Recharged!

.

We woke refreshed and well rested on the last day of our trip. We linger, not wanting it to be over.



Before leaving Graaff-Reinet we look around a bit first.

Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam. The town lies in the horse-shoe bend of the Sundays River and is recognized as the home of magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture. Graaff-Reinet boasts more proclaimed national monuments than any other South African town.



In 1795 the citizens of Graaff-Reinet expelled the Landdrost and proclaimed an Independent Republic. However this situation only lasted a 18 months and came to an end with the first proclamation of the Cape Colony by Britain on behalf of the Prince of Orange. Graaff-Reinet has so much history, so much to see, that we decided to come back at some stage and visit Graaff-Reinet specifically.

With that we hit the road - till we met this friendly chap. He makes sure that all vehicles are roadworthy so we can have a safe journey.



With our trip drawing to a close we ride into every town to look around.

Aberdeen:



Aberdeen was founded in 1856. It was named after the birthplace of Rev. Andrew Murray in Scotland. Aberdeen is a declared architectural conservation town with examples of various styles including Victorian, Georgian, Karoo, German, Gothic Revival, Russian, Art Nouveau and Flemish Revival.



Willowmore:



In 1856 Frederick Lehmkuhl was resting next to a rippling stream. It is here that he developed a homestead that became the village of Willowmore in 1864.



The local Limo:





Uniondale:



Uniondale had an unconventional beginning to say the least. The two owners of the farm Rietvallei each wanted to develop the site for the town. The result was two towns (Hopedale & Lyon). In 1856 the feud was resolved when the Dutch Reformed Church built a church in the centre of this area and marked the union of these two townships by naming the place Uniondale.

Today though Uniondale is famous for one of South Africa's best known ghost stories: In stormy weather on Easter weekend of 1968 a young engaged couple had an accident on the Barandas-Willowmore road around 20 kilometers from the town. Sadly the girl, Marie Charlotte Roux, was killed in the accident.

In 1976 motorists started seeing a woman in white alongside the road where the accident took place. Some motorists picked her up, minutes later they would hear a shrill laugh , the sound of a door closing, an icy chill would be felt inside the car and of course the woman would be gone. This became known as the ghost of Uniondale.  

It is told that the local police department kept some sugar water available to calm motorists who came in to report seeing a ghost.


Just over the Potjiesberg Pass there is this little gravel connecting road that I haven't been on, the Kykoe road:



We decided to take this road today. A last piece of gravel to round off a trip to remember. It's short, but we were not disappointed.





And finally we rolled over the Outeniqua Pass and into George.



Our stats for today:




I feel like I should say something profound to end this report, but what is there to say? It was not some epic route or adventure. It was just a simple ride through a portion of our country, but that portion, being the Karoo, seldom disappoints. This country has so much to see.

The bike performed extremely well. Loaded and two-up the worst fuel consumption we got was 16.5km/L (into a headwind) and the best was 20.5km/L, with an overall average of 18.8km/L. It's a lovely pillion bike and the comfy seat is a HUGE plus.

This trip was exactly what we needed. When we left we didn't even realize just how much we needed it. We'll be doing it again - soon! Maybe Graaff-Reinet. Or a Cape Lighthouse tour. Or both!







.

Recharged!

.

We woke refreshed and well rested on the last day of our trip. We linger, not wanting it to be over.



Before leaving Graaff-Reinet we look around a bit first.

Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam. The town lies in the horse-shoe bend of the Sundays River and is recognized as the home of magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture. Graaff-Reinet boasts more proclaimed national monuments than any other South African town.



In 1795 the citizens of Graaff-Reinet expelled the Landdrost and proclaimed an Independent Republic. However this situation only lasted a 18 months and came to an end with the first proclamation of the Cape Colony by Britain on behalf of the Prince of Orange. Graaff-Reinet has so much history, so much to see, that we decided to come back at some stage and visit Graaff-Reinet specifically.

With that we hit the road - till we met this friendly chap. He makes sure that all vehicles are roadworthy so we can have a safe journey.



With our trip drawing to a close we ride into every town to look around.

Aberdeen:



Aberdeen was founded in 1856. It was named after the birthplace of Rev. Andrew Murray in Scotland. Aberdeen is a declared architectural conservation town with examples of various styles including Victorian, Georgian, Karoo, German, Gothic Revival, Russian, Art Nouveau and Flemish Revival.



Willowmore:



In 1856 Frederick Lehmkuhl was resting next to a rippling stream. It is here that he developed a homestead that became the village of Willowmore in 1864.



The local Limo:





Uniondale:



Uniondale had an unconventional beginning to say the least. The two owners of the farm Rietvallei each wanted to develop the site for the town. The result was two towns (Hopedale & Lyon). In 1856 the feud was resolved when the Dutch Reformed Church built a church in the centre of this area and marked the union of these two townships by naming the place Uniondale.

Today though Uniondale is famous for one of South Africa's best known ghost stories: In stormy weather on Easter weekend of 1968 a young engaged couple had an accident on the Barandas-Willowmore road around 20 kilometers from the town. Sadly the girl, Marie Charlotte Roux, was killed in the accident.

In 1976 motorists started seeing a woman in white alongside the road where the accident took place. Some motorists picked her up, minutes later they would hear a shrill laugh , the sound of a door closing, an icy chill would be felt inside the car and of course the woman would be gone. This became known as the ghost of Uniondale.  

It is told that the local police department kept some sugar water available to calm motorists who came in to report seeing a ghost.


Just over the Potjiesberg Pass there is this little gravel connecting road that I haven't been on, the Kykoe road:



We decided to take this road today. A last piece of gravel to round off a trip to remember. It's short, but we were not disappointed.





And finally we rolled over the Outeniqua Pass and into George.



Our stats for today:




I feel like I should say something profound to end this report, but what is there to say? It was not some epic route or adventure. It was just a simple ride through a portion of our country, but that portion, being the Karoo, seldom disappoints. This country has so much to see.

The bike performed extremely well. Loaded and two-up the worst fuel consumption we got was 16.5km/L (into a headwind) and the best was 20.5km/L, with an overall average of 18.8km/L. It's a lovely pillion bike and the comfy seat is a HUGE plus.

This trip was exactly what we needed. When we left we didn't even realize just how much we needed it. We'll be doing it again - soon! Maybe Graaff-Reinet. Or a Cape Lighthouse tour. Or both!







.

Meijer's Rust

.

This ride happened at extremely short notice. My friend fatb had a crappy week and needed a quick breakaway. He asked around but at such short notice only Smidty and I could join and before we knew it we met here, at Herrie se Plek, in De Rust.



Herrie was the name of an imaginary elephant.

Wait, what?

Famous South African C.J. Langenhoven hailed from these parts. He had a house, Arbeidsgenot, in Oudtshoorn. He was a great writer (amongst others) and his most famous work is the original South African Anthem "Die Stem" which he wrote in 1918. C.J. Langenhoven owned an imaginary elephant named Herrie ("Harry") that appeared in many of his stories. He even carved its name onto a boulder next to the N12 highway near Meiringspoort (outside De Rust) in 1929. This boulder known as Herrie's Stone ("Herrie se Klip", in Afrikaans), has been declared a South African national monument.





We rarely ride past Herrie se Plek without stopping, so this was as good a starting point as any.

Fatb organized everything. We just had to show up. Our destination for tonight was the campsite at Meijer's Rust, apparently a fantastic spot in the Swartberg Mountains outside De Rust, but when we got to the farm Meijer's Rust there were no-one there.

Fatb mentioned that he only told them that some bikers might come by. They left him a message to confirm because they had plans for the weekend and wanted to go away. Somehow he never spoke to them again...

So here we were.

Now what? Well, apparently the farmer has to take wood up to the campsite on the mountain. Since Fatb told them we might be coming he was sure that the wood would be on the mountain already and so the decision was made to ride up the mountain and set up camp.

Lovely route into the mountains:





Soon we leave the farmland behind and start ascending the Swartberg Mountain on this private little pass:



The road wasn't particularly wet, but the road surface varied between rocks and extremely slippery snot-like mud. I nearly got caught out once or twice. You certainly had to keep your wits about you.



The gradient is steep too. I heard later that some 4x4's use low range to get up here...



The three of us had different approaches to these conditions. Mine was to keep the feet on the pegs and to keep forward momentum, so I ended up at the top first, camera ready to catch any mishaps on the slippery last section!

Fatb approaching:



Everybody made it to the top safely though.



Nice braai area:



Neat and clean ablutions:



Setting up camp:



With camp set up we realized that the farmer did not bring any wood or chairs (as he usually does) to the camp site before he left. Also, the water tank for the ablutions was not filled and the gas was finished...

With the condition of the road, no-one was brave enough to ride down alone to see if we can find a farmhand or some-one to help. Fatb also only had the farmer's home number, which did not help much since he was not there. So we would have to make do with what we had. We found some big pieces of wood lying around and lit those with some smaller pieces we picked up.

Soon we had the party going.



The tummy-less Smidty trying to fit in.



We had a great time with LOTS of laughter, the stresses of the week forgotten.

At one stage I mentioned that it was a good thing that the road wasn't REALLY wet, as I doubted whether we would have been able to come up (or go down) had it rained. This is when Fatb revealed that they forecast a 80% chance of showers for the next day.

I suggested that the first person to wake the next morning wake everybody so we can get off the mountain before the rains come. I woke the next morning to the sound of showers on my tent...



Not much else could go wrong. Or could it..?

Of course it could! Fatb's bike's battery decided that today was the day it was going to give up the ghost. Luckily it was downhill from here so he would just have to freewheel it down.



I will not lie. We were extremely nervous. I even told my wife on the phone that after more than 40 000km on two TransAlps it was quite likely that I would put the bike down for the first time today...

Here we go...



Of course you can never see the gradients on a photo and of course you can't take photos in the worst sections while manhandling your bike, but you'll get the idea:



We took it extremely slowly.





Even through the difficulty it was hard not to notice the extremely beautiful setting we were in!



At one stage the route had a uphill section and Fatb could go no further. He sat waiting in the rain while we went looking for jumper cables.



My wheel - I did not get off the bike for this photo for fear of slipping and falling over.



Lovely little pass - I'd like to come back (in good weather) sometime.



I am not sure how long the section coming off the mountain is (the road is not even on Tracks 4 Africa) but I would guess it's between 5 to 10 kilometers. It took us just short of an hour to ride down.

At the farmhouse we found the farmer and he went to recover Fatb.

Meijer's Rust:



Meanwhile a wet and cold Smidty and I waited for Fatb at:



It was a sweet and short ride. Everything that went wrong added to the experience tremendously. These are rides you remember!

And we all negotiated the road down the mountain without a single incident of falling over. Easy does it is all I'm saying.





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