Conclusion...

Let me now conclude my trip from Johannesburg through to the Eastern cape, in and through some of those breath taking passes and back up through the Northern cape and then as far as Wolmeransstad, where I had my accident and my bike and I could no longer venture any further as a team. I was collected by a family member in Klerksdorp where I did the last stretch home cooped up in the front seat of a a motor vehicle with a neck brace on, as my bike was towed to KTM Klerksdorp were it awaited an appraiser to assess the damages.

In conclusion, would I do the trip all over again? Yes without batting an eyelid. I did close on 4000km on my KTM 690 and I must give praise were it is due, Schlowy Custom Motorcycles did a sterling job with the weight distribution with my saddlebags, even at 140km/hour I did not feel any snaking movement whatsoever, she was as steady as a rock. The principle of moving the saddlebags forward and in front of the back axel and lowering them, definitely paid dividends. My most valuable items that accompanied me along my somewhat interesting but challenging adventure would be Duct tape, pull ties and Plastic bags; do not leave home without any of those items.

Until the next adventure wherever and whenever that may be...

Signing off

Tyrone

High Impact!

Firstly, let me ask for forgiveness for not being incisive last night with the posting of my blog. I have half an excuse; I had an accident just outside Wolmaransstad.

The last picture of my bike in tact with the Vaal river in the background...

I left Bloemhof a little later than normal and got away round about 8am. After checking my tire pressure I was soon onto the dirt and enjoying my ride. The roads were like most of the other roads I had been on days before; they were wet in places with loose sand and mud making up much of the way. The riding was good as concentration was part of the journey. I was all alone and enjoying my surroundings, I saw one car in 40 km, so I was in a good place, alone with my thoughts and singing praises to my Lord. The way I choose to traverse the sand was mostly to stand up and find the best navigating line so that I would avoid the loose sand and the mud, which meant that I needed to move from the left side of the road to the right side as and when the need arose. This was the way I had done it all along my journey. About 15km from Wolmaransstad I was on a long straight and saw a man walking along the edge of the right hand side of the road; I was also on the right hand side as this was the better riding line. When I approach the man, I must have startled him and instead of him just keeping his line, he got such a fright, just like a rabbit in spot lights, he jumped into the road. I then tried to go off the road and miss him on my right and as soon as I did that he jumped back to his left and my right. Well the inevitable happened we collided with massive impact. I must of being travelling at about 80km/hour. I can clearly remember being eyeball to eyeball with the petrified man. If someone was to compile a video of the most freakish accidents of all time, this would probably feature.

I dropped the bike and I went down, when I got to my feet my neck and head was very sore and all I wanted to do was remove my helmet, I remember I couldn’t undo the straps latch because I still had my gloves on, frantically I pulled off my gloves and got my helmet off. I then saw the man sprawled on his back out cold, I thought he was dead! I think I was in such sock, my attention moved from him to my bike as it lay on its side and petrol was leaking from the tanks I was worried it would flood, go figure! I picked the bike up started it and drove it down the road in the opposite direction for about 300m and then got off it again. I then tried to gather my thoughts and made some phone calls. I had lost a saddle bag and my GPS had come off. My attention then returned to the injured man but he was now 300 meters from me, I saw him get up and walk off into the distance. I am not sure how that was possible; I am still dumbstruck on how he managed to walk away from the scene. In hindsight I appreciate that I was concussed and not to sure what had just happened. A vehicle eventually approached the sight and I waved him down. He told me that he would call the police and before long, they arrived with an ambulance soon to follow. While I waited for them to arrive, I was searching for my saddlebag and my GPS and could not find them, it was very puzzling! The saddle bag is bright blue and 45l in size! The SAP also help me look and then the medics also, but we found nothing for a while. Eventually I realised what I had done and found the accident site with my helmet, gloves and the saddlebag all together, the only thing we never found was my GPS. I was concerned about my neck but also about my bike and so we all decided to wait for the tow truck, which I think Russell the manager from KTM Paulshoff organised, thanks mate! He eventually arrived and loaded up the bike with my gear, all I took with me was my bible and my camera. I was placed horizontally in the ambulance with a neck brace on and off we went to the hospital in Wolmaransstad. I had x-rays done and they told me that my neck was still intact but the wonderful radiologist Bokkie advised me to have a MRI scan as they use the old negative x-ray machines and they could miss some things. My neck is still tender and I will decide what to do in the next couple of days.

I also broke a finger and the ring on my pinkie heightened the swelling and so they all scramble into sheds to find wire cutters to cut off the ring. The break was under the ring and everyone had a chance to get the ring off, but without any luck and me having to “cowboy-up”. The matron then suggested that her retired husband who is handy with his hands could aid in our endeavour, I jumped at the suggestion pushing the doctor from North Africa out the way, politely off course! It didn’t take her husband, a retired policeman a number of tries to remove the ring; he did it in a flash!

It is amazing how the Lord has accommodated me in my times of need. Bokkie then suggested that she help track down my bike and my gear as they would be together. She then drove me to the neighbouring police station to get my case number for the insurance company that would soon be needed. Which we got, there was still no sign of the man I hit, I wonder if he will be alright? May the Lord be merciful to Him!

Mark from the AA eventually phoned me and I found out that my bike was in Klerksdorp a town about 80km away. What to do was now my dilemma, so I phone my father Donald and he efficiently had already dealt with the insurance company and he was instructed to leave the bike were it had be towed, so that an assessor could come and evaluate the damage. Then all I needed to do was get to Klerksdorp and get Don to Klerksdorp to pick me up. This was my next hurdle, Don was in the car on his way and I was scrambling for a lift which I eventual found through good old Mark from the AA, he organised a lift for me with the tow truck company that had towed my bike to KTM Klerksdorp.

I had the accident at about 10.30am and it was now already 5pm when I got into the truck for Klerksdorp. Both Don and I left together from KTM with my entire luggage in tow at 6pm. According to the tow truck guys they reckoned that my bike would be a right off as the frame and the shocks where bent from impact.

So I arrived home in a car and not on my bike. I had intended to be home with my victory lap at about 3pm with total fulfilment. But the Lord is every gracious and I am thankful for His tender mercies, I could of lost my life and opened my eyes in heaven, but not this day! Thank you Jesus for always looking out for me, I do acknowledge your mercy and grace and I am thankful for every good gift that comes from above.

So my trip never ended as I had planned, but how often along this trip did I encounter that which was not intended. That is why they call it adventure riding! Nevertheless I would do it again in a heartbeat; it was full of great moments with lots of sobering times as well as periods of sweet fellowship with my Heavenly Father and my great Saviour.

Until the next time...

Signing off

Tyrone

PS I will let you know the outcome of Hope my bike.

Bloemhof

Left early this morning, I like riding most near the beginning of sunrise when all is calm and serene, it is a good time to gather ones thoughts and make melody in ones heart by singing and praising the Lord.

Today’s riding was good initially but then I was on tar again and you all know how I feel about that! A lot of water still around and puddles everywhere; the Vaal River is in flood and flowing at a rapid rate but it didn’t seem to keep the fishermen away from the water’s edge.

I lost my other mirror, so both have now broken off. Hope, my KTM is quite a phenomenal bike, although I have had trouble along the way, to be fair all the difficulty has come from items fitted to make it road worthy. The side stand, sensor, my mirrors and I lost a petrol cap which was also an extra fitted after delivery.

I am in Bloemhof for the night at the Why-Not Lodge. I tried to book into the Caravan Park which is situated alongside the Vaal River, but they have been flooded out and they tell me it is the second time within twelve months. I am paying a little more than normal but I can settle in and watch the rest of the cricket, not that it is very exciting. Kimberly was a little disappointing, a bit too big for me.

I may well be home by tomorrow, and it will be good to test drive my new bed.

The landscape in the Eastern Cape is quite breath-taking as the views in the Northern Cape are a little flatter, well at least on my route anyway!

I can sense that I have been riding and my body feels well, I like it! Lord willing, in time to come I must do a lot more riding.

Signing off

Tyrone

Phillippolis

I am finally in a room in Phillippolis at the Backpackers Accommodation across the street from their famous NG Kerk (church) slap bang in the middle of town. This is one of the reasons I am so enjoying riding through towns I have never seen before. I was afforded a tour of the church and I was told that this is one of the few churches that have an original pipe organ. What interested me was an old Afrikaans bible dating back to 1901.

It is the book I am holding in the picture. My tour guide was quick to tell me that their preacher was a woman and that she was a libber. I asked her if people still got saved in this church as I belonged to the Lord Jesus and He was my Saviour. We both settled on the fact that He is Lord.

Last night I met a lovely couple who professed the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and they were kind enough to feed me as well. After my morning cup of coffee and my daily blog I left Graff-Reniet at 7.30am and made my way toward Nieu Bethesda, the ride was sweet. I was soon onto dirt and the view tranquil and relaxing.

The roads were still a little unpredictable as there has been rain and the water builds up in areas and caused uneven surfaces, which resulted in the back wheel sliding, but nothing serious!

The road changed from soft sand, almost claylike to a hard stony surface without much warning, so I didn’t bother to inflate and deflate my tires but kept them an a stead 2.2 bar, just hard enough so that the stones on impact did not bend my rims and just pliable enough to grip the sandy surface. Or so I figured, it seemed to work!

I had breakfast in Nieu Bethesda, a great omelet and met Bob the plumber with his 200 KTM in tow on the back of his bakkie and His Kiwi side kick who said she would follow the blog, hello there; I hope the rest of your trip is panning out well. I saw a zebra-horse for the first time, there is a name for it, but I am not sure what it is. Interestingly you can see the zebra stripes on it hind quarters.

Guess what? You guessed it, I hit another locked gate, and I’m beginning to lose my sense of humour, maybe it is time to add a wire cutter to my travel kit.

I am just kidding! I then had no choice but to keep on going, the road got worse and the traction was all over the place, but still a lot of fun. I eventually hit the N1 and then the wind and the oncoming trucks made it unpleasant. I decided to pull over and pitch the hammock, until I realized that the trees were infested with ants. I packed up without a rest and picked up the pace towards Colesburg. After Lunch at the Engens Wimpy I got off the N1 as soon as possible and ended up in Phillippolis at around 4.30pm.

Signing off

Tyrone

Graaff-Rienet

What a fantastic day today, I am grateful to my Saviour for watching over me as I did some hard riding and gently pushed the boundaries at times.

I left Plettenburg Bay at 7 am and made my way toward Uniondale over an exquisite pass; see the picture and you will understand the view I had. I lost my replacement petrol cap soon into my ride, so I am back to cable ties and a plastic bag, it will have to do until I get back to Joburg, and it seems to do the trick quite nicely. The mirror I had fixed in Queenstown is once again broken and I will live with one mirror instead of two, it is not the end of the world.

My ride started with me having to soon concentrate as the mountain pass was full of bends and had no barriers so if a mistake was made on a corner, flying lessons without any safety nets would have been the default conclusion. It was rather beautiful and near the end of the pass there was an amazing waterfall, in fact there was two of them in close succession. I could not resist getting my feet wet, I didn’t have the stomach o jump into the plunge pool, and it was still very early in the morning, if it had been midday, maybe I would have braved it. I also hit another locked gate and had to turn round before my first stop.

I had breakfast in Willowmore and stood in a bank teller line for 20 minutes to draw some money and I thought it was only in Johannesburg that we needed to queue.

From there I decided that I would venture into Baviaans and do the easier top half of it, this is where I had a lot of fun, and my bike is full of mud as the rains left many difficult mud pools on route for me to cross.

I went down once and thought I was going to be stuck for a while. However I managed to right the bike even though I was shin deep in water and mud. From there on in I found a way around the mud puddles.

I must have gone through at least 10 gates but thankfully they just needed opening and closing.

I had lunch in Aberdeen but missed the sand road from there to Graff-Rienet and that was the worst part of my ride, the tar is not pleasant, give me sand any day!

I then stop to catch my breath just outside Graff-Rienet at a pretty lake with lots of coloured children intrigued with my presents. I was feeling rather de-hydrated and instead of pushing on to Murrysburg I decided to turn round and pull into a caravan park for the night.

Until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone

Leaving Plettenburg Bay.

All my friends are back home and it is now time for me to start making preparations to restart my touring escapade, I have overstayed my welcome in Plettenburg Bay and I am beginning to lose focus as one is caught up will holiday fever. My route still needs some deliberation, but it will be in a northerly direction, heading home.

I need to be back in Johannesburg no later than the 11^th of January as my HIV medication will soon be depleted.

I must say that I was very fortunate to get the accommodation I got which an old friend managed to source, it only cost me R150.00 a day in peak session, hence the reason for me settling in for so long. But enough is enough; I can now either head up towards the Northern Cape or through the Transkei. We have had a lot of rain so I suppose Baviaans Pass will still not be a good option, maybe I will have a chance to do that in the near future. Maybe I should venture into the Oudtshoorn Mountains and re-examine the mountains I walked on foot while enduring Vasbyt as part of my training on an Officer’s Course during my national service with Oudtshoorn Infantry School way back in 1985.

That will be the route then, firstly over a steep twisty pass toward Uniondale and then on to Oudtshoorn. I am told that the pass is a dirt road which is narrow and steep but an enjoyable ride. The wind has picked up again, I hope it will not be as it was when I was last on the bike, windy and very hard riding, and I suppose time will tell!

Signing off

Tyrone

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