Final Destination.

The ride from Jefferies Bay was rough, wet and cold. I have safely arrived in Plettenberg Bay and have removed the entire luggage from my bike and have pack a bag of laundry for the wash, it is time for a wash load. Most of my gear got wet and so I am drying some of it out. I am in a little room with a bathroom on suite and it will be perfect for a place to hold up for the next two weeks. I will do the normal holiday thing for the next couple of days, I will swim in the sea lie and play games on the beach and hopefully have some good fellowship with some of my Christian friends that are down here on holiday. It fascinates me how many professing Christians have drifted from the call to obedience due to the throws of life. There is a much rounding up to be done. So wherever we find the need to be of service in this area may God give us boldness to be willing to be countered!

I am not sure how much adventure riding I will do from here over the next few days, but if the opportunity arises or I get cabin fever, then I am sure I will be looking for some route on some map.

Hopefully the sun comes out and stays out; it will be good to take in some vitamin D.

Will update the blog only when it is worth an update, so until then…

Signing off

Tyrone

Another Re-think!

I left at about 6am this morning and the weather looked good. I was a little dubious with the hope of riding through Baviaans after seeing clips of the news last night, and soon into my ride I realized that was not going to be possible as mist and rain once again accompanied me. When I got to the Patensie turn off it was clear and a no brainer that to try that pass alone with all the rain we have had and without a spare tube would be unwise, and time for bad choices must become less and less as we age and as we make wisdom our sister and we hold her hand. You may be thinking a spare tube what has that got to do with anything,

I am told that if you get a river that cannot be crossed all you need to do is pump up your spare tube and float the bike across the river. Travelling alone is peaceful in itself but has a down side and that is if I get “stuck” I will be living proof for the existence of that word, with possibly no one around and no one to help and that is not a goal I aspire too. So I now sit in at Dirkies Diner in Jeffries Bay waiting for my breakfast order. The rain is constant and does not look like it is going to hold up any time soon. I might just press on to Plettenberg Bay, will see if I can ride in the weather without too much discomfort…

Signing off

Tyrone

Day of rest.

You could call toady a day of rest, but I must admit that I prefer being out and about. I spoke to a friend of mine, Brett and He has done Baavians before and so He has pointed me in that direction, so hopefully tomorrow I find the beginning of that mountain pass. It should take a couple of days to get through it and I have keyed Patensie into my GPS and it tells me it is about 120km from where I am holding up in Port Elizabeth. The weather is still miserable and overcast with a gentle wind still rattling the leaves on the trees across the road. I plan to leave early in the morning around 6am and make my way with another interesting ride, or so I have been told. All I have spoken to about Baviaans tells me that it is well worth the trip. So I look forward to the morrow and I hope the Lord is gracious and gives me reasonable conditions keeping me safe along the way. I know my fellowship will be sweet with Him, I am not sure how I tried in times past to survive without Him, I suppose every time I never considered Him and was not thankful to Him for opening my eyes and saving my soul, the destruction of my life is evident for all to see. Those were times that in hindsight I will by God’s grace use now to steer me in the paths of righteousness. I want nothing more to do with all that debauchery that is a lie and a trick to get so many to think that’s what life is all about. Peace and joy is found in the one who died for the sins of the world, but until we realized that it was for our sins that He died we will continue to chase all the decoys of life, stop I say and turn to Jesus, repent and believe on Him and you will be able to understand the tone in which I pen words like “joy and peace.” To all my friends who tolerate but do not understand my stand which seems to be so radically, all I can say to you all is why do you think you continue to explore by seeking out answers to life, you are always considering this or that, it is because we seek the truth, it is something in us that needs to be quenched. Look no further as the Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I speak to you as friends; yes I will even address you by name, Brett, Richard, Warren, Trevor, Mike and Gavin I am praying for you all by name.

Mongi remember to be on guard and keep the Lord close, remember our time in the book of Proverbs

Signing off

Tyrone

Ps (I have worked out a “mounting move” to get onto my bike; unfortunately it is not very Starsky or Hutch so I will leave the video out, I look more like someone doing a half baked high jump move from a standing still position, So far so good but if I get it wrong it may be me or the bike on its side. My side stand is at least holding up but it is still frustrating trying to find a hole in the ground before dismounting.)

Enjoyable Riding...

Yesterday was a day full of riding pleasure; I left Mountain Shadow Hotel around 7.30am and was straight into a challenge the same mist I had pulled over for the day before was as relentless the following morning, see the picture. So I adopted the same driving technique, my right hand on the throttle and with my left I would ever so often use the back of my hand to wipe the mist from my goggles.

It was bitterly cold and riding without gloves was becoming very unpleasant. I was no on my way to Queenstown and hopefully to sort Hope out for the rest of our journey. We needed to fix my side mirror that had come off, just after Van der Bijl, the back break lever was also bent from a previous fall and needed straightening and I needed to find a petrol cap replacement. On arrivalin Queenstown I was surprised by its size and business, people like a colony of ants, everywhere. I found Mickey’s Bikes as instructed by a guest at Mountain shadow Hotel, and they sorted me out. Within 30 minutes I was once again ready to ride. This time I bought a cheap pair of gloves, in case they also only last a day or two. Off into the mountains was my heading. It is a beautiful place the Freestate; the South Eastern region is what I can, with certainty, declare to be tranquil and they have had a lot of rain of late which is good for the sheep and cattle farmers. The Eastern Cape is exceptionally breathtaking and the roads I travelled where new to me, and probably would be to most South Africans. This is exactly the reason I wanted to do a trip like this; I am getting to see part of our country that I would never ever see. Traversing through the back roads in and around the mountains, what a pleasant time, the roads where in bad condition and windy but great on the bike. I enjoyed, while riding, having to have my wits about me! It’s good for the mind as it keeps it active and the body feels like it has worked out.

Hence no blog last night, I was asleep by 8.30pm. I travelled a stretch of about 150km through the mountains on dirt and loose jagged rocks that must have been hard on my tires, but I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

The beauty of a trip like this is I never really know where I will end up, it’s like a suspense thriller in my own world, alright that is a little over dramatic, but I just follow the GPS and drive; I ended up facing a large gate with a sign saying “close the gate behind you.”

I was in a game reserve, in the middle of the mountains just before Alicedale. The Irony of all these towns with woman’s names leaves me with vivid memories. Lady Grey was not a pleasant experience the misfortune I faced there took me back to Bloemfontein and then Johannesburg, where I started my journey from scratch. I was beginning to imagine that Alicedale would also leave me fighting the wind and the cold as I was now racing against the clock and the setting sun to find accommodation for the night. However although I was not familiar with my surroundings I was finding pleasure from the scenery and I was not willing to rush the familiarity and I was now content to be amongst it all. Two warthogs had accompanied me for at least 300 meters as they I had startled them and flushed them out into the road and they took off alongside me and without any escape because of the mountain edge, they frantically made their way up the road, for what seemed to be an age as they looked to be rid of me. It was a magical moment that will never be repeated. The road was very narrow deeper into the Reserve with sheer rock faces either side of me. I must confess I was not about to see another person, I was in the “Outback” somewhere, or so it felt, and the thought of spending the night flashed through my mind a couple of times, but the idea of being soaked by the predicted rain soon remove any further deliberation. I saw a small herd of Impala and some paranoid ostriches. There were a few dry rivers that needed to be crossed, soft sand and rocks, not very difficult. There was also some water to parley, so with my feet in the air I made it through without too much complexity. How this beat driving on a tar road.

The sun was nearing its daily disappearing act, and I needed to find a place to stay. I then cut back over the Mountain as Alicedale had only a 5 star hotel, which was out of the question. I eventually reached the N10 and surprisingly I was only 60km from PE, amazing how miles fly when you are having fun. I found a B&B just as I came into Port Elizabeth and I now sit at a desk looking out the window to a heavy constant downpour of persistent rain and you would think that with the rain it would slow the wind down, no chance of that.

It does not look very favourable, will I stay or will I go is the question,

I am not sure yet but I will keep you posted.

Signing off

Tyrone

A Good Night's Rest

Thankfully I had a good night’s rest at Mountain Shadow Hotel and I am looking forward to today’s adventure, I will not say challenges as I do not always what be struggling on my way with detour after detour on mundane trivia. I look forward to a peaceable gentle trouble free ride.

This morning I will not venture to East London as planned but will head towards Queenstown as I believe there are a few bike shops there. Hopefully Hope will get sorted with a new petrol cap…

Time to load up have breakfast and then whether the mist and the cold weather, but wishfully not for too long.

A picture of my view from my bedroom window as another rooster claims his territory; the other picture is the typical detour roads I did circles with yesterday.

Signing off

Tyrone

Detour

Just when I think I am finally on my way without any hick-ups, guess what! I lost my gloves and a petrol cap. Ironically today was the first time I actual missed my gloves, my hands were like ice blocks, but we will get to that in due course. I was up bright and early and spent about an hour on my other blog, the morning was quiet and peaceful except for the occasional cock of the rooster, no doubt the same rooster who captured my attention the last time I was a guess in Hobhouse. There is just something about getting up early on a regular basis, it somehow revitalizes giving me that get up and go feeling, and that is without any breakfast crunch. The sun rising speaks volumes, and books have been written as the authors endeavor to capture either in a novel o r with some flowing poetry, the essence of daybreak. How great is my God, how vast His wide domain, to begin to tell these lips can only start.

By 7.30am I was packed and my bags were strapped in position on Hope. My Ktm was now ready to venture SE. I much prefer the setup of my GPS as it now always looks to travel on sand roads. This morning was great and I loved the ride, but before long I found myself behind a locked gate. I am not sure that is legal especially if the road I was on was a public road; I realize it was more like a track than a road but nevertheless after having negotiated a somewhat technical traverse it was rather disappointing not to be able to press on.

I got off the bike with my Leatherman in hand and I found myself glaring at the barbed wire fence, yes no, yes no, no yes flashed through my mind. Just kidding, I would never consider cutting through the fence even if they had padlocked a public road. To add salt to the injury I had put my helmet on the ground, to find it covered with those vicious ants with massive pinchers. Eventually, after cleaning out my helmet and wrestling the bike back to an upright position I was on my way up the hill to notice that I was not wearing any gloves. Back down again I went to no avail, I found no gloves, who knows where I had them last. I am now convinced that my short term memory is being affected by my anti-retroviral medication. It has taken almost 10 years but it is now affecting my nerve endings I am convinced of it.

The detour was a costly one as I drove in circles with a confused GPS sending me round and round the merry-go-round. It was still great and enjoyable, mountains all around with open meadows on either side of me. I eventually made it back to the tar to get my bearings and ended up having lunch at Lady Grey. After Lunch I decided to head further south, I was in two minds whether to go along the tricky pass and advised not to if there had been rain, it has been raining. But before I could give it much thought I was on my way with my Garmin leading the way. I soon left the tar road and made my way along a river on a narrow sand road, it was very pretty. If the weather had been a little friendlier I may have hung my hammock and force a power nap, it never happened. A little later after filling up I was still deciding on what direction to take, when I notice one of my petrol caps missing and rain was threatening, all I needed now was water and petrol in one of my tanks. A plastic bag and a pull-tie will have to do for now. Tomorrow I will have to head towards East London, I am sure there must be a number of bike shops there and hopefully getting a replacement cap won’t be another Ben Hur. It is about 330 km from where I have held up for the night. I was hoping to find a B&B somewhere after Elliot, but the wind up and over the mountain was double yesterday’s strength and the mist was so thick I could hardly see 10m in front of me. With a tissue in one hand I was wiping my goggles and with the other accelerating up over the hill, my hands where like blocks of frozen ice, while I tried to steady myself against the wind. The Lord was gracious as I keyed in B&B lodging and all I need now was to negotiate the conditions for another 6km or so, stopping was not an option as I would have had someone probably drive into the back of me. The hot bath was most welcome, so much for my slumming it; I have a cozy room with supper waiting. I am not complaining as the luxury was most welcomed after my military basis training re-run up the hill, fighting against the elements.

Until tomorrow

Signing off

Tyrone

Dodging the Storm

Today was interesting to say the least; it was not a normal hot summer’s day. It was wet and some of the sand roads where mud roads, which made them tricky to navigate.

It was a nice but difficult ride; it was taxing as I had to maintain high concentration levels. I had one gentle put down today, but it wasn’t only the mud that needed negotiating, the wind was fierce, at times I felt like a rag doll and I constantly had to dodge the sporadic thunder showers. I normally cannot wait to take my jacket off it gets so hot, but not today, I had my raincoat over my riding gear and not once did I feel myself complaining about the heat. Through it all I am grateful as it was invigorating, I can feel my body has worked. My tennis elbow will not let up and I am becoming accustom to it’s niggle.

I have eventually called it a day and did over 600 km today and with a large portion of that on dirt. I am once again in Hobhouse and at the same guest house. It proves that good hospitality brings people back to revisit what they know. Hence I did not go to another guest house but returned to one that I felt comfortable with. I am at The Emily Guest House but it is listed on the GPS as the Hobhouse Bed and Breakfast. My supper, bake beans and a tin of tuna with some olive oil, a bath and then hopefully a good night’s rest.

I did have some early drama as my side mirror snapped with the screw still imbedded in the female socket that would normally support and keep the mirror in place. I will give Pratley’s putty a trial run in the morning, we will see if it holds it in place.

You can see the weather I had to drive into today in the picture, unfortunately I cannot share the winds ferocity as I did not shoot video, and you will just have to take my word for it.

Until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone

Re-think.

My running repair are now complete, the tail light and indicators are in road worthy order once again, I have remove the bulk of the rear mudguard as there is no longer a need for it. It held the indicators and tail light; I now have replaced them with an all in one LED light.

My pannier brackets have also been repaired and are ready once again to take a lesser load, by at least half. I must however confess that even with her load, Hope did exceptionally well; even at 140km per hour, while traversing in a straight line she did not sway even an inch. But the weight is not helpful, time to lose some.

So after being back in Johannesburg in my own bed for two nights, it is now time to re-think my strategy, and plan smarter!

So what can I take as valuable lessons from my first attempt at touring? There are a number of lessons learnt; firstly I carried far too much clobber and food, it is simple enough to replenish along the road. It may cost a little more but all rounds it is far wiser. Rather less than more is the slogan! Secondly, I will plot a course via my Garmin GPS prior to departure as I did not do this with my first attempt, so my GPS kept routing me back onto tar roads and that was not my objective. I want to travel roads and areas that will be new to me, an adventure of a different kind. I have now keyed in my new destination and plotted the entire route all the way to Plettenburg Bay.

The distance will be 2082km instead of just over 1200km’s, but the ride will be my holiday and not the destination. It should take anything from 6-10 days and then probably 3 on the way back. Lesson number three, I must find another way to mount my bike as too much weight is being placed on that side stand; I am already on stand number three in just seven days. I most definitely do not want a repeat of Lady Grey. How appropriate her name “Lady Grey”, Lady Grace would have possibly been kinder... I am not the supplest of individuals and my legs are longer than most, it will be interesting to say the least, or maybe I can work out some sort of Starsky and Hutch move and mount with a running motion. If I work something out, I may even video it and upload it to the blog. As soon as the rain lets up I will once again be on my way.

Signing off

Tyrone

Plans!!!

(Proverbs 16:3) Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

This tells me that we have very little control over our lives, we think we can do what we want when we want, but not so, if we commit our work to the Lord then He establishes our plans.

The reason my blog is not updated Dave, is I have been very busy with some trying but needful experiences. So let me fill everyone in... So much for my plan to end up south of the Lesotho Border, I left Hobhouse and had a fantastic ride along an amazing dirt road for about 80km, I really enjoyed the traverse and then I took a wrong turn where I ended up on the N6 again which took me into Aliwal North.

I stopped and had my usual Wimpy cheese burger and chips. It was at this stop that I realised my side stand was bending. My kit a little heavy and because I need to stand on the foot peg when mounting my bike; without gear on the bike it is easy just to swing your leg over the back of the seat, but because of the paraphernalia that is not possible. I now mount the bike like mounting a horse, the weight is obviously overbearing on the little foot stand and hence the reason for it to eventually buckling. This now was a problem as I could not mount the bike without it wanting to fall over. It also became difficult getting it to stand without wanting to topple. Instead of dealing with the problem there and then in Aliwal North, I choose to move on to Lady Grey. I soon realised that I had to attend to the problem, so I keyed in mechanic into my GPS at Lady Grey and it came up blank, and sent me to a town I had just passed, so I turned round and made my way back to Sterkspruit, on arrival there was no such place, so much for my GPS! I asked around and found a back-door panel beater. They took off the stand, and then they proceeded to bend and shape it, after re-enforcing it with a weld with some extra steel in its place of weakness. When it was put back, it look horrible, but that was not my concern, it had hardly made a difference the bike was still balancing on a knife edge for it to stand upright. This was an hour later; they then proceeded to heat and shape the leg on the bike. I eventually thank them for their help, pay a hundred rand and got on my bike with the hope of making Lady Grey before sunset. However as soon as I put the bike into gear she cut out. I then realized that a simple task had now become a mammoth one.

The sensor on my bike was reading the legs stand as down, a factory safety precaution. I fiddled a little and then she engaged into gear, “Hope” had given me hope, she was on the move, so off I went. About 2 km later as I was leaving town and accelerating up the hill, the time about 6pm, she cut out on came to a halt. Off I jumped trying to find a mound that would balance her and keep her from falling. Some two hours later with my ear glued to my phone speaking to a KTM mechanic from the area I had never met or spoken to before. The long and the short of it was here I was on my back under the bike trying to by-pass the sensor.

I had already cut it off and rejoined the wires but to no avail. Just as I was about to try a few different combinations, I lost power to the battery and was unable to get her to turn over. I decided that I would spend the night on the pavement if need be. I was now tired and somewhat challenged. Chris the mechanic from about 150km away was kind enough to arrange for a total stranger to pick me up with a bakkie, the sun had now long set. At his farm we then put the battery on charge and tried connecting the wires with every possible colour combination and yet with no joy. It was now 10pm and he was leaving at 5 am to go up to Kroonstad, with another family. I was to hitch a ride with them to Bloemfontein as there was a KTM dealer there. I now was feeling rather burdensome as I had now inconvenienced two families. I am grateful to them both and trust that the Lord will be good to them and reveal Himself in a way that there understanding as professing Christians may be enriched and that they would understand His sacrifice on their behalf. I pray, please be merciful Father!

At KTM Bloemfontein they manufactured a new stand and sorted out my switch. All the advice I was given over the phone on what we where to do were good suggestions but not for the new KTM 690R, by joining the wires on the older bikes, it would have sorted out the problem. If you ever encounter a problem like this which could easily happen if the plastic support arm gives way on the senor, then get a magnet and tape it to the sensor and your problem is sorted. Amazing what information will do for us, remember that the Lord Jesus died for sinners and if you take that information, repent and believe on Him, and then it will be amazing what that will do for you.

Back on my bike and back into a southerly direction, but not for long. Lesson number I am not sure now, but still another lesson that rang true in my ears, I am two heavy with goods and it is now time to be rid of at least half of it. I turned the bike round in a northerly direction and headed for home.

It was time to rethink and time for some running repairs. I also notice that my anti-retroviral tablets where to close to the exhaust, when loading I had strapped them on the wrong side and that had now been exposed to heat rendering them useless as the must remain below 8 degrees. I had no choice but to regroup and rethink. The ride back was rough and taxing as the wind was violent, but by God’s grace I made it home and this morning I will fix the tail light and a couple of other things needed to get Hope back to roadworthy status.

Where will I travel to from here, well I will not even dare make a suggestion, just watch the space.

Signing off

Tyrone

relaxation interrupted by a fall.

Yesterday was rather full of peacefulness and yet it was rudely interrupted by a fall. Hope copes well with her load, but I realize although I do not feel the weight travelling in a straight line, it is but a pleasure even when the bike is loaded. However, if the back snakes out under power with her load then it is almost impossible to control, hence lesson number three on my travels, by

overpowering the

throttle on the dirt it cost me a falling prey to the grime. No real damage done, but it could have been a lot worse, thank you Lord Jesus for your protecting hand. Sometimes I

wonder what it must be like for the protecting angels having to deal with m

an and his folly. I have had to do some minor running re

pairs, my GPS is not in the correct position and I have had to make a plan to avoid the cables from snagging when the front shock move up and down especially under braking. It doesn’t look pretty but some plastic, duct tape and some scrap wire has done the trick.

I am having breakfast in Wepener and from here on in I trust I will be on dust most of my travels. My tyre pressure was high and these new dual purpose tyres also give the ride a different feel especially on the dust. Time now to drop the tire pressure but not so low that a rock will buckle my wheel, from here I plan to move SE just south of the most southern tip of the Lesotho border into War Trail Valley.

Signing off

Tyrone

Breakfast

It is pretty country, green and hilly, I have stop for breakfast in a town called Fouriesburg and God has once again been gracious to my prayer request as I sit with two men enquiring after the Lord Jesus. So many have heard but been tainted by false teachings, pray for this man Joseph so that his eyes may be truly opened to the saving power of our Lord and Saviour as he requested prayer. Yet because of his own financial debt he sees the Lord Jesus as so many in time past as a free meal ticket. How many people in the upper room, 120 that is all and yet He feed thousands with food that gets digested and then passed. We all need to find redemption for our sins, the rest will come when and where the Lord chooses to provide. First we must seek Him and His righteousness and the rest will follow suit. How this world has been polluted with money preachers and the wrong emphasis is placed on why we should serve God through Christ. The bible tells us that they will receive a stricter judgment, what a scary thought! Breakfast was great and now it is time to make my way to Clarens… Signing off Tyrone

Bethlehem

Bethlehem and a good night’s sleep are hopefully on the cards. I have pulled into Gables B&B for the night and a REPACK. My ride was pleasant and the sand roads where full of jagged stones and my compressor came in handy, as I pumped and deflated my tires a few times. The ride has been balanced and Hope (my KTM) has done well on the ride, she hasn’t struggled much. I have already encountered another loss of something valuable, my hand made knife is no longer anywhere to be found. I think someone helped themselves to it when checking in at Gables reception. I must conclude that today has not been “penny wise” it has rather been “pound foolish”; however the day even with all its challenges has been sweet in the Lord. There is a tranquil place of contentment when in a foreign surrounding, not sure why? But it is refreshing! The on-coming trucks can be scary as they nearly blow you from your bike. The velocity of wind they generate is quite staggering. Tomorrow I plan to move south along the Lesotho border, until then…

Signing off

Tyrone

Had an opportunity to encourage a struggling brother,, pray for him as he is weak in the faith, his name is Lee.

Lesson One.

Well 24km into my travels and already my first learning experience and a costly lesson at that, so much for penny wise pound foolish! I was concerned about the heat from my exhaust fumes and requested a covering base plate. It never happened, but now it is being sorted. A new tent, sleeping bag and hammock I will now need to replace. So much for my gentle introduction into adventure biking. But like I said in an early blog, lessons will be learnt along the way; we must make them our own and learn from them. Let’s hope this is a lesson learnt not to be repeated.

Signing off

Tyrone

Loaded!

Loaded, is somewhat of an under-statement, I will no doubt learn as I travel!

I am down to about a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts and lots of jocks and socks. Like most things in life, we normally pay a price for knowledge, I pray that I will be penny wise and pound foolish alone my travels.

I am about to head out and this will be the last taste of luxury for

some time, I am amped! This is totally new ground for me but it was great to have my boy Mongi help me with the bike yesterday, thanks son. Lord willing I will use this trip, as a recognisance for our planned trip in a couple of years.

I am interested to feel how “Hope” (my bike) handles her load? And how I finger the load!

I thank all my brothers in Christ for their prayers even now, and you know who you are, please continue to bear me up; I have called this trip my “soul seeking adventure” but remember it is not to find some new revelation just to drink deeper from it. If I encounter an angel like Jacob did and get to wrestle with Him in finding a deeper understanding of God attributes and what is required from me to serve Him with a deeper love, then I would have obtained my objective, if I encounter some honey and locust along the way that would be good.

I will make my way back to Schlowy Customs and sort out some final tweaking and then be on my way. I will head south towards Bethlehem and look to stay over there for the night. Yet I will always have this verse from proverbs in the forefront of my mind, Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Signing off

Tyrone

"My Soul-Searching Adventure"

Why have I decided to venture out into unknown territory on a motorbike and not on a horse, is for obvious reasons? A horse will not cover as much ground and I now live in the 21^st century. Although I like the idea of horseback through uncharted country, and at one time in my life I even owned a horse, I however would not class myself as a horseman. Therefore a bike it is and a bike it shall be.

Preparation for my KTM 690 has been time consuming and involved, but now that I am approaching the end of that preparation an excitement begins to stir. The 690 is a bike more suited for “enduro” and not “touring” therefore I needed to mission into unexplored terrain and got Schlowy Customs to design me a bracket so that I could mount Oxford saddlebags and a secure mount for my camera bag/box. I am impressed with their professionalism and the end result. A good bunch of guys, I recommend them for any custom you need done, they will make a plan. I also had long range tanks fitted, this now gives a totally different feel to the bike, but it also was a job well done, except for them cracking my radiator, which has now delayed my trip. But in fairness to Omega Fibreglass, this could have happened to anyone, an over tightening of a nut. I am thankful that I found the leak prior to my scheduled departure this morning. I pray that my God, the only true living God, the Father of Jesus Christ my Lord will enable me to get underway soon.

The reason I have chosen to travel SE and find some desolate and mountainous land is because I have always wanted to find a place of refuge where I could soul search without any distraction. To be able to cry out to my glorious God and Father in and amongst His creation is my goal, whether I am granted my request, time will tell! (Proverbs 16:9) “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

I plan to take one day at a time and the route I begin with is in a southerly direction, my first planned stop will be somewhere in the Bethlehem area; I like the sound of that! I eventually would like to end up somewhere in the Eastern Cape, but once again, Lord willing, time will tell!

Signing Off

Tyrone