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Our home in Pretoria. Still clean:
The route I took in Google maps (some of the additional off road could not be mapped so it totaled to 2400km):
An excursion from the Semonkong Lodge:
My guides to the waterfalls:
Via the Teleport Bridge to South Africa along the boarder.
From the Rubicon Holiday Accommodation in Rhodes via the Tiffindell Ski Resort to Tina Head Lodge https://goo.gl/maps/Hgq15xdRjX12
To the Naude's Neck
Taking the Sani Pass back to Lesotho:
On this tour there was quite some rugged terrain, a mixture of moto cross and tailbiking. There is a simple reason why you cannot see this on the pictures. I’m riding solo, and if the terrain ruffs up it would be foolish to grab the camera. First thing you do, shift down, then you lift your butt to put your weight on your knees and speed up. Speeding up reduces the weight on your front wheel and keeps you in control instead of being bounced around.
There were some deep water crossings that I have not captured either. I was glad having some high shafted leather boots with Gorotex lining and that I did not drop the bike in the river.
For me the so-called Adventure riding has several components. One is the drift: go where you like to go. Go with the flow since things never work out as planned. Travel, meet people. What is different from touring is the possibility to go off-road. Off-roading can be a leisurely enjoying of the scenery, and on the other extreme serious trail or moto cross riding. I love all of these off road styles of driving. If I lean to the moto-cross side, there are some rules:
Moto crossing is like whitewater kayaking, if it gets rough you have to go with the flow. Try to walk a tightrope – the time you try to think how to balance you fall. The reason is simple: cognitive processing takes longer than reflexive processing.
Whereas in whitewater kayaking, and street biking or formula one racing, the most precious information input goes to your butt, if you are off-road things get vertical and more complex. While you try to keep your front wheel on the ground while street biking, you have to lift its weight variably while off road.
With speed you control you a front wheel and your balance. You do not determine your speed, the terrain does. If you are adventure riding, you do not know the upcoming terrain. If speed saved you in the first section, it has to safe you in the next. Consecutive tricky sections speed you up to a point where things become real fun. Your adrenaline is pumping and you are in the flow.
Fear makes you start to think and you slow down. That’s the perfect recipe for your fall.
On the Roof of Africa I checked-in in to the Afriski Mountain Resort, Lesotho, the Highest Restaurant in South Africa.
You probably know the band “Stiff Middle Finger.” Well, I had a bigger problem: a stiff clutch finger. I had too much fun on my MTB that just before the trip ended in a involuntary exit over the handlebar. It happened on my favorite section of my house trail in Pretoria, that for good reason was nicknamed the trail of bones. A friend stitched it together. Great work:
However, there is Murphy’s law. When my hand was soaking wet on the trip (I only own high ventilation summer cloves in ZA) I figured it was the right time to finally wash my hand and pull the threads with my pocket knife. The next morning, I laid down the bike in an off-road section and guess where I landed. Yes, on the finger. Fortunately, it was indeed already healed well enough and I could handle the clutch. Otherwise there was no trouble besides pain, and you do not feel the pain when you riding hard. Remember my Zen and the Art of Motocross: you speed up, and you have no fear, you fly as high as a kite.
From Lesotho to the ZA Monantsa Border control (RSA).
There are the perfectionists. They either do very little and they do it all time, or they do nothing at all since they are afraid that they cannot do it perfect. Not me!
I am an opportunist, I want to see it all and I do it even it requires me finding shortcuts. I own several vehicles on different continents ( http://sociothought.com/informal/cars.htm ) and I was able to buy a used bike in South Africa that was affordable, easy to sell, and that gets me around. Yamaha XT 660R, a classic reliable bike with the genes of the Ténéré that back in the days won Paris Dakar multiple times. Yes, I prefer something like the KTM 660 – 20% lighter and 50% more power, and it might happen someday at the right time and place. Now I am here in South Africa and I want to have fun and adventure.
What I might do on my next trip in terms of hardware: change the luggage setup. As I anticipated the center of gravity was too high. I put the bike down three times. The Osprey bag/backpack was convenient and o.K in the footwell of a scooter driving from Vietnam to Cambodia on streets and dirt roads, but not on top of the back rack and off road. Bags low on the side and a tank bag will give me a much better balance.
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Well, sometimes it is just the opportunity that counts, not the equipment. When I found a couple of days at the tail end of my winter vacation, I took the opportunity to explore different routes in Lesotho. For simplicity I stayed with my backpack as a luggage solution, but bought waterproof gloves and a stand for my phone GPS. What a difference!
The scenery:
Making friends with the hardcore Paris-Dakar drivers:
River passes were quite sacry
This time I had good weather for the famous Sani pass that I had to take in ouring rain and thunderstorms last ime. Quite a different view this time:
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Informal section of Dr. Andreas Schneider schneiderADDsociothought.com |