Day 08 - Struisbaai to Paarl

Strip Summary:

As I was about to leave Struisbaai, Otto and his wife (German couple) got hold of me and we discussed options for their trip. As they were both interested in Astronomy, I suggested Sutherland as a worthy destination. I gave them my card with my WEB site and suggested they look at my previous trip that included Sutherland.

Today I would take it easy as the distance is short and the countryside views are stunning with huge mountains on the right and the sea on the left. After about 20km inland, the wind died down. There was a flock of birds flying one behind the other and stretched out over approximately 1,5km. At first I thought they were wild geese, but as I got closer, I identified them as Pelicans.

There are some stunning wine farms along this route from Struisbaai to Botrivier.

By the time I got to Hermanus, I decided to stop for breakfast. Hermanus is another special town with exquisite beauty - It has spread out a lot since my last visit in 2011. A couple enquired about my journey and a Harley Rider and I had some bike talk. He was kind enough to share pictures of his bike and exhaust artwork that he created for this Harley. After Hermanus, I continued along the R43 towards Cape Town.

At the Botvlei dam, police stopped vehicles to inform them they must avoid Grabouw due to protests. I was heading to Botrivier.

Today was another good ride with some gravel roads and the following passes:

1) Van der Stel Pass [Gravel]

2) Franschhoek Pass [Tar]

Van Der Stel Pass takes you through the picturesque Botrivier valley.

Before starting the Franschhoek pass, I passed the Theewater Dam. My gosh! It is low. Wind passing over a dam should cause water evaporation, not dust clouds.

Every time I come to the Western Cape, I am always impressed by the natural beauty of the country.

I met my brother, Stephen, at the Anura Wine Estate and enjoyed a good old fashioned coffee where we discussed our ride over the coming long weekend.