Missive #2, Mon, Jan 16th to Mon, Jan 23rd - Day 2 -9

There is a glitch in out travel plans! We were due to pick up our bikes from the container port today (Monday) to prepare for departure tomorrow. Unfortunately, two things coincided ‎for a double negative. Our bikes were container shipped from Seattle October 21st to provide for a big built in buffer. For some reason time was lost with an unexpected stoppage in Singapore. Then, on a several week late arrival and with paperwork needing to be checked and re-checked it was discovered that there was a mixup between World Cargo and the shipping agent in Seattle and the customs officials here- ONE lousy piece of paper missing! Consequently, with this happening over a weekend and the Martin Luther King Day holiday this Monday we have a double whammy on our hands.

Mon/Tue, Jan 16th/17th; instead of being well on our way, we are holed up in Cape Town, not exactly a bad place to be. 

The highlight of Monday apart from numerous meetings about all stuff motorcycle related, was our 'welcome dinner'. Helge always finds a nice private dining room ‎nearby our hotel for a get acquainted celebration. This was no exception. Our lovely hotel near the harbour is very well located and the restaurant right on the water mirrored that as well. The food and drink turned out to be a bonus on top of the top.

After suitable beer and wine to loosen people up Helge asked for a person by person intro along with trip expectations and the like. What an introduction! We were all aghast at the quality of the commentary. Each time I was overwhelmed with one person's comment, along came another, equally terrific. I felt humbled to be in such honest and forthright company.

We have a broad collection of ages and backgrounds which I will not bore you with suffice to say we have two in their 40's, two in their 50's, one in their 60's (me) ‎and three in their 70's plus Helge and Debbie Christian as the sole moderating female! It is a very experienced, proficient team and I think speaking early, that it will jell well together- not a big ego in the group.

Tuesday was a bit gloomy and disappointing due to the bike hold up. Harry got us going with a mini bus tour to Signal Hill for sight seeing and a photo op followed by ‎a driving tour to the other side of town for lunch; a wonderful day all around and another opportunity to enjoy each other's company, thanks Harry and Andy!

Here's hoping that we will be able to make some hay tomorrow.

Day 04, Wed, Jan ‎18th

Cape Town to Springbok, ‎660 km

Finally we get the ok on the paperwork and in a state of high excitement mini bus out to the docklands to find our container. In remarkably short order it is craned into place and unloaded. Then began the work for everyone to get their bikes organized and this took a good couple of hours.

We left at about noon for the 660 km route to Springbok. Unfortunately we had to by pass our first destination on the coast in Lamberts Bay and take the direct route missing the more scenic coast road. Everyone was disappointed to miss the planned barbecue on the beach but the delay in getting the bikes meant that there was no other choice.

It was a long journey for the first day and we did not arrive until after 6 pm. In places it was very hot, mid 30's on average and I saw 42.5 on my gauge a few times. When it went down to 30 I felt like the air con was on! It actually was not all that bad as long as you keep moving and stand up on your pegs to let the air get inside your gear once in awhile; I also have a camelpak which is a 1.5 litre knapsack that I can suck on to keep hydrated.

The terrain was mixed, dry coastal flatlands with limited cattle and sheep grazing at the outset becoming rolling hills with a few green spots and higher temperatures at elevation. We saw some fruit orchards and vegetation before the last bit of very rocky even brilliant and hilly landscapes. 

This place can be very windy. We were buffeted by severe cross winds maybe gusts to 30-40 knots for the first third making driving a bit of a challenge‎. Thereafter it subsided.

After a couple of quick gas stops we arrived in Springbok at about 6 pm to be welcomed by a bottle of S. Africa's finest in our rooms. The Kleinplasie ‎Guesthouse is so quaint and pleasant that I jokingly said to Helge we should be staying another night. Shower and dinner to follow.

Day 5, Thur, Jan 19th

Springbok to Canyon Village Lodge, 318 km

Tough day with a relatively short ride of 318 klics; we left the Kleinplasie Guesthouse in Springbok in good time to get a head start on the heat and cross the Namibian border. The crossing was a breeze and by far the easiest we will see. We all stopped ‎at the Wimpys to fuel up, grab a drink and cool off in the air con before hitting the desert and it is their summer here; the long straight tarred road was easy until the left turn at the halfway point to our next destination. This is where we hit gravel and sand. The first third was fine at 80 klics/ hour, the second bit got worse and by the time we all arrived 100 km later everyone was bushed, humbled and basically exhausted. It is like getting your sea legs, it takes a day or two but even so it was pretty challenging stuff.

The destination in the middle of nowhere is worth the price of admission. Canyon Village Lodge near the Fish River Canyon is like an oasis in a desert, no, it is exactly an oasis in the desert. It is a collection of lovely little stone cabins surrounding the main lodge in a valley of prehistoric rock out croppings, many of them huge and majestic. 

We all hung around the pool, drank tons of liquids to rehydrate and had a delicious dinner outside under a cool evening environment. After Helge's daily meeting we all contemplated tomorrow ‎before turning in early.

Day 06, Fri Jan 20th

Canyon Lodge/ Fish River Canyon only,  117 km

This was an amazing, relatively easy 75 km journey to the world famous Fish River Canyon‎. Namibia is mostly desert, a vast underwater sea from eons ago and at some places you could almost be on the moon. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere is the second biggest ancient canyon in the world next to the Grand Canyon in Colorado; a small group of us arrived early and got some terrific shots of the early morning shadows. We had the place almost to ourselves; what a great way to start the day!

Along the way I finally got my go pro going; I quickly learned that the correct procedure is that you stop, turn the thing on, go, take footage, stop, turn the thing off, go. You DO NOT try do do this on the move. Multitasking is not one of my finer suits especially on a moving motorcycle.‎ Of course I had to learn the hard way. Luckily no one was looking but at an essentially stopped position the bike got unbalanced while I was fiddling with the go pro and fell over, big embarassment! I have been doing 20 full push ups and 80 sit ups daily so I simply downed tools and using the proper procedure righted the 575 lb machine and kept going.

After reversing back via another gem of a place called the Canyon Road House for lunch we spent the afternoon preparing for and contemplating what I am going to tell you about tomorrow.

We are all frankly a bit nervous, especially me. There are tortoises and there are hares. I am definitely a tortoise. It would be better‎ if we could face this adventure a bit later in the trip. At least our bikes and clothing are suitably dusty and dirty so we at least 'look' like we have been off roading. We are heading to a place I can hardly pronounce called Sossusvlei (Sous-sousveli) which is 573 km away with nearly all gravel and sand roads. I mean good God! It is apparently a drop dead gorgeous place where the world's highest and best looking sand dunes take on a very special hue as the sun rises. We will be having breakfast right in the dunes. Problem is, getting there first.

I could go the long way round and meet further up the line as two people will be doing but it would mean missing what Helge says is one of the world's most spectacular‎ places and settings to visit; he is one to know.

I emailed my 'coach from afar' Mike McNulty who was on last year's trip and rides with similar caution as me. I told him that my wobbly handle bars yesterday made me feel wobbly too. His recommendation and the success I had today means that I will be taking this road tomorrow with a bit of trepidation, a good night's sleep and a 5 am departure before it gets too hot.  Still, 573 km is one helluva long way on dirt and gravel. It is at least 10-12 hours of hard riding. And one might reasonably ask, exactly what kind of surface are we contemplating?? Sand for sure in places, how deep, stones, pebbles, rock surface, how rutted is it, is it graded and where, what kind of traffic, are there any wash outs, how is the visibility with the sun over head and the shadows on the road not so pronounced etc. etc. and etc.; many things to contemplate and the liquor will be in short supply tonight for sure.

With a short road day today I also have time to rest up and prepare. A key thing is tire pressure- on gravel surfaces and varying terrain it is best to lower your pressure. I was at 2.4 and 2.7 bars which is a European measurement and should be more like 2.1 and 2.4. I am now down to 30 psi front and 32 back for a better and more controlled ride in the heavy going.

Day 07, Sat, Jan 21

Canyon Lodge to Sossusvlei, 573 km

‎This was a ball buster day and as far as I want to go off roading on a motorcycle. Aaron (Beckord) and I left, clutches out, at 5:38 am likely several hours before the rest of the crew. It was still dark but cool (18.5) and the candle power on our bikes lit up the roads very well. At this early time we saw Giraffes, Ostrich, Kudus and Springbok, not in great numbers but they were there in this hot, dry, arid desert. We finished almost exactly 10 hours later with the temperature at 39.5, ie. hot!

The distance was 574.9 km‎ with all but approx. 100 km gravel and sand roads. They are graded (occasionally) and pretty darn straight for the most part. The problem occurs where there is loose build up and your front wheel kind of skiis through it, a bit unerving at times but you try and get used to it because there is no choice. It is also a lot of hard work so patience, focus, lots and lots of hydration and numerous stops to collect your thoughts and relax a bit is mandatory.

Aaron is from Oregon, 48 and a real estate investor in housing and strip malls‎ in the Pacific Northwest.  He is a self taught, self managed one man show and I can tell very good at what he does. He has 600 hours as a private pilot, owns two airplanes and loves to ride. He is your typical aw-shucks hillbilly type but just a great guy, very balanced. I could not have picked a better guy to be with; although he travels faster than I do he is patient and waits along the way.

I stuck to 80 klics per hour on the easy bits, maybe 90 in a few places. I went down to 60-70 klics in the trickier places and there were a lot of those. Typically you stand up on the pegs to provde increased visibility for what is ahead and improved balance.

At 1:47 on my watch I made the very best decision of the day. Even though I was continually  hydrating on  the move from my camelpak, I  was fatigued; the problem was recognizing it. Fortunately, I stopped under a shaded tree, ate one helluva delicious green apple and just gathered my senses. This stop prepared me for the rest of the trip which though short turned out to be the most difficult part of the ride with quite a bit of heavy going.

All in all I was surprised at my endurance and ability to get this done especially given the heat, distance and road conditions. Everyone was suitably complimentary becausetheir off road skills are superior to mine and they could understand that this was a huge effort because it sure was for them too. We all felt happy that we made it unscathed!

Well, except for Joe! He is just a great rider and all round good guy‎. He also likes to travel fast. He hit a concrete water laden bridge going downhill on a turn; says he was going a 100 klics; under the water was an algae base and down his bike went, boom. He was very fortunate not to get hurt although he was covered in mud and debris as was his bike when I was the first person to see him at lunch about 3 hours later.

(aside, Helge finished first, then Joe then me; Aaron faded and finished at the end of the group; the others arrived shortly after me which spoke to the wisdom of an earlier departure)

We had a great dinner at our comfortable lodgings near the dunes we will see tomorrow and consumed fairly copious amounts of celebratory alcohol. Joe was prevailed upon to foot the bill for his earlier indiscretion (indiscretions can be meted out for all manner of things like being continually late for meetings etc.)

Day 08, Sun, Jan 22

Sossusvlei only

Up at 4 am for a 5 am departure after coffee and a bun with 'Semi' as our guide; we were in a converted Toyota Landcruiser; it is a people mover, it was quite chilly and we drove for an hour to get to the sand dunes. This is one of the key reasons people come to Namibia. They are 2 mm years old and the largest 'non moving' dunes in the world with the Sahara being a close second. It doesn't matter the size, what does matter is the majesty and the unique rust coloured sand. If it was any finer it would be a refined dust.

The dunes are 20 miles inland from the coast at an elevation of 1000 meters- we had come down from a desert elevation of 3000 meters. ‎They inspire complete awe at the majesty of nature. This being the off season (ie. the Namibian summer) it was quiet and almost private. We hiked up a hill top about 100 metres high, rested, hydrated and posed for pictures while Semi captivated us with history and details of what we were seeing.

I have to say that it was one of the more moving scenic experiences of my life. Being used to the spectacular beauty of our westcoast I was nevertheless very, very taken by this natural‎ wonderment of nature. The ecosystem of plant and wildlife is complex and fragile and it was a privilege to be in this serene place.

After coming down from the hill tops we were spoiled with a nice picnic breakfast catered‎ by Semi in the Namibian outback.

The rest of the day was for relaxing and checking on our bikes, tightening loose stuff, topping up tire pressures and the like to prepare for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another big day of off roading so we really need to be on our toes and up early. We head to... with...km of varying degrees of gravel road in front of us. After that, we get a break and head inland on sealed roads which will be a welcome relief.

Day 09, Mon, Jan 23rd

Sossus Dune Lodge to Swakopmund‎, 359 km

This is another big day ‎of true off roading and I get to a neat little gas stop and bakery called Solitare 89 km along the journey where we meet as a group. I elect to trailer my bike for the rest of the gravel road bit, another 230 klics. What am I trying to prove anyway? It is damn hot out, the road has lots of loose sand and gravel and I have already accomplished the lions share of the Namibian Desert. The rest of the guys are experienced off roaders and I am just getting my feet wet. Good decision, Nick!

The more the day goes on the more I am pleased with my decisionabout relaxing in the truck, chatting with Andy and taking in the beautiful scenery that photographs simply cannot capture. This is our last big dirt day of the trip and everyone seems pleased. I have already elected to pay for drinks tonight before anyone volunteers me.

I am concerned that this is getting a bit long, hope not. Let me finish with the following bullet points:

- a tank slapper is when your handle bars go wobbly (awol) on you and out of control; this is not what you want to happen, ever;

-it is important to not grip the handle bars tightly; kind of a loose grip like swin‎ging a golf club to get the best results; hard to do sometimes;

-I try to follow car tracks as much as possible but again when there is a lot of junk in front of you hard to do;

-they call it 'corrugated' when there are tons of ruts in the road and you go bumpety bumpety for seemingly ever until you get to a flat part;

-am averaging 55 mpg on gas, about same prices as home;

-people very, very nice, more on that later‎;

-my helmet was timexed so bought a Schuberth as recommended by Helge; expensive but could not be happier;

-my Sidi boots are the absolute best you can by, very protective and completely s‎atisfied here too.

We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn today.

We arrived to our lovely lodgings called the Strand Hotel‎ right on the Atlantic Ocean via a place called Walvis Bay in the later afternoon. Time to get this sent off and buy drinks tonight.

Cheerio, N.