Where has your bike taken you today?

[Eddy Gordo]

We  went to Kromrivier for the weekend to camp????‍♂️

 

Windy friday night

Edited October 24, 2021 by Eddy Gordo

[Eddy Gordo]

With lots of rain. 

[Eddy Gordo]

Decided on riding in the rain the sat, was covered in mud but what fun.

[justinafrika]

3 hours ago, RocknRolla said:

snakebite ( redubbed JMSP climb, by me).

???????????????? Naaisssss work.

Edited October 24, 2021 by justinafrika

[Eddy Gordo]

55 minutes ago, copperhead said:

Very luckily Friday night I stayed in Ceres in a B&B. This was Saturday. Left around lunch. The amount of rain on Friday night and Saturday morning was insane. Windy as heck. Sorry I missed you guys! Only just arrived at Oasis now. Hope you had a fun weekend 

Was definately an awesome weekend. Enjoy your trip!!

[Trashy]

Starting the week right.

[Shebeen]

did some pedalling in the swartberg area last few days.

it was very moist, we just dodged the expected thunderstorm on thursday night but then it cats and dogged on the zink roof all night. We didn't get the swartberg pass views, but it was great to see so much water in a place that so so so so badly needed it.

this is the Katrivier. no one could remember when last it flowed.

 

the Dwyka has been dry for 8 years. so it was rather unexpected that we had this to negotiate.

 

we finished off with the very underrated horlosikrans

and the well known seweweekspoortpass and the tarred huisrivier.

 

interestingly, the Gamkapoort dam has been bone dry for years.

this was posted in 2018

this article and pics are from 2016,

 

https://www.groundup.org.za/article/karoo-dam-dangerously-empty/

[Robbie Stewart]

3 hours ago, copperhead said:

Oasis for tonight. So nice to be clean and wash the clothes. Was only 2 bush sleeps but juat felt incredibly in need of a shower. I did not kill that puffy. It was next to the road. When I saw it I nearly had a coronary right there. 

Why people feel the need to kill a snake wherever they see them is beyond me. That puffy was not threatening anyone and it has a very specific purpose in the eco-system. These same morons who would drive over a snake will decry other forms of eco damage all the same. Truly, the mind boggles.

The snake is not going to bite you when you are safe in the confines of your vehicle, or even if you stop your bike a meter or two away. If you try pick it up with your bare hands and you get bit, that's entirely on you...(talking in general, not at you Copperhead)

[Ed-Zulu]

21 hours ago, Eddy Gordo said:

With lots of rain. 

That looks like a kief spot for a camp.

I also use to poses a magical tent like yours, pitch it and it rains...

[Robbie Stewart]

4 minutes ago, copperhead said:

I don't care much for snakes but make no mistake I would never kill one. They serve their purpose. What gets me most is the amount of bat eared foxes that I see killed. More Northern Cape than around here. My trip to Hakskeen I must have seen 5 on any given day. That really got me. Beautiful creatures. The amount of road kill I actually see is quite haunting. Vehicles serve no purpose to me. Death and destruction. 

That is so sad to hear. Bat eared foxes eat insects...they don't catch live stock like the jackals do.

I was fortunate to see a pair of bat eared foxes at Contermans a couple of months ago as I was descending the revised dh line and forgot to turn in to Black Rhino. I stopped on the contour before the last plunge into the singletrack and heard a scuffle in the bushes right by me, and then these two leapt out and scampered away. Awesome to see.

People killing animals with a car are a special kind of messed-up. (This is a family site, but I am actually refraining to say what I really think)

[justinafrika]

5 minutes ago, copperhead said:

Vehicles serve no purpose to me. Death and destruction. 

Exactly.  Mates ask why I even keep me cars when I cycle wherever I go and me kids are long out the house, no need to ferry anyone around.  Those  old cars get a weekly drive and are only still in the garage ‘cos they’ve dramatically increased in value.  Cycling for the win.

[Eddy Gordo]

21 minutes ago, Ed-Zulu said:

That looks like a kief spot for a camp.

I also use to poses a magical tent like yours, pitch it and it rains...

The tent is a friends. When we made the booking the weather was supposed to be perfect for the weekend. But you know Murphy the MoFo!!!

The cederbergpark is an awesome place. They have tented camps and chalets as well. The hospitality was just awesome and I would definately consider it again, should we be that side of the cederberg.

[Shebeen]

49 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Why people feel the need to kill a snake wherever they see them is beyond me. That puffy was not threatening anyone and it has a very specific purpose in the eco-system. These same morons who would drive over a snake will decry other forms of eco damage all the same. Truly, the mind boggles.

The snake is not going to bite you when you are safe in the confines of your vehicle, or even if you stop your bike a meter or two away. If you try pick it up with your bare hands and you get bit, that's entirely on you...(talking in general, not at you Copperhead)

hang on a sec......Are you actually saying people purposefully drive over snakes?

Maybe it's just me, but the times I've seen one on the road I have had no reaction time to really hit or miss the thing. No matter what swerve or straight you throw, it is all up to chance. The only other thing I could think of is a stationary snake and people would drive over, but surely that is not a thing? I know there are people who think it is cool to shoot at road signs so I don't fully know how these things work, so happy to learn more.

[DJR]

I truly do not believe there is a single farmer left in the Karoo who would kill a bat eared fox on purpose.  The days when farmers were ill informed poorly educated oafs are very long gone. They know those bat eared foxes are their allies and will not harm them. 

But yes, it is sad to see roadkill. Mostly the reason is simple - people drive too fast for the road conditions.

[Robbie Stewart]

51 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

hang on a sec......Are you actually saying people purposefully drive over snakes?

Maybe it's just me, but the times I've seen one on the road I have had no reaction time to really hit or miss the thing. No matter what swerve or straight you throw, it is all up to chance. The only other thing I could think of is a stationary snake and people would drive over, but surely that is not a thing? I know there are people who think it is cool to shoot at road signs so I don't fully know how these things work, so happy to learn more.

You must come hang out on the farms where my dad farms. Every time I see an animal - and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME - and I tell them what it is (rooikat, jakkals, puffy, cobra, hare - the DEFAULT response is "het jy oor hom gery?".

each time.

And each time I say no, then I get the sense I have just dropped a few points in estimation from that crowd of idjits. 

On another note, I was driving to Contermans one sunny afternoon and by the quarry I saw a huge cobra cross the road. I stopped and got out to have a look at the grace the snake was displaying. It was just heading into the yellow line when a dick in a Audi came around the corner, and when he saw the snake, he steered for it and drove straight over it before racing away. He did that on purpose. No other excuse. The poor snake got head damage and died a slow, agonising death.

stoopid fU cks walk among us.

 

[The Ouzo]

4 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

You must come hang out on the farms where my dad farms. Every time I see an animal - and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME - and I tell them what it is (rooikat, jakkals, puffy, cobra, hare - the DEFAULT response is "het jy oor hom gery?".

each time.

And each time I say no, then I get the sense I have just dropped a few points in estimation from that crowd of idjits. 

On another note, I was driving to Contermans one sunny afternoon and by the quarry I saw a huge cobra cross the road. I stopped and got out to have a look at the grace the snake was displaying. It was just heading into the yellow line when a dick in a Audi came around the corner, and when he saw the snake, he steered for it and drove straight over it before racing away. He did that on purpose. No other excuse. The poor snake got head damage and died a slow, agonising death.

stoopid fU cks walk among us.

 

on the topic of killing animals.

I was at Lion and Rhino reserve yesterday. Outside the 4x4 training facility a young rhino has setup camp.

The folks there were telling me that earlier in the year a few Rhino were poached on the reserve, this young rhino took a bullet, but with the help of vets survived,

The moment they set him free again he made his way into the 4x4 facility and would not move out. They eventually persuaded him out but now he hang around the entrance where he feels relatively safe.  Poor thing is so timid now that the zebra chase him around.