Colder

Proper Cold

Sunday 30th

So yesterday it pretty much rained all day and into the night. It was cold and very very wet. Today has been somewhat of a charming day. I woke quite early but lay in bed in my new ⛔🖐 sleeping bag. It was cold I could feel the ice on my 👁lashes. The rest of me was warm and happy.

Just after 8️⃣ I rose and made coffee, toast and boiled eggs. ☕🍞🥚🥚🥚 they were going to be fried but I was not sure how well they had managed the journey back from the shops. So 25 minutes in the pot and surely they would be fine.

I had washed the night before 🧼🛁 so all that was needed was clothes. 

Since I had missed speaking to my girlfriend and friends the day before I set off on the trek up the hill. There was water everywhere. A lot of it. Puddles, rivers and small dams even seemed to have appeared. 

I had seen a few traces of this earlier and now being half way up the hill it was clear as day. Snow. Quite a bit of it. I was actually knee deep in the stuff. Not pleasant in slip slops. My goodness what a great sight. Well I wasn't really in it but there was adequate deposits of it on the mountain tops towards the Citrusdal side. This would be why it was so cold. I had lit a fire in a wheelbarrow and was pushing it up the hill for warmth. It worked well.

At the top I hid the fire and its carrier. Time to get in touch with those who need to be contacted and let them know my will is not valid just yet. With the beneficiaries disappointed I sent my girlfriend a few messages too. All in order I needed to retreat back to my new sleeping bag (did I mention it is rated to ⛔5️⃣ degrees?)

As I lay in bed warming up I could hear the other campers packing up their weekend fun and departing. I never chat to any of them as I don't really care about them or their stories. I am just out here having fun dying of hypothermia. It's fun 🙃

With them all gone and just myself to the place I have showered and outside sitting in the sun writing my daily happenings. 

Soon I shall start packing as I have been here a week now and quite satisfied I have seen everything. So tomorrow is moving day. I will be up early as I want to get a coffee in Porterville before I make the short journey to Piketberg. It is about an 80 km ride tomorrow so really, not much in it. Hopefully smooth sailing and camp set up by early afternoon. 

Chat then.

G 💙

One Way

Or Another

Wet 🤨🚣‍♂️

The last ⌛ 24 hours have got me thinking if doing this trip in 🌧❄☃️ winter was my best idea. Well it has not been my best idea but I am convincing myself it is not the worst one either 🛶

Yes I should have brought a canoe instead of a bike. The rain has been quite consistent. A lot of it. I put a rain gauge outside to see how much and well it has washed away. So while I don't know the quantity I can tell both times I got up to P in the night I had to dry myself off before getting back into 🛏 Luckily I am in the cottage. I fear if I was in my tent 🏕 then Wilson 🏈 and I would be near Madagascar by now. 

At about 🕖 7pm a few cars arrived. I knew this as the boss man moved me into a bigger room on Thursday as a group of friends was arriving and using my old address. No complaints here. It was pouring down when they arrived. I felt sorry for them. Then I put on the kettle and had a cup of coffee ☕. No point in us all being miserable. 

No ride yesterday but I walked up to the road to get signal so I could check my messages. While the walk up there was not bad at all, the return trip was a different story. As I got to the summit a dam wall broke somewhere near me and it did not stop raining until I got back. All I had was my raincoat 🧥🩳👕👡 shorts, a tshirt and flip flops. It was the least fun I have had since finding out I am adopted 😶

Oh well such is life. If I hear one person say "it could have been worse" please let me know how. I went straight to the shower and guess what.. the hot water wasn't working 🤣 so yes it got worse. I had to run in my shorts to the other shower where luckily it was working. I can tell you now that some days a shower can really just wash your blues away. Yesterday was certainly one of them. Dry and a lot warmer I tested the new sleeping bag again. It works spectacularly 🏆🥇 I was warm and happy in no time. 

So I will be hanging around in my room again today. See if I can find any ants to race or probably just watch the world go by. Something very real and very calming about watching the rain and how it moves to where it goes. It certainly is a force not to be reckoned with. 

The bike has been cleaned about 4 times. All in vain probably. As soon as it gets going in the mud fest that is left behind after this it will probably need a few new parts. Well let's hope not. 

Anyway I leave you now. Be good, be good at it and no I am not adopted. 

Until warmer days. Take care.

G

Found

The other day I mentioned I was missing a lucky star 🌟. Well I have been so blessed and fortunate the last week I think it was just a combination of many things. I thank you all who have helped, assisted or whom I have met. Mostly still a huge thank you to the Bothas which is where my good fortune started. 

Today was a different day. That's lucky I guess! There was supposed to be some rain. With the current weather man predictions it could have been at any time and any place. So I had eaten and was ready to rock and roll. I rode up the doomsday hill. Looked at my surroundings and decided I would return to the safety of my abode for a few hours until things cleared. Mistake 1. So I go back down and sit around for 2 hours picking my nose and talking to the guinea fowl. They really are stupid creatures. Anyway attempt 2 is made around 11ish. This time it is into town. Easy peasy. Tailwind all the way. While this sounds great, unless you win the lotto you will have to deal with that headwind on the return. 

A quick catchup with a few mates and my girlfriend of course. It is our one month anniversary. We have a good chat and then down to Spar (good for you). I get enough to keep out of eating grass for about 3 days. The one item I am extremely proud of is the 1.5liter coke zero not caine is that the returnable bottle is cheaper than the non refundable bottle. Who would have thought?!

Anyway back to the lack of beaver. You guessed it. Headwind the whole way back. In case you give a shit a quick sta tistic there..50 minutes, return 2 hours. Sure there is a bit more climbing to do and I have a full bag, but met eish. So I get back a little out of gas. What is the first thing I go for? Well I will tell you. The coke 0. I now know why it was cheaper. There is no bubbles in this bottle. Not even one. It is flat. So... I get on my bike 🤣🤣 are you nuts. That would be a 3 hour ride for a 12 rand bottle of coke. I drink the flat crap and that is mistake 2. Now I feel a bit sick! I like the bubbles they make you, make wind. A nice way to clear the exhaust. 

Anyway so be it. The rest of my food is packed away in the pantry 🤪😳🤣 I am in a tent. It is thrown to one corner. 

Actually this is where another of my lucky stars arrives 🌟 When I got here I booked in as told by the sign at the gate. At the desk the lady informs me I can stay in the manor house as they are going away 😳😳 just kidding. She says I can stay in one of the little cabins for the same price. So voila. Here it is. 

I am washed, so are my clothes. I am warm. My clothes are wet. Not all, just the washed ones. My bike is next to me. This is important. Without it I have a very very long walk ahead. So best it stays next to me 2️⃣4️⃣⚫7️⃣ 

This trip would take slightly longer on foot. 

I will probably be hiding out here for the next 48 hours. Well that is if the weather guesser has got 10 per cent of his guesses right for this weekend. It said ⛔2️⃣ for Saturday. That probably just means death. Nice knowing y'all. Throw my ashes or frozen corpse whichever one it is in the Tankwa Karoo. Just out the window is fine if it is too cold to get out. With my bike please. If I ever thaw out I can get going again 🏴‍☠️🇿🇼

Great success. Okay I don't have anymore than that for today. 

I hope you are all well. I miss you all. Some more than others 🤣🤣🤪

Chat soon amazing people 

💙