It’s five o’ clock in the morning and bitterly cold outside. I’m on my way to visit my dear old dad on his farm outside the town of JanKempDorp in the North West Province. The reason why I’m leaving so early is because my destination is more than a 1000 kilometres distant and I will be riding dirt most of the way.
Warming up the bike, ready to rumble
The heated grips are switched to full but my denim-clad legs still quiver in the freezing cold. After completing a wet Bainskloof Pass in complete darkness I come to the narrow bridge across the Breeriver. It is surprisingly warm here. In fact, much of the way was characterised by freezing air dotted by floating poo ls of warmth and earthy smells. It is not something motorists in their enclosed automobiles can ever be aware of. It reminds me of wading in the ocean, through layers of warm and cold currents.
S33 31.205 E19 11.139 â€" Bridge over Breeriver
After some 100 kilometres I arrive in the picturesque town of Ceres. The sun is about to rise. I stop above the town to stretch my legs and admire the approaching sun. I try to imagine how the radiation will burn away the dense fog. It is tempting to stay a while and watch the sunrise but I want to get back on the road.
I nod at the devil’s horns. It brings back childhood memories of trips with my mother in her beat-up car. She first showed me this strange rock formation when I was about ten. It’s g ood to stop and notice it again.
I leave Ceres behind after filling up with fuel. None of the shops or restaurants is open yet so I would have to get hot coffee and a snack further down the road.
The tar ends. I will ride the next 900 odd kilometres almost exclusively on dirt. Good.
It is very cold here. The air begins to stir slightly and temperatures drop suddenly as the sun rises. It must be -2°C. Northerners will probably laugh at my intolerance to cold but a city slicker like me from sunny Cape Town knows not such temperatures.
S33 13.822 E19 40.776 â€" Start of the Ceres Karoo dirt road
It is probably the loneliest road in the country. I have ridden it about four times and have yet to encounter another vehicle on it. There is never any sign of human activity or help if something should go wrong.
S33 06.825 E19 50.016 â€" Ceres Karoo road with the Bonteberg mountains in the background
The road is hard and smooth. My speed increases to 120km/h before I ease off the throttle. It seems like a sin to blast through such a timeless landscape. There is no call for haste here. The Karoo is the most arid region of South Africa. Recent rains have however turned this dusty wasteland into a beautiful green vista.
S32 52.485 E19 58.203 â€" Ceres Karoo road
I st op now and again to take photos of the incredible landscape. The silence is shocking. I can hear the blood flowing in my head and the ochre soil replies with a loud crunch with every step I take. There is no traffic and no one to talk to. Were it not for the road leading into the distance I would feel utterly abandoned. I sigh and feel the working week flow from my bones.
S32 46.816 E20 18.845 â€" Ceres Karoo road
The air is cool and although the sun has not yet reached its apex I consider pitching my tent and spend the remainder of the day here. The 360° view is beyond description. I know there are even more beautiful places in the world but right now this is the best place I could ever hope to be.
S32 46.816 E20 18.845 â€" Ceres Karoo road
After a good rest I fire my GS up and we set off for Sutherland. Fortunately the streets are quiet with hardly a pedestrian in sight. Two children inflate their soccer ball at the only garage in town and gawk at my motorcycle. We exchange a few words and they run away to kick their ball around with their waiting friends
S32 23.713 E20 39.828 â€" Sutherland fuel stop
From Sutherland onwards the roads change from silent desolation to mere quiet. The surface of the dirt shows frequent use and mostly empty farmhouses dot the surrounding countryside. There are hardly any vehicles on my route, perhaps 2 cars an hour.
S30 05.900 E22 45.494 â€" The R403 halfway between Vosburg and Prieska
When I arrive in Prieska, shadows are already stretching out to their full length. I did not tarry here and left as soon as I had a full tank of fuel.
The R357 between Prieska and Douglas has a smooth tarred surface and its fantast ic straightness threatens to put you to sleep. It veers not an inch to the left or to the right. It does not rise nor fall.
It is a terrible stretch of tar for a weary biker.
There are however redeeming qualities. Being completely devoid of traffic I use the opportunity to twist the throttle wide open and run my bike at fighter jet velocities. I hope there are no speed traps on this road or I’ll be going straight to jail… I throttle back before I hit 200km/h just in case…
S29 20.129 E23 23.989 â€" The R357 to Douglas
I arrive safely at my dad’s, having had to ride the infamous Delportshoop gravel road in total darkness. I was in a hurry to get out of the cold and risked being knocked over by jumping Kudu. This section of road was truly terrible. Several un-roadworthy bakkies from neighbouring villages were travelling along the rutted road without headlights. I needed to overtake them but first had to brave the dense clouds of dust kicked up by their bald tyres. It was tense riding with me hurtling past the rusty vehicles on the wings of a prayer.
After a hearty breakfasts and congratulating the old man on Fathers Day I head for home. That big blue mountain on the edge of Table Bay has an irresistible siren call that will not be denied. I decide to take the faster N12 and the N1 back to Cape Town. I take a moment outside Kimberley to visit the lake and stare at the millions of flamingos. Did you know that their pink colour is due to their diet of shrimp… oh… you knew that already huh?
S28 40.294 E24 46.493 â€" Flamingo lake outside Kimberley
I rode along the highway at civilised speeds. I tried not to break the law and save heaps on fuel consumption. The cold began to take its toll in the late afternoon and my irritation began to rise with the speedometer needle. Soon I began to realise that I need to slow down and take more breaks. I really hate highways on Sundays. It seems as if every motorist has an agenda to either run me off the road or block my progress. The bitter cold also began to seep through my clothes and I could feel my energy levels dropping. I’m glad I never had to sleep in my tent.
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Tonight sees me sneezing and coughing and getting to bed early whilst my fiancé stirs up some med-lemon. Aww shucks, why am I sounding so negative? It was a great weekend! If I could only handle the winter as well as my trusty bike does. I think I’m going to phone in sick tomorrow…
Some info according to my GPS log:
Route: Cape â€" Wellington â€" Ceres â€" Sutherland â€" Fraserburg â€" Vosburg â€" Carnarvon â€" Prieska â€" Douglas â€" JanKempDorp â€" Cape (return via N12 & N1)
Total distance travelled: 2073km
Distance Home to Destination 1044km (13hours) 715km dirt, 329km tar
Distance Destination to Home 1029km (9hours) all tar (N12 & N1)
Max Speed (tar): 179km/h
Max speed (dirt): 120km/h
Total moving time: 20hrs 11mins
Total stopped time: 2hrs 28mins (excluding time spent at destination)
Moving average speed: 103km/h
Overall average speed: 91.4km/h
Lowest altitude: 6m above mean sea level
Highest altitude: 1575m above mean sea level
P.S. The bike ran faultlessly â€" but I hardly need to mention that, do I?
Warming up the bike, ready to rumble
The heated grips are switched to full but my denim-clad legs still quiver in the freezing cold. After completing a wet Bainskloof Pass in complete darkness I come to the narrow bridge across the Breeriver. It is surprisingly warm here. In fact, much of the way was characterised by freezing air dotted by floating poo ls of warmth and earthy smells. It is not something motorists in their enclosed automobiles can ever be aware of. It reminds me of wading in the ocean, through layers of warm and cold currents.
S33 31.205 E19 11.139 â€" Bridge over Breeriver
After some 100 kilometres I arrive in the picturesque town of Ceres. The sun is about to rise. I stop above the town to stretch my legs and admire the approaching sun. I try to imagine how the radiation will burn away the dense fog. It is tempting to stay a while and watch the sunrise but I want to get back on the road.
I nod at the devil’s horns. It brings back childhood memories of trips with my mother in her beat-up car. She first showed me this strange rock formation when I was about ten. It’s g ood to stop and notice it again.
I leave Ceres behind after filling up with fuel. None of the shops or restaurants is open yet so I would have to get hot coffee and a snack further down the road.
The tar ends. I will ride the next 900 odd kilometres almost exclusively on dirt. Good.
It is very cold here. The air begins to stir slightly and temperatures drop suddenly as the sun rises. It must be -2°C. Northerners will probably laugh at my intolerance to cold but a city slicker like me from sunny Cape Town knows not such temperatures.
S33 13.822 E19 40.776 â€" Start of the Ceres Karoo dirt road
It is probably the loneliest road in the country. I have ridden it about four times and have yet to encounter another vehicle on it. There is never any sign of human activity or help if something should go wrong.
S33 06.825 E19 50.016 â€" Ceres Karoo road with the Bonteberg mountains in the background
The road is hard and smooth. My speed increases to 120km/h before I ease off the throttle. It seems like a sin to blast through such a timeless landscape. There is no call for haste here. The Karoo is the most arid region of South Africa. Recent rains have however turned this dusty wasteland into a beautiful green vista.
S32 52.485 E19 58.203 â€" Ceres Karoo road
I st op now and again to take photos of the incredible landscape. The silence is shocking. I can hear the blood flowing in my head and the ochre soil replies with a loud crunch with every step I take. There is no traffic and no one to talk to. Were it not for the road leading into the distance I would feel utterly abandoned. I sigh and feel the working week flow from my bones.
S32 46.816 E20 18.845 â€" Ceres Karoo road
The air is cool and although the sun has not yet reached its apex I consider pitching my tent and spend the remainder of the day here. The 360° view is beyond description. I know there are even more beautiful places in the world but right now this is the best place I could ever hope to be.
S32 46.816 E20 18.845 â€" Ceres Karoo road
After a good rest I fire my GS up and we set off for Sutherland. Fortunately the streets are quiet with hardly a pedestrian in sight. Two children inflate their soccer ball at the only garage in town and gawk at my motorcycle. We exchange a few words and they run away to kick their ball around with their waiting friends
S32 23.713 E20 39.828 â€" Sutherland fuel stop
From Sutherland onwards the roads change from silent desolation to mere quiet. The surface of the dirt shows frequent use and mostly empty farmhouses dot the surrounding countryside. There are hardly any vehicles on my route, perhaps 2 cars an hour.
S30 05.900 E22 45.494 â€" The R403 halfway between Vosburg and Prieska
When I arrive in Prieska, shadows are already stretching out to their full length. I did not tarry here and left as soon as I had a full tank of fuel.
The R357 between Prieska and Douglas has a smooth tarred surface and its fantast ic straightness threatens to put you to sleep. It veers not an inch to the left or to the right. It does not rise nor fall.
It is a terrible stretch of tar for a weary biker.
There are however redeeming qualities. Being completely devoid of traffic I use the opportunity to twist the throttle wide open and run my bike at fighter jet velocities. I hope there are no speed traps on this road or I’ll be going straight to jail… I throttle back before I hit 200km/h just in case…
S29 20.129 E23 23.989 â€" The R357 to Douglas
I arrive safely at my dad’s, having had to ride the infamous Delportshoop gravel road in total darkness. I was in a hurry to get out of the cold and risked being knocked over by jumping Kudu. This section of road was truly terrible. Several un-roadworthy bakkies from neighbouring villages were travelling along the rutted road without headlights. I needed to overtake them but first had to brave the dense clouds of dust kicked up by their bald tyres. It was tense riding with me hurtling past the rusty vehicles on the wings of a prayer.
After a hearty breakfasts and congratulating the old man on Fathers Day I head for home. That big blue mountain on the edge of Table Bay has an irresistible siren call that will not be denied. I decide to take the faster N12 and the N1 back to Cape Town. I take a moment outside Kimberley to visit the lake and stare at the millions of flamingos. Did you know that their pink colour is due to their diet of shrimp… oh… you knew that already huh?
S28 40.294 E24 46.493 â€" Flamingo lake outside Kimberley
I rode along the highway at civilised speeds. I tried not to break the law and save heaps on fuel consumption. The cold began to take its toll in the late afternoon and my irritation began to rise with the speedometer needle. Soon I began to realise that I need to slow down and take more breaks. I really hate highways on Sundays. It seems as if every motorist has an agenda to either run me off the road or block my progress. The bitter cold also began to seep through my clothes and I could feel my energy levels dropping. I’m glad I never had to sleep in my tent.
Tonight sees me sneezing and coughing and getting to bed early whilst my fiancé stirs up some med-lemon. Aww shucks, why am I sounding so negative? It was a great weekend! If I could only handle the winter as well as my trusty bike does. I think I’m going to phone in sick tomorrow…
Some info according to my GPS log:
Route: Cape â€" Wellington â€" Ceres â€" Sutherland â€" Fraserburg â€" Vosburg â€" Carnarvon â€" Prieska â€" Douglas â€" JanKempDorp â€" Cape (return via N12 & N1)
Total distance travelled: 2073km
Distance Home to Destination 1044km (13hours) 715km dirt, 329km tar
Distance Destination to Home 1029km (9hours) all tar (N12 & N1)
Max Speed (tar): 179km/h
Max speed (dirt): 120km/h
Total moving time: 20hrs 11mins
Total stopped time: 2hrs 28mins (excluding time spent at destination)
Moving average speed: 103km/h
Overall average speed: 91.4km/h
Lowest altitude: 6m above mean sea level
Highest altitude: 1575m above mean sea level
P.S. The bike ran faultlessly â€" but I hardly need to mention that, do I?
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