Progress Report 6 - w/c 29.12.08
today is january 4, so HAPPY NEW YEAR! i feel that 2009 is going to be challenging but exciting!
i arrived in kersefontein on friday, julian gave me a real surprise having very kindly offered to pick me up from the airport, he flew me in a 206 to his farm! we had to do some grocery shopping beforehand, but once we loaded the plane, we headed off 64 nautical miles north of cape town.
i have driven to the farm quite a few times now, both along the coastal route and the n7, but flying between 1500 and 3000 ft, was a wonderful experience, spectacular views across the plains and out to sea.
table mountain and lions head
robben island
the journey only took about 45 mins, but julian said it normally only takes 30 mins but due to my additional weight, luggage and shopping and a strong headwind slowed us down. not that it mattered. you can see from this clip that we circled the farm a few times before landing.
it is so beautiful here!
from the plane julian transported me to the farm on a quad!!
julian also arranged for the honda crm 250 to be dropped off that same afternoon. i gave it a visual inspection and short test ride before signing the transfer of ownership documents, though funds won't be transferred until monday when the banks open again on monday. so as soon as the heat of the day passed, i jumped on the bike and followed julian's in his bucky across the dirt roads and sand tracks - first time on sand and boy was that an experience.
the track was just sand, deep, soft and unforgiving. furthermore the tractor and 4x4 vehicles had created lovely ruts to navigate. i didn't fall off, but did need to drop the tyre pressure in the rear tyre as i was struggling to get the bike moving forward in the sand - ended up at only 8psi but i did not realise this at the time as i did not have a guage and i am not sure whether this is the right level, but it worked and i had a ball for an hour and a half! riding the sand was akin to skiing / surfing powder as there is no bottom and in order to move and stay upright you need constant and consistent speed, but unlike the off-piste, the tyre tracks were essentially steering me and to change rut was risky but therefore fun to do!! with the setting sun we travelled next to the river and along the runway back to the farm......i am so chuffed, it's perfect training ground here.
in the middle of this trek, i jumped into the bucky with julian as we looked for his sheep in readiness to herd them to the water troughs the following day. compared to the uk, the conditions here are harsh yet out of the sandy soil melons and wheat grow, sheep and hereford cattle chomp on the wide variety of flora that our animals would die for - they must be so bored of eating grass in the uk!! there is such abundance of wildlife - i have so far seen, 7-8 spring bok, 3-4 stein buck, 2 deiker, numerous wild boar and their piglets, cattle egrets, and countless other birds that i don't yet know the name of and a cape fox!!
the evenings are spent with julian nad his guests which is really enjoyable, it's like having a private dinner party each night. a couple of apperitiffs in his bar - a separate building away from the main house - is followed by dinner in his beautiful dinning room, candle lit, drinking fine wines and eating fantastic food prepared by his staff - last night we had fresh lamb off the farm and floating island - merange on a custard/ cream base with passion fruit. i am not sure i can do this everynight without turning into a boar! then we head to the drawing room for tea or coffee and if julian or his guests have the energy or inclination, the grand piano is played. the guests are from all over the world, so far they have been from england, ireland, holland, germany, thailand and of course south africa. i feel extremely lucky to be here and for 2 weeks.....kersefontein is a very special place.
i went for my first run last night since before my operation in september last year. julian wanted to get back into his running routine and although my physio, mark, had suggested i hold off a little longer, it was great to head out for what was only 17mins across the dirt/ sand track in the cool of the evening. i then headed out on the bike for an hour before dinner and covered over 30 miles of tracks, dry mud flats, stubble fields - nothing like uk fields, these are eseentially sand and stubble, they are certainly not flat either - which was where i road alongside the spring bok as they galloped majestically across the plains, quite surreal. i am getting good speds along the dirt tracks, around 80-90kph and on the gravel roads up to 110kph - just to , but i was pretty knackered by the end of it......15 hrs a day for 14 days.....i have some serious work cut out to be fit enough for the dakar!!
the only challenge i now have is that both front fork seals have gone and need replacing. although the previous owner said they had been replaced recently. i hope it does not mean the forks are pitted as this will be a bit of a challenge to repair. other than that the bike is running really well...touch wood it will continue to do so....
we headed out to langebaan on the coast for lunch and while walking along the beach we came across a little live shark....
images and films will go up when i return to london.
i arrived in kersefontein on friday, julian gave me a real surprise having very kindly offered to pick me up from the airport, he flew me in a 206 to his farm! we had to do some grocery shopping beforehand, but once we loaded the plane, we headed off 64 nautical miles north of cape town.
i have driven to the farm quite a few times now, both along the coastal route and the n7, but flying between 1500 and 3000 ft, was a wonderful experience, spectacular views across the plains and out to sea.
table mountain and lions head
robben island
the journey only took about 45 mins, but julian said it normally only takes 30 mins but due to my additional weight, luggage and shopping and a strong headwind slowed us down. not that it mattered. you can see from this clip that we circled the farm a few times before landing.
it is so beautiful here!
from the plane julian transported me to the farm on a quad!!
julian also arranged for the honda crm 250 to be dropped off that same afternoon. i gave it a visual inspection and short test ride before signing the transfer of ownership documents, though funds won't be transferred until monday when the banks open again on monday. so as soon as the heat of the day passed, i jumped on the bike and followed julian's in his bucky across the dirt roads and sand tracks - first time on sand and boy was that an experience.
the track was just sand, deep, soft and unforgiving. furthermore the tractor and 4x4 vehicles had created lovely ruts to navigate. i didn't fall off, but did need to drop the tyre pressure in the rear tyre as i was struggling to get the bike moving forward in the sand - ended up at only 8psi but i did not realise this at the time as i did not have a guage and i am not sure whether this is the right level, but it worked and i had a ball for an hour and a half! riding the sand was akin to skiing / surfing powder as there is no bottom and in order to move and stay upright you need constant and consistent speed, but unlike the off-piste, the tyre tracks were essentially steering me and to change rut was risky but therefore fun to do!! with the setting sun we travelled next to the river and along the runway back to the farm......i am so chuffed, it's perfect training ground here.
in the middle of this trek, i jumped into the bucky with julian as we looked for his sheep in readiness to herd them to the water troughs the following day. compared to the uk, the conditions here are harsh yet out of the sandy soil melons and wheat grow, sheep and hereford cattle chomp on the wide variety of flora that our animals would die for - they must be so bored of eating grass in the uk!! there is such abundance of wildlife - i have so far seen, 7-8 spring bok, 3-4 stein buck, 2 deiker, numerous wild boar and their piglets, cattle egrets, and countless other birds that i don't yet know the name of and a cape fox!!
the evenings are spent with julian nad his guests which is really enjoyable, it's like having a private dinner party each night. a couple of apperitiffs in his bar - a separate building away from the main house - is followed by dinner in his beautiful dinning room, candle lit, drinking fine wines and eating fantastic food prepared by his staff - last night we had fresh lamb off the farm and floating island - merange on a custard/ cream base with passion fruit. i am not sure i can do this everynight without turning into a boar! then we head to the drawing room for tea or coffee and if julian or his guests have the energy or inclination, the grand piano is played. the guests are from all over the world, so far they have been from england, ireland, holland, germany, thailand and of course south africa. i feel extremely lucky to be here and for 2 weeks.....kersefontein is a very special place.
i went for my first run last night since before my operation in september last year. julian wanted to get back into his running routine and although my physio, mark, had suggested i hold off a little longer, it was great to head out for what was only 17mins across the dirt/ sand track in the cool of the evening. i then headed out on the bike for an hour before dinner and covered over 30 miles of tracks, dry mud flats, stubble fields - nothing like uk fields, these are eseentially sand and stubble, they are certainly not flat either - which was where i road alongside the spring bok as they galloped majestically across the plains, quite surreal. i am getting good speds along the dirt tracks, around 80-90kph and on the gravel roads up to 110kph - just to , but i was pretty knackered by the end of it......15 hrs a day for 14 days.....i have some serious work cut out to be fit enough for the dakar!!
the only challenge i now have is that both front fork seals have gone and need replacing. although the previous owner said they had been replaced recently. i hope it does not mean the forks are pitted as this will be a bit of a challenge to repair. other than that the bike is running really well...touch wood it will continue to do so....
we headed out to langebaan on the coast for lunch and while walking along the beach we came across a little live shark....
images and films will go up when i return to london.
Labels: tydakar
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