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