.Excitement is off the charts. The bike was loaded and ready the night before already and we were up very early. Geared up and ready we said our goodbyes to the family and headed to the rendezvous point to meet up with Smidty and his son.
Ready for the big adventure:


Smidty and I have not ridden together before and our sons do not know each other, so it was literally introductions before we set of. It was a perfect day for it too - clear skies and brilliant scenery. Smidty and I both needed to get away for a bit. Just get away from it all and recharge.
The wheels sang as we rode past Kaaimans, Wilderness, Island Lake, Langvlei, Sedgefield, Groenvlei, The Knysna lagoon... Perfect scenery on this crystal clear day. Seemed ironic that this was what we were trying to "get away from".
Just past Plett we left the Nasional road towards Nature's valley on the “old passes road”. Nature's Valley is a small village at the mouth of the Groot River at the bottom of the Groot River pass. The little town is enfolded with mountainous forest and must be one of the most beautiful parts of the Garden Route. It is the only residential area within a South African National Park. This route (the R102) runs through the Groot-, Bloukrans- and Storms River gorges are some of
Thomas Bain’s masterpieces.

Nobody thought that a coastal road would be possible through the dense forest, but Bain never shied away from a challenge. This “old passes road” offers one of the most rewarding scenic drives in the country to travellers who have the time. But who has time anymore? Everybody races past on the N2.

Sad that they're missing out on this:
"We're coming to the end of a hundred years or more of devices we invented to save time. What has become of this? Nobody has enough time anymore... We are a time-impoverished society. We have lots of material things, but we have no time left. It is the time of mechanical devices... It is the new poverty." Needleman - 1999
But not us

We are on holiday and have LOTS of time to take it all in!

Our third pass for the day:
(Kaaimans having been the first)

The original Bloukrans Pass was built during 1881 and recently upgraded. It is currently closed to traffic though due to flood damage. Well, it's closed if you're not on an adventure bike

With the road being closed there is almost no traffic. Bliss! And just look at the scenery!
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