®️3️⃣5️⃣5️⃣🛣

It was a lazy up. I mean I was in a 🛏 for goodness sake. With pillows. 🚿 was delightful. Down for a bit of 🍳🥚🥓🍞🍽 oh what a treat. Quick chat to the bossman and I am off. Off to the bike shop down the road. It has been a busy few weeks so some more lube is required. Voila they have my brand. Chat to the owner and then I am 📴. Through town. That took approximately 30 seconds and then on to the R355. The longest dirt road in SA apparently. Who actually cares 🤔. Maybe they should try and tar some of the roads.

It is excellent going. Not a tailwind but the next best thing. A sort of side reverse dog leg, chicken thigh sort of wind. It is pushing me but also pushing me over. Anyway I am certainly not complaining. It was good going.

A few kilometers of blah and then in all its glory it stares you right in the 🚤 race. Beautiful. Stunning. Magnifique. A pass. But this time we are at the top. The views are worth a 5 minute stop. The plains of Africa in front. As far as the 👁 could see. 

I get going again. Down. Faster. Even faster. Dangerously fast now. I don't care. It's fun. McDonald's!❕❗ I keep the speed up when I hit the flat Ietting the 🌬 ➕ momentum carry me for as long as they dare. I enjoy it. My journey will take me to roughly half way on this road today. I get pedaling and try to use the 🌬 as much as possible. 

Again I know you are probably tired of hearing this but it is truly stunning scenery. Dust storms here and there. Little whirl winds 🌪 creating tunnels of earth retreating towards the sky. Not a single cloud to be seen. A picture perfect day. The 🌡 was warm but not hot enough yet to be drawing any sweat out of me. I was taking my ⌚ to enjoy the day as much as possible. 

The process is continuous for a few hours. Getting to where I am going. Nothing strenuous. Then over a rise and 2 huge, beastly gemsbok not far from me. They are scared off and I pause to watch them gallop away. Horns over a meter long, these are less gracious and more dangerous animals. I guess good they are 💩 scared of me as I could never out ride them. 

I had decided on a bridge sleep tonight. Not far from the tented camp is the perfect spot. Arriving at my destination I feel happy and good with the days work. I park my 🚲 on the bridge and go scouting underneath for the correct address. Unfortunately this went tits up pretty quickly. As I was walking from one section to the other I did not see the ground was in fact mud and not solid. The first leg went in. Almost to my knee. Unable to balance the other leg followed suit. I think I started to cry a bit. After getting myself to dry land I assessed the situation. A lot of mud. It 👃👃 too. Badly. I shook my head in disbelief. I knew what had to be done. 

I got my knife 🔪 out and started cutting off my feet 🦶 🤣🤣. That would be quite a story though. 

The ⛺ camp was only 8kms away. They had 🚿. And 🍺. The 2 things I needed. I remount the 🚲 and make my way here. The boss lady recognizes me and we chat briefly. I down my 🍺 and head straight for the showers.

Everything cleaned I am in bed. The mud smell luckily is still here. Yay 🤯😶🔫. That is a NOT joke. I will rewash everything in the morning. 🧼🧽. Don't worry about it drying. The wind will sort that out pronto.

Today was a very good day. Even with the mud debacle I had a super time. I thank my lucky stars 🌟 they were out in full force for me today 🙏. 

Anyway bed time now. I am pooped. The wind is howling but I have sort of secured a place with a bit of shelter. I needed to be here tonight. Not under the bridge. It would have been a disaster. 

Sleep tight all. Be safe.

G.