When the remote mountains call...: Touring with The Pretty One

Heron Cliff to Rooihoek

The tandem and Steve started as the day was about to break in the East and the moon was slowly dipping in the West. We wanted to get some riding during the cooler hours done, and towards the end of the day we surely were glad we were not cycling all the way in the heat of the day. The group got going, each at his own time as there is only one route through the kloof. The day turned into a scorcher and the added problem was that once we had the big climb behind us and were refreshed by the supporters on top of Bergplaas, we never saw them again after a few hours had passed and we were well rested and had a nice snooze at the Rooihoek Camping Site. Once these mountain bikes (and especially the tandem) get hold of a descent downhill, the support vehicles fall so far behind that it takes them ages to catch up again. We zipped down the descent after Bergplaas in a few minutes, and the support train took nearly 2 hours to get down.

But we were rewarded with a lovely spot to camp and everybody enjoyed the flood water from the Karoo that flowed right past our camp. We had a sleep, a swim, a chortel and a lovely braai. Most of us slept under the stars and our sleep was only disturbed by the baboons that was frightened by something (leopard?) in the middle of the night.

I (actually my daughter Liezl, driving my Pajero) was having some issues with the bike rack being hammerd by the rough roads in the Kloof, and it later turned out that a few of the other trailers were also having issues with the tough test that the Baviaans Kloof presented. But since we were a lot of Boere together, we made a plan or three. (Afrikaans proverb)