I named this post “… Part 1”, because I know I will want to use this title again and again as I make my way through our beautiful country before crossing over into Namibia on or about the 16th of March…
I was up early (surprise, surprise !), got the bike loaded, and rode around the town square, enjoying the sight of Clarens “coming alive”… This town is both quaint and quirky, a popular destination for bikers on a weekend run… It is within easy riding distance from Gauteng and boasts enough accommodation to satisfy most needs, from the upmarket to the downright “roughing it”… It’s all here… It is home to many famous artists, authors and poets, and if you take an early morning walk around the village (as I often have), watching the sun creep it’s way up the slopes of the surrounding mountains, you can see where the literary folk take their inspiration from… It’s such a “soul-soothing” place….
Natural Beauty at it's awesome best...
The ride that skirts the boundary between Lesotho and Eastern Free State is a magnificent one… The road to Fouriesburg and Ficksburg dips through valleys and climbs again to skirt the foothills of the Maluti Mountains. The road surface is in good nick, and allowed me to give the Big Fella his head… We swooped around long bends, tucked up close to the steel barriers guarding steep drop-offs, the bike purring under me on the straighter bits, and grunting when I gave it more gas on the steeper sections…
Who says fruit don't have feelings.....
I slowed down for Fouriesburg, and squeezed the throttle again on the way to Ficksburg, remembering as I passed by the outskirts of this town that Charlotte had told me that this was a place that was “close to her heart”… It’s easy to see why… I also made a mental note (as I have done so many times) to be here for the Cherry Festival one day… That day WILL come… !!
On the road to Fouriesburg... You gotta love it...!!
The grain silos of Clocolan loomed up ahead. The countryside around me was dotted with neat rolls of hay, waiting to be transported to barns, in preparation for the winter feeding of the livestock that was so successfully farmed in this area… A farm-stall just outside town, had turned hay-rolls into an art form, and I could not resist taking a few photos to show you what I mean…
The Hay Family....
The Constantia Farm Stall, on the R703 to Clocolan...
I stopped to refuel before working my way down the centre of town and taking the turnoff to the show grounds where the The Annual Clocolan Fair was taking place. This year, Xkulcha and “Woema!”, the TV program which airs on DSTV’s Kyknet Channel, had co-sponsored the event, and added the Maluti Adventure Rally to the festivities. A number of my sponsors were exhibiting their various products, and I had promised to drop in and meet with them… “Woema!” would be shooting the second part of their interview with me and the Big Fella was looking forward to seeing Lindie again…
Ever tried holding a 1200 cc beast back, when he gets a bee in his bonnet ? And can you blame him ? No can do…!!! I just hung on for dear life, while he tore down the road to the show-grounds…
Cameraman Kobus Zietsman and Lindie Botha re-acquaint themselves with the Big Fella and I...
The tattoo bedecked, Preston van Wyk, C.E.O. of Xkulcha Extreme Lifestyle Apparel, met me at the main gate and I was ushered down to their exhibit, where the bike took centre stage in front of their Gazebo… Throughout the day, visitors to the fair stopped to admire the Big Fella, and ask me all about the trip I was undertaking, and the preparations I had made to get both myself and the bike ready for this epic…
My other sponsors, Caberg and Touratech were also in evidence, and it was good to see them again in the more relaxed surroundings of the Fair, rather than the hurly-burly of Gauteng. I wandered around the fair grounds, looking at all the farm implements on show, both new and old, watching demonstrations of how wheat was threshed in the good old days, using a steam driven engine and plenty of labour; how water was pumped using a donkey to walk around in circles, turning a central pivot to which small buckets were attached…
Oom Gert fires up the Thresher, an amazing and not to mention noisy, sight !!
The crowds gathered to watch all of this, marveling at the ingenuity of our forefathers… Then wandered off to try the various tasty treats on offer…like Sheep’s Heads, roasted on an open fire. (The locals called them “Smileys”….). I watched in fascination as a middle-aged couple pointed enthusiastically to the bits they wanted the chef to slice off onto their plates…. Off went the cheeks and the skinny bits around the eyes…
“Hell’s teeth,” I thought to myself, I’ll probably be dying for a piece of that when I get up into North Africa, but right now, I’ll settle for a Boerewors Roll, thank you very much !! No “Smiley” for me today !!
The sun was blazing down by mid-afternoon and my Pip was taking a beating… I had to get back to the bike and dig a cap out of my Tank-Bag, before trying to arrange a place to sleep tonight… I had a few options available to me, but wanted very much to meet with James and Vanessa Moffett, friends of Charlotte’s, who lived about 20 kms away near Gumtree… Charlotte had attended University with Vanessa and wanted me to carry greetings to them in person. and offered to get in touch with them to see if they would be willing to put me up for the night… By late afternoon, all had been arranged and I mounted up to ride to Kirklington, the farm on which the Moffett family had lived and worked for three generations…
It was to be a visit to remember…
© GBWT 2010
Hey Ronnie
Sounds like you are in a great place at the moment. Hope that you have time to take in the beauty.
Ride safely and hope to catch up soon.
Mark
Terrific summary, this is very similar to a site that I have. Please check it out sometime and feel free to leave me a comenet on it and tell me what you think. I’m always looking for feedback.