On dirt with Graham Johnson
Springbok Rally
Franschoek to Oudtshoorn
20th-26th September 2005
GRAHAM JOHNSON : SUZUKI DL 650 V-STROM
PETER BELDEKINO : KTM950 ADVENTURE
We met up at the ENGEN fuel station at 8am to incorporate FRANSCHOEK Pass into our trip and the weather was ideal, cloudy and sunny. Our famous weathersa. predicted rain for the following day, Wednesday and we were determined to get some DIRT in before the rain. Franschoek is always a bargain and as usual the wind was pumping a bit but there were no car's on the road mid-week so our trip started on a high note.
We found a dirt road just after the pass out of VILLIERSDORP and due to recent rainfall there was not too much DUST! This road winds through to ROBERTSON AND WE FILLED OUR MOTORCYCLE FUEL TANK'S. AT 188KM'S AND PROCEEDED TOWARD BONNIEVALE ON AND OFF ROAD AND WE WERE ON FULL GRAVEL AGAIN IN NO TIME AND WE WERE BY NOW HAPPY BECAUSE WE WERE DETERMINED TO STAY ON GRAVEL 80% of the time FOR OUR PROJECTED 1,700 KM TRIP SPREAD OVER A PERIOD OF 6 DAY’S.
We had booked into SANDY’s PLACE IN Barrydale (http://sandysplace.co.za/ )for our first night and our route was GREAT and we found a fantastic farm road route which brought us out in SWELLENDAM, via a siding called DREW...What a nice route! (THANK YOU french fighter pilot, Gerard Cook, for the suggestion) The weather was by now turning ugly already and we arrived in BARRYDALE by 5pm, having survived TRADOUW PASS well satisfied with our day's ride which was uneventful and went off without incident. We settled in at the GUEST HOUSE and if ever you find yourself in DERRICKVALE make a point of staying there (R125,00 pp per night) ....no catering...
We had convinced the staff at the Pumpkin Patch to join us for supper because we all know that not much goes on in BARRYDALE AFTER 5 PM AND WE SPENT THE EVENING .....KUIERING..A GOOD EVENING WHICH ALLOWED US TO RELAX AND IT ONLY STARTED TO SINK IN THAT WE WERE ON holiday! Our planned route...we intended taking the back road (gravel) route from SUURBRAAK to RIVERSDAL and we woke up to looming ....RAIN...look, I AM NOT AFRAID OF WET GRAVEL ROAD'S BUT IT IS SILLY TO THINK THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT IN THE SAME TIME FRAME.....and your chances of dropping your baby are greater and less fun than if the conditions are dry...that is my theory any way and I am sticking to that rule!
We got through TRADOUW PASS AND ARRIVED AT THE GRAVEL MUD road to ALBERTINA and decided to have breakfast at the WIMPY and the heavens opened...sheizer..
I had opted for my MOTO-X helmet and goggles which is much lighter but in rainy conditions the goggles mist up and I found myself seeing through a rain drop on the lens when we were going up the GARCIA PASS, HEADING INLAND TOWARD, HOPEFULLY, DRIER CONDITIONS!
Well, we had made the correct decision because as we got over the pass condition's changed and I started smiling again.....sad that we were not going to be doing the intended route (PASS BEHIND RIVERSDALE) The road would take us toward either HERBERTSDALE or VAN WYKSDORP so we decided to take the Van Wyksdorp route because we were ahead of schedule and we could always do that route on the way home! This particular road (gravel) iS faaaast and slow ( tight) and we had a ball and one eventually gets to the junction where you head up into the ROOIBERG PASS which turned out to be the HIGHLIGHT of our trip that day... and at the top and highest point I took a pic and in the distance one could see what was awaiting us....more rain in CALITZDORP. The sun was showing through the rain cloud and it was a stunning bit of scenery , which you cannot fully appreciate in a pic...we arrived in CALITZDORP and there was no rain in the town itself but more toward the NOMAD'S CAMPSITE , THE VENUE FOR THE SPRINGBOK RALLY 2005....What can one say ? I have yet to attend a rally where it does not rain!
Our route would take us through the MAAITJIESRIVIER area toward the campsite and after some tea and cake at a little place called SOMEWHERE we headed off for our final stage of the day and we were really enjoying this section when the .....HEAVEN'S OPENED and we slipped and slid our way through the pass, arriving at the campsite to greet the team and they were not there!
We decided that it was getting a bit late in the day and headed toward OUDTSHOORN to find a GUEST HOUSE to spend the night... After much searching we came across the right place ........... and settled down for a well earned rest. We headed into town that night for supper, tired but happy!
Peter grimaced on hearing the PRICE! The next day we had an appointment with AFRICAN STUFF Wessel vd Walt from whom I had purchased my G.P.S unit, to meet up with WESSEL VAN DER WALT and if ever you want good old fashioned service and are in the market for a G.P.S unit then these are the guy's to see...they are motorcycle enthusiast's and they have all the map's that one can wish for. Check out their site... www.africanstuff.co.za THEY OVERNIGHT THE GOODIES TO YOU.. Peter could not resist buying one of their unit’s !!!!!
After setting it up on his K.T.M we headed over to Pierre Franken , an old riding buddy ,whom we both had ridden with ,many times, and had lunch with him in GEORGE and it was not long before we got the URGE again to ride the fantastic road's in the area and promptly head off to the MONTAGUE PASS which is in very good condition, barring the damn speed bumps! We managed to do the whole TRIP back to OUDTSHOORN on gravel...nice. It was now Thursday and we were already getting bored with OUDTSHOORN because we had the RIDE on our minds all the time and were itching to get back into it....
My duty at the gate was set for Saturday 8am to 12 noon and we slept over at a friend of Peter’s on Thursday night and after breakfast I headed off to the camp site to make the most of my shortened rally and upon arrival immediately set about getting a duty change to enable us to leave on SATURDAY morning, because the weather was due to change on SUNDAY and I was determined to show Peter the NEW route which we had discovered on the V-STROM ADVENTURE RIDE which I had done earlier in the year back to CAPE TOWN from KWELANGA (MOSSEL Bay). Luckily for me, one of our members could not make his duty and i stood in for him on Friday afternoon and everything was working out nicely and after my duty ended I set out to....party... with fellow members in the tent that night. Good laugh's...
The next morning we met up (Peter had stayed overnight in OUDTSHOORN) outside the Camp Site and the weather was great.
Our route back took us back through MAAITJIESRIVIER , only this time it was DRY and LEKKER ! We arrived back in CALITZDORP safely and had a light breakfast and it was not long before we were back on the gravel to VAN WYKSDORP, only this time we headed off toward HERBERTSDALE and our favourite part of the RIDE....WOW! THE SCENERY IS AWeSOME.The road....in fantastic condition.
The route out of Riversdale confusing, in finding THE ROUTE and we landed up taking the wrong option and although not lost we landed up on different route to the one which we had taken earlier in the year but it was still GREAT!
We were running out of time fast, to make it to a destination which we were not sure of to start off with! We do not do night riding but we managed to make. BARRYDALE of course. TRADOUW PASS....AGAIN! We were not able to get accommodation at SANDY's again but found a place which served dinner/bedbreakfast (can’t remember the name!) but at R350-00 P.P I am not likely to use them again! We actually had a very entertaining evening and the food was excellent!
On Sunday morning Peter decided that he would hightail it back home on tar because he had some visitor from Germany waiting for him but me, having fitted knobbly tyres on for this trip, had no choice but that was fine! I only had to be back at work on Wednesday! I decided to do the Malgas route back home and upon arriving at Swellendam ...guess what? RAIN !URGGGGG
The next best option was to get onto the SWELLENDAM ASHTON road and for about 15km it hosed it down and then suddenly cleared...I managed to pick up a gravel connecting road which brought me to the same road which we had been on coming up, which brought me to DREW and gravel tar to Mc Gregor/ROBERTSON/VILLIERSDORP and......Franschoek Pass and ...Lanners Landing !!!
HOME.. Upon reflection, after doing this trip, I am convinced that the NOMADS M.C.C can offer an alternative to the BIKE SA DESERT RUN and it is right here on our doorstep!
Regards GRAHAM
