It was a good start. All the usual done pretty quickly. Packed and ready to go by 8.30. I was pleased so far 🦄🤣
Down to the river crossing. Didn't see Kyle from Monday. Guess he was with hangover. He lives there by the river crossing. The middle of nowhere. I mean absolutely nowhere. He has about 6 offroad motorbikes 🛵 and that's pretty much all I know about him.
So I take all my stuff off of the bike. Put the bike on the pontoon. I see all my stuff sitting there. Mmm why did you take it off dumbass 🤐. So I take the bike off, repack it nicely then put it back on the pontoon. Voila. Unfortunately while doing this I stepped in the river in my shoes. Yaay now they are wet. I place them on the bike and use the cable to shift myself over. Pretty easy really. 🍬. I take the pontoon back over with the cable. Then walk back over. To get back to small details it was only waist high!! Oh yes I was naked here 🤣🤣.
Chomp down a few biscuits while waiting for my shoes to dry 🤪. Dry enough I put them on and get going. About 4kms up. Nothing hard. All rideable. Then the plateau. My god. It is beautiful. I have never seen anything like this place. I sit for a few minutes.
Back on, let's go baby boy. It takes me through some of the most beautiful scenery. I really am just taking it all in. This is where the Cederberg meets the Tankwa. Long beautiful flats with mountains in the background. There has been much rain as there are still large pools of water and even the odd make shift dam around. The flowers are showing off too. I am here at the right time.
Current time 11.30am. Directions are a bit of a hack. I have google maps, the download directions and Kyle's "short cut explanation". All 3 so far have been quite accurate. Then comes a right turn. Neeeeoooow. On track exactly where it should be. 10kms in 😳😳 suddenly a road to the left that looks like maybe the way to go. So I go. 5kms down, a farm with 2 staff having food. We chat... I speak they listen. No English. 🖕 seems no sign language either. I mean I am 60kms from even the smallest village. Get back to the main road. Neeeeoooow another gate about 5kms short of where google says so. 🤔 I go left. Come to a house. Scream, shout and all sorts no one there. I go back to the gate and carry on. Come to a farm house. Yaay. Knock. The biggest afrikaans dude j have ever seen ever opens the door. We chat. Sort of. I ask for some water and directions. He obliges and comes back. Tells me I am lucky with the wind hey... I said sure. I have had a pretty strong side wind for about 2 hours. I guess I was lucky 🤣🤣.
Get going neeeeoooooow. I am getting worried now. It is 4pm. I am hot. I am on fire it is so hot. Running out of water too. Your mind starts playing tricks on you. Exactly as you see it in the movies. I am getting worried! About an hour and a half later I see the R355. I know where I am now. 1km north then 6kms to the tented camp. My destination. It doesn't take too long. I am here.
I dive to the tap. Gulp, gulp, gulp then vomit. The water is not so good. Tastes like shit actually. Oh dear. I walk around and find the manager. She says don't drink the tap water it is brackish. Thanks I say. Got any bottled water? I grab a few.
Showered and ready for bed. It is only 8pm. Today was one of my toughest rides I can remember. Poor directions and being in the middle of nowhere, with limited water and such heat made me realize I need to plan better out here. Well I am not going to but I thought about it a lot 🤣🤣.
I saw such beautiful scenery today. It was good and bad. A few things I won't mention which make me really question the goodness of mankind. Also the assistance of a stranger who kept me going.
I look forward to tomorrow and hopefully walking around the Africa burn site.
Until then. Stay safe.
G.
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