Day 02: Bloemhof to Orania

Date: 2024-01-26

Departure From: Bloemhof

Departure Time: 06h50

Destination Name:  Orania

Arrival Time: 15h00

Total Travel time: 8:10 hours

Trip Summary:

Today, the first 100km of gravel roads were great.  Reminded me of Namibia.  Generally wide and in good condition with pockets of heavy sand and a couple of rough patches where vehicles had got stuck during the wet weather and left holes.

This was followed by a 30km stretch of tar road, or rather pot holes strung together by tar.  In some cases gravel roads have been created by traffic to avoid the pot holes.  In other cases, the tar has been replaced by gravel.  This reminded me of the Zambia tar roads.  I would rather have a gravel road then a bad tar road.

At the 130km mark, the gravel road was blocked by an electrified locked gate.  I therefore had to figure out a suitable detour.

As a general rule, I like to have a forced stop after 2 hours of riding for a coffee break and share my location with my family and let them know all is well.  Today the 09h00 temperature was already 29.5C so I could anticipate the heat rising later in the day.

So far the route indicated that there had been good rains.  The veld was in good condition.  Most of the farms so far have been agricultural crops.

I stopped at the Pershuis coffee shop in Jacobsdal, for a snack and a break and also to top up the water. The Gravel road south of Jacobsdal had become narrower with more sandy patches and holes.  After 94km from Jacobsdal, the gravel turned to tar, however is was very pot holed.  This type of road is more dangerous than a gravel road as you do not know what could happen next.  At least with a gravel road, you cannot relax because you know anything can happen.  Luckily this tar road was only about 20km.

I arrived in Orania and refueled before heading to Aan die Oewer resort.  After setting up camp I did a quick tour of the town.  There appears to be quite a number of restaurants to choose from.  There was a big sporting event over the weekend and places were busy.  Every person you pass waves to greet you.  Every person you speak to is so very nice and helpful - Different from the big cities.

The resort is located on the banks of the Orange River and has a mixture of accommodation options: chalets, camping and hotel.  There is also a restaurant at the resort.  I opted to eat at this restaurant as it was a short walk from the camp site.