless miles of prime gravel roads running around the various Mondi facilities in the area. The smell is still interesting to say the least
After following the route kindly provided by GundaGunda for a while, I found a dirt track heading closer to the railway lines and set off exploring, there was another old derelict building down there by the line switchgear, must have been an old farm station in its heyday.
The gravel roads are in excellent condition in these parts and I could really explore the Tenere's abilities and my own without any other traffic to be seen, come to think of it, I never saw another car on these roads while I was out there.
Went exploring the more technical bits from here and found my friend the Sand Monster, he's a mean SOB but we came to an agreement and I got to ride the single tracks behind the dunes for a while, no photos at this point as I was too busy trying my hardest to stay on the bike. I did get a mugshot of the Sand Monster however
Took this one at the Tugela Mouth
and this one Overlooking the Tugela valley
From here, it was an uneventful ride home again on the N2 until Ballito where I joined the M4 again.
Just a worthwhile mention here, a few weeks ago I bought some new wide footpegs from KTMJedi on the Forum and this ride was my 1st offroad trip using them. I must thank KTMJedi 1st and foremost for the fantastic service and all the help when the pegs didn't fit. 2nd I should mention that these RocStompa ProStomp's are simply sublime, no matter what the conditions and no matter how much mud, my boots did not even slip a single millimeter. These things grip your boots like baby poop grips a nappy.
All in all, I had a fantastic ride and would be happy to join anybody who wants to explore the same tracks at some point in the future.
