Tuesday

Since my last post it seems I am doing a little better. Not much but enough to say things are good and the trip is going well. The downtime is the hardest. No 🖥. Not always 📶. So it can be hard times. Thoughts are plentiful and not always ones that you want. Dealing with these is not always easy. 

Last nights sleep was grand. I was pretty much just waiting for the sun to go down. Once it was I was asleep within the hour. Only waking once around 4am for a 🚽 break. Up at 5.30. I wanted to be shifting at 6. There was a fair decent climb ahead and it needed to be done before the 🌞 was too hot. I was in luck. The short downhills to the climb were outstandingly refreshing and the air was still fresh and 🆒️ from the night. My usual stop at Mount Cedar was abandoned to get to my destination. Success. 

The climb ⛰🚲 was slow. It was starting to warm up. I have done this climb. 4 times according to my records. Now... with every hill/climb, straight, in fact any section I ride I always try to improve on my fastest time. Today, well that is a fail. At one point I nearly fell off of my bike. I was doing what I could to get to the 🔝 as quickly as possible but the energy levels were running on 🆘️. I was simply struggling like a headless 🐔. It must have been a good laugh if anyone was 👀 me. 

So be it. It is only life. I missed my time by 1️⃣ and a half minutes. 🚼🚫⚠️ Finally reaching the summit I was just relieved the suffering was over. Down the other side. Fast. Like a kid. Awesome. Cool air. 

A small uphill sees me here at Oasis. Washed. Clothes washed. Feeling better. Happy. Tomorrow is a big day. Into Wupperthal. Out of Wupperthal. It is a massive climb. I will be doing it in the heat of the day. 🤔🤐. I expect to expire on that enormous elevation which will extend my experience to all ends of eternity. It will actually. Roughly 35 here today. Good news for tomorrow 4️⃣0️⃣. That's in the shade. In the pool 😳😳🥵🥵. I can't wait said no man ever.

So if you don't hear from me again you know why. My expectations were just a little too high. Off to have my regular 🧀 ➕ 🍅 🥪 ➕🍟. Sort of a last meal I guess.

I hope you are all well. Keeping happy. Keeping busy. Being you.

Chat soon 

G 💙

Cederberg 😍

📯📢

Cederberg

Today finds me only 50 kilometers from my starting place. 👾

When I awoke this morning I opened my 🚪 to find a sunrise that I needed. I have been looking for confirmation of this trip and it was right there 🌝. Almost no traffic and a sight that I will hold with me. I need these little reassurances now and again to let me know my life is actually not that bad. 🈯️ I packed and got moving. A slow day all round. No rush. Absolute peace with every movement. 

Into town for breakfast 🍳🍳🥓🥓🍞🍅🍄 unfortunately the 🍄 were not magical. Pity as I was looking forward to a ride with some 🦄🦄 today. Not forgetting a ☕ to 👢❗ The hilary paid off to the spar. Now this spar let me down last time I was in it and guess what 🤔🤷‍♂️ nothing has changed. Anyway I got what I needed and fled. The mood was good but the thoughts and over thinking 🧠 process seems to be hanging around. You can easily 👀 how these things can consume peoples lives and become unmanageable. 

It was vaaaaaaaaaarum. Like lekka hot. It is going to get much hotter so a good test ride. 🐵⚠️🥵. Down the tar to where it meets the gravel. Waving at the odd farm hand. Some returning the gesture some not so much. The transition from tar to gravel is barely noticeable. 

Well I say that, but further down the 🛣🛤 it feels like you are going through a 🧀 grater. Now with the amount of weight I have today it is simply not aioba. In fact it is slightly to moderately scary. It feels as though everything on the 🚲 is going to rattle off. The going is generally very good. No real power or effort is required. After Yesterdays ride I am pleased with this 🛐. 

A few small ups, a lot of flat and a little descending here and there finds me at todays site 🏕. It quite literally looks that. Except my tent is green. There are much more trees too. And I am not that close to them. And my tent is smaller. Well not smaller than the one in the picture ⛺ but I guess in that ⚖. So not really a good emoticon I guess. 🦧🤪🥴😖🤦‍♂️. This camp spot is also one of my regulars. So I feel happy here. Sort of peaceful. However I do have the whole afternoon to do nothing. Yay more thinking ⌚😅. Might have a nap actually. 

Tomorrow will see me finish the🦵to oasis. Wash, clean. Wash again. Charge all my items. ⚡⚡☎️🔋🔌 and so on and so forth. I should be there early so that gives me the whole day to get it all done. The day after will see me off to Enjo nature farm. The day after to Calvinia. From there I need to decide how I will get to Uppington. If any of y'all have suggestions please be kind enough to share them with me.

Thanks peeps. Miss you. A lot. Keep safe. 

G 💙

R50... Great Success

Closing Time

As another day comes to an end I allow myself time to write here and put down my days takings. 

It was an outrageously good sleep until 🕑🅰️Ⓜ️. At this exact ⌚ the rain started. I awoke and went for a quick 🚾 then back to 🛏. My second awakening was to be around 7️⃣. The 🌧 was still going and I just lay listening to the greatness of it. It was spectacular on the ⛺ but it does still leak a wee tad so I need to watch the weather apps a bit more closely. 

It was a quarter after 9️⃣ when I found myself packing to go. The ⛺ was still wet but so be it. On the road and off. It was a short way until the ⬅️ turn to Villiersdorp. From there just 9kms to the town. A very brief 🏃‍♂️ in to the spar for a fancy 🍞 for breakfast. Up the small pass and then whizzing down the other side. Luck was on my side. A tailwind ➕ very cool conditions. The going was tremendous. 

About 20 or so odd kays down this road saw me pull over for a nyum nyums. Half the bread and a bottle of 💧. That should keep the legs going. I have done this section of road a few times so no real surprises. Into Worcester. No need to slow down. Turn up the gass. I had no plan today. Just a destination for tomorrow night. So anywhere between where I was and there would have to do. More tailwind. Great ride. Not the best scenery but a good warm up for the days to come. Michelle's pass. Not the steepest piece of tar. Over and into Ceres. Again not much I needed so into town and turn left to Op Die Berg. Through The Hamlet. Here is where the day took a turn. It had warmed up. Considerably. The clouds had f'd off. The tailwind more of a headwind now. All my favorites at once. Yay. 🦧🐒🤥🥵🥵.

I start up Gydo pass. Juss!! ⛰ Did someone make it steeper 🤬😱👻. Can like to be sore legs. I had already done 🤔1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ kilos for the day. Only one way to do this.. I pulled over and slapped myself. "Sit down and listen here man. Pull yourself together. Crying is for babies." After this I felt worse. I did what anyone would have done. Turned around and went and got a room in Ceres. 🙃😅 nia man. Don't be a does. I got back on the bike and carried on. It was slow going. Hard work. The headwind luckily did not let up. About an hour and fifteen minutes later I was still going. 

🤐😰😱🤬 the summit was reached shortly after. As quick as it had arrived the headwind took leave and the tailwind was keeping me company again. I was grateful. Very. 🙏🛐♋ Not much to do now. 25 kms to my abode. Here I am. The bush. A place I have slept before. An absolutely gorgeous spot. Tomorrow should hopefully see me only have about a 5️⃣🅾️ kilo ride to another bush sleep. Then all going well Oasis on Tuesday for the night. A lekka ding shower and 🧦🦺🩲👖👘 wash will be welcomed. 

It was an extremely tough day mentally. Lots of thoughts. Lots of sadness today for some reason. A few tears and some very difficult moments. I am where I need to be for tonight. There are going to be hard days. Mentally and physically. I fear the mentally ones as they work their way through me and I don't know how to control that. The bike keeps me going. I wish I had more understanding of myself. 

I wish you all good night. Tomorrow shall present itself and we can try to learn more. At least for me anyway. Sleep tight friends. 

Love

G.

Tonight's Spot