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Departure: Centurion
Destination: Gariep
Date & Time
2019-12-18 05h00
2019-12-18 13h30
Odometer (Philip)
Start: 107,924 km
End: 108,639 km
Passes Travelled : None
I departed from Centurion at 05h00 to avoid the 06h00 traffic through Johannesburg. It was 16 C so it was a great riding temperature.
My first stop was Kroonstad where I stopped at the Shell Garage and enjoyed breakfast before continuing South to Bloemfontein.
I 2nd stop was at Tom's Place which is about 30km South of Bloemfotein to refuel and enjoy a coffee. By 10h00 the wind had picked up and was blowing strongly from thee West.
I branched off from the N1 to Trompsburg and took the "backroads". towards Colesberg It allows one to ride a bit slower and enjoy the beautiful scenery without the traffic. It was considerably drier the more South I traveled and the strong wind was sucking the little moisture from the earth that recent rains had left.
This route allowed me to take a gravel road that took me past some farms. It always amazes me how someone can look at parched lands and see opportunity rather than despair. I really admire people who succeed in such dry and desolate environments.
I drove through the main street of Philipolis with it's old homes. Next time I plan a trip I want to book myself into the local Jail which has been converted into a B&B.
While enjoying a coffee at Tom's Place, a biker, Neil, arrived on a beautiful Honda touring bike that he had just purchased in Pretoria and was riding it down to Cape Town. His next stop was Colesberg.
Coffee and fuel stop at Tom's Place South of Bloemfontein.
I stopped off at the dam wall to take some photos.
After taking photos of the Dam Wall, I walked back to the motorbike and recognized an old colleague, Pieter Boshoff, from the early 2000's who was on his way to Mossel Bay. After a quick catch-up, we exchanged contact details and continued our respective journeys.
I refueled the bike in Gariep before heading to the the Forever Resort on the Gariep Dam.
I had secured a luxury camping site that included private ablutions and electricity.
The rule of camping is to setup camp before enjoying the first beer. I therefore proceeded to setup camp and after about 30 min Sean arrived.
We finished setting up camp before heading to the Bistro at the Forever Resort Reception for a cold beer. We then walked to the pub in the Gariep town to determine which place was more suitable for dinner later in the evening.
The camp site and facilities were well maintained and clean.
After returning to the camp site to do some laundry, we decided to walk the 1.5km to the Pub & Grill, for dinner. It was rather disappointing that the waiting made a complete mess of the simple order of hamburgers. We did not let this spoil the evening.
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