Our last full day on the bikes was a run from Springbok to just outside a little town called Klawer. It was to be asphalt all the way and the team were looking forward to taking in the sights on the way south – the wild flowers that lined the road on the way up would be even more colourful a couple of weeks further into spring. Surely nothing could go wrong as all the difficult roads were behind us?
It all started off as planned – Pierre and Steve took the Yamaha to get fixed for the last time and we met in the Wimpy in Springbok for breakfast. Then it was back on the road and the familiar sight of Gareth being held up by the wind and his (deceptive) weight as the rest went on ahead. After a few hours we made it back to Bitterfontein where the bakkie was waiting at the side of the road. We pulled off the main road to find the trailer had yet another flat tyre. What a surprise. Thankfully the petrol station also had a tyre garage out the back. After some good old fashioned BFI (brute force and ignorance) the trailer was fixed. Back on the bikes but not for long as the Yamaha refused to even attempt to start. Again Pierre came to the rescue and we soon had the fuse changed. The second attempt to leave was ended when DaveC’s chain fell off and we discovered the 3 boys’ bikes all needed adjustment (as well as a missing part for DaveC). Third time lucky and we eventually made it out of Bitterfontein.
We made it to Klawer just as the clouds began to threaten and found our way along our last dirt track of the trip to Pierre’s uncle-in-law’s house. What a great place and what a way to finish the day. A couple of the guys ate till they could eat no more. Light relief was provided by Gareth and DaveC’s beards and DaveW’s riddles as well as Lauren’s ideas on nature (David Attenborough’s job is safe for the moment – apparently penguins are not fish) .
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