Monday, 29 June 2015

Riding with The King...

With this big trip coming up I thought it necessary to get some dirt practice in.

My friend, mechanic and sponsor, the excellent Mr Andrew King, also needed to get out on The Custard Tart and bring out the dirty side in her, so we attempted to get an early night so we could head out early the next morning.
Although I certainly didn't get quite the early night I was hoping for, I still managed to arise in time to meet The King.
Perhaps it was the pleasure of seeing Andy in his bright orange KTM-style jacket upon his bright yellow custard throne that gave me the strength to get out of my warm, cosy, hangover-infused slumber...!





The weather was superb, a recipe for a fine day of trekking around the mountain tops of Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve. We made excellent time, cruising along the national road at a gentle pace, letting the bikes take in the sun and warm up for the grueling ride ahead.

As in life, sometimes the paths we choose don't always take us where we want to go. On a motorcycle it is easier to turn around and find another way, regardless of how much effort it takes...



In our haste to get the bikes dirty, we stupidly neglected to take some drinks and snacks with us. So we stopped in at the local picnic area for some fresh mountain water from the camps' ablutions. 
This is some pretty good water, even though the bathrooms aren't the nicest.





Paarl Rock. The views are astounding. Breath-taking. Whatever cliched terms one can use, add them here. And they're all true. The images will never do any justice, but at least you can get a little taste of it...










The dirt tracks are exciting, and get your heart racing. Once you settle in to your surroundings your confidence increases. You get to know your steed a little better, you to try some of the stuff you've been reading up on; especially those techniques you've been dying to try out...







Silliness. It's often necessary. 





Mind blown.

Can you believe it, that all of this lies on top of a mountain that many Capetonians pass on a regular basis, unaware of what lies above...



The area had been ravaged by a fire, and fairly recently too, but nature has a fantastic way of coming back against all odds, and there was loads of fresh new vegetation sprouting all around us...










There are about 3 major dams on top of Paarl Mountain, and we took the opportunity to sneak in a quick swim to cool ourselves down, unaware that this is not actually permitted. But even if we had known, it would have been worth the risk. 
We felt like teenagers again, borderline little girls at that. 

The water up in the mountains is like a fountain of youth. Although we didn't come out looking any better, or any younger for that matter, we certainly felt amazing. That cold water sent a shock to the system that made our day even better...





I couldn't help feeling that there was some sort of creature residing in those deep dark waters, just waiting for a a lovely something something to snack on; and let's be honest, of the pair of us, I would certainly be the more tempting choice. Quantity over quality. I'd be the Big Mac Meal of any flesh-eating creature out for a bargain dinner!







The dreamy, soul-soothing beauty of these place is quite something to take in, and although it's often better to view any landscape on a motorcycle, some times one simply needs to take a seat, breathe, and let it all sink in...



We leave in exactly 14 days. Our gear is ready, Big Red just had a well-deserved service and some new additions, The Goose and I both have our leave confirmed, and we are just waiting on the home office to issue our new passports. Otherwise, I think we're pretty much ready to rock this little adventure!

We would love to have you join us, so if you're interested you can follow us here, our Facebook page or Twitter. The way I operate the social media is simple:

* Twitter - quick info, little feeds, minimum images, regular updates throughout the day, mostly short stops.
* Facebook - more detailed, loads of pics, regular updates throughout the day, often at each major stops.
* Blogger - in-depth account of the trip, with images, daily updates if possible otherwise a full report post trip. These days I'm moving towards the latter.

Feel free to comment and share on any platform...


Image credits: D. Harris and A. King

(All images in this blog are property of D. Harris unless otherwise stipulated or noted in the insert)

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