Aiding with the XR migration to the Cape(PE to CT via Baviaanskloof)

A few weeks ago, I noticed a good looking Honda XR600 (in PE) looking for a new home. I did some homework, and before I knew it, I had a one-way air ticket booked from Cape Town to PE.
Then the route planning started. The Baviaanskloof has been on my wish-list/to-do-list for a while now, and I thought here's my chance to kill two birds with one stone!
Google Earth is my friend... A couple of clicks later, I've got some waypoints placed and a while after that, I had "joined the dots".

You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words, well I'm gonna let the pictures do most of my ride report. :)

Passing over False Bay

Standing outside my aunt and uncle's place, she's the latest XR in my biking history, and has just recently been dubbed: "Eleanor"

 
I needed to get some oil, and an oil filter from Honda (in Walmer) before my 962km trip. I couldn't possibly go to Honda, and straight back home - that would be boring, so I took a detour, and went via the beach on the way back to my aunt & uncle's place.

4h45am on the morning of departure

Day one's route

Day two's route

I love these signs, don't you (the tar end here, and the fun begins!)

The Sandrivier dam wall

Much to my delight, the sun is beginning to make an appearance. I also checked in with the family at home to let them know where I was, but my lips were so cold, I struggled to speak. I started thinking about the coffee I would have at breakfast, and immediately I started feeling better.

The "Stinkhoutberg Nature Reserve" is off the the right of the picture (Eleanor's left)

The road through the mountains was beautiful.

It eventually joins up with the tar road between the entrance to the Baviaanskloof, and Patensie.

They had a bit of rain, so we had lotsa fun!

Breakfast at Padlangs is a definite must!

The coffee was hot, and the breakfast was delicious!

Next to the Kouga river

Getting my permit to drive through Baviaanskloof - the best 20 bucks I've spent in a looooong time!

First water crossing. Don't laugh - it's wet, aint it - doesn't matter how deep. :D

I think this must be one of my favourite pics from the whole trip...

...and this is another one

The water crossings were a-plenty! :)

A victim of the road - looks like the front suspension snapped.

I saw such a beautiful big Waterbok a few minutes before this picture - I could see him running towards the road from my left, he jumped into the road, and before I had a chance to reach for the camera, he was gone again.

Baboons in the distance

A few water crossings after this one, I got to one that looked very similar (concrete bottom). There was a 4x4 waiting on the other side. I could see the passengers hanging their camera's out the window aiming at me, so my ego sommer doubles - I'm mos good at water crossings by now. Anyway, I pick my line, stand up, give Eleanor's ear a twist and off we go... Three quarters of the way across, the nice cement bottom disappears and I find myself dodging rocks the size of basket balls! The water is now over my ankles. I reackon it's now or never, and Eleanor seemed to agree - another little blip of the throttle, and we're now shooting up a wall of water that "skriks vir niks"! It must have looked quite cool, coz I emerged on the other side with shrieks of: "Yeeeehhhaaaaa!" from the 4x4. A few kay's down the road I'm thinking to myself: "You dumbass - should've asked the people in the 4x4 to mail me their pics". Oh well, you can just imagine it, ok? :D

A bus stop... here??

"Babe's se winkel"... false advertising, I tell you!

I stopped here for a Jungle Oats bar and a Red Bull. Got chatting to the driver of the Bantam bakkie. Nice oke - he's from Touws River visiting family in the Baviaanskloof. He said he also has a Honda - an XL 500!

Eleanor's view coming over Nuwekloof Pass

The stretch of road just outside Willowmore (looking back at Baviaanskloof)

In Willowmore, Eleanor got a full tank of petrol, then it was back on the dirt again aiming to get to Amber Lagoon by about 3pm. In comparison to the beautiful landscape of the Baviaanskloof mountains, these Karoo roads are a killer - straight & boring.

Boring Karoo roads

This was taken along the N12 going over the Meiringspoort Pass (what a beautiful piece of tar road!)

My GPS died a few times after turning off the N12 onto the dirt (just after De Rust). Thus I made a directional faux pas and ended up about eighty kays off course! I was so cross with myself, and have recently conjured up a way to power my GPS from my bike. Anyways, I managed to get myself back on the correct road and heading in the right direction.

Under the train track somewhere between Oudshoorn & Calitzdorp

Baby ostriches

Finally, at about 5pm, I arrived at Amber Lagoon where I was to spend the night.

The hosts are a lovely German couple - Susanna & Kurt. Kurt used to be a cook in Germany, and for dinner, he cooked me the biggest T-bone steak I have ever seen. Apparently, it was fresh from the farm. It was the size of a small pizza, and about 4cm thick (after it was cooked!) Delicious, I tell you! Susanna had a battery charger, and kindly charged my GPS batteries overnight.

The next morning, I only left at about 6am, but knowing my route was going to consist of less twisty, technical sections, it was early enough to get me home at about 3pm.

Chasing my shadow westwards, towards the awesome Rooiberg Pass.
This is another one of my favourite pics from the trip.

The Rooiberg Pass at this time of the morning is nothing less than spectacular!

...more Roiberg Pass

I arrived at Ronnie's sex shop at about half past eight/quarter to nine, where I filled my tummy with coffee and some crispy bacon and eggs.

Milton & Theo

I met Milton & Theo there, who were on their way to Mossel Bay. Milton is an Australian living in the US, and Theo is an ex-pat who works with Milton. They were both on their 3rd or 4th beer by 9am, so I'm not sure if what they explained to me was correct, but their job is basically to sort/categorise grain. Theo then went on to tell me colourful stories about him and Janet (his KLE) which he was going to use on a tour of South Africa - the reason why him and Milton were in SA in the first place.

By now, Eleanor and I had done about 390km since filling up at Willowmore (the last town where we stopped), and she just couldn't make it to Barrydale. We ran out of petrol at the spot in the pic below - with Barrydale in the distance. Fortunately, I could switch to reserve, and comfortably make it to the petrol station in town.

With a full tank, we headed out of Barrydale, over Tradouws pass, and on towards Suurbraak.

Tradouws pass

It was boring tar all the way to Swellendam where I got back onto the gravel.

Just outside Swellendam

I decided on a road roughly parallel to the R60, but far more fun IMHO

The teeth on the plate holding the front sprocket onto the shaft was slowly wearing away, and I wasn't too happy about it. I noticed when I accelerate, the chain pulls the front sprocket away from the motor, and when I decelerate, it goes back to normal.  Huh? Swingarm bearings perhaps? Anyways, I took it slow the rest of the way.

Approaching Franschhoek Pass from the Villiersdorp side

Looking down into the Franschhoek valley

A quick stop at the Huguenot Monument

My first view of Table Mountain as I approach from the Durbanville Hills side

We made it! Eleanor and I pulled into the driveway a tad after 3pm

Daddy's home! Jethro was very excited to see me. :D

Shaz also greeted me with a great big smile and lots of kisses.
Micah, however just wanted to press the intercom button! :-/

My trip was such a memorable one! I can definitely recommend this route to anyone! Contact me if you would like the .gdb files (for your GPS).
No amount of pictures or movies can portray these places the same way as if you experience them first-hand.