Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
39) After crossing the border from Namibia into South Africa (and returning to paved roads!) we ended our fourteenth day in the historic mining town of Okiep. In the 1800s this was a copper mining boom town and the staff at our hotel doubled as caretakers for the old mining buildings that are still standing in the city center. In the evening we got an interesting tour of the site including a visit to the only surviving Cornish engine from the Cape Copper Company - a three story steam-driven water pump that was used to remove water from the underground mine shafts.
40) Day fifteen was a drastic change in two different ways. First, the landscape south of the Orange River is a veritable jungle compared to the Namib desert. The further south we rode the more verdant the landscape became. By mid-day we were riding along the Olifants River valley through fruit orchards, grape vineyards, and large farms. The second thing we noticed is that we'd crossed into a country where the GDP was an order of magnitude larger than the three we'd previously visited. The infrastructure was in better shape, the economy was stronger, the vehicles newer and the cities larger. We ended the day back on the Atlantic coast in the vacation village of Lambert's Bay where we took a walk on a deserted sandy beach with ocean waves crashing beside us.
41) Our dinner in Lambert's Bay is deserving of it's own photo. On the beach just south of town is Muisbosskerm The restaurant is open air - not really a building at all just three "walls" made of woven brush branches with the fourth side open to the beach. Inside is a huge pit where wood is piled and burned to create an open oven. Large cast-iron kettles are used to cook vegetables, seafood and to bake bread. Jonna declared it the best meal of her life.
42) Day sixteen was all about the riding! After two weeks of mainly straight, flat roads we spent a long day between Lambert's Bay on the east coast and Oudtshoorn on the southern coast finding some of the twistiest roads in South Africa. We started with a climb up Middelberg Pass (pictured here), then rode through the heart of the Cederberg Mountains before dropping down out of the mountains at Buffelshoek Pass. Once into the hills of the Western Cape we continued southeast over three more passes: Theronsberg, Hottentots Kloof and Die Venster.
43) After a quick picnic lunch in a gas station parking lot we were off again in the afternoon looking for great roads. In quick succession we rode Rooinek (pictured here), Witnekke and Koueveld Passes.
44) After turning back onto dirt roads we then we hit the highlight of the day, the spectacular Seweweekspoort (shown here). Finally, we merged onto the famous R62 where we crossed the final pass of the day, the Huisrivier Pass. We arrived at our hotel just outside Oudtshoorn tired after a long day of riding but with big smiles. Our hotel Thabile Lodge then capped off our great day with a gourmet meal.
45) The seventeenth day was another free day. We decided to ride to the nearby Cango Caves to take one of their cave tours. We didn't have time to do the longer "wild" tour but did take the guided walk which at least gave us a taste of the caves.
46) For fun we made a quick stop on the way back from Cango Caves at the Cango Ostrich Show Farm . We learned about ostriches, ostrich farming and the ostrich feather boom during the Victorian era. We also got to feed the ostriches which was very entertaining. The method being demostrated here by Alan is called the "ostrich neck massage".
47) After our day off in Oudtshoorn we were back on the bikes for day eighteen and back searching for fun roads. We started by re-tracing our steps on R62 back over Huisrivier Pass all the way to the famous pub Ronnie's Sex Shop The place hadn't changed much since we've visited back in 2008. We took a few obligatory photos including Alan sitting on the old tractor where we'd taken a photo nine years earlier.
48) We rode one more pass on R62 - Tradouwshoek Pass just outside Barrydale before turning south on R324 to ride the fantastic Tradouw Pass. This is one of the best roads along the southern coast and with the wildflowers in bloom it was also one of the most beautiful.
49) After another roadside picnic, this one in a rest area, we continued winding our way south. We were out of the mountains, so no more mountain passes, but the roads in this area are just wonderful to ride. The area is hilly and incredibly lush, looking like the idyllic landscapes of Ireland. The alfala fields were covered in bright yellow flowers so the undulating landscape just glowed in the sunshine. Our trip to the south ended at Cape Agulhas on the edge of not only the Indian Ocean but on the southern most tip of the African continent. This was another place we'd visited back in 2008 but we took another photo anyway.
50) Our hotel for the night in nearby Arniston, was the Arniston Spa Hotel and was another pleasant surprise. Our room looked out over the ocean and we again got to take a stroll on a deserted beach. We spent nearly an hour looking in the little tide pools on the coast watching the minnows, snails and hermet crabs.
51) An unexpected highlight of the day was watching the local fishing fleet come ashore at sunset. We happened to look out the window at the right time to see the first boat coming into port. We ran down to the beach and watched as the colorful boats, the weathered fishermen and their loads of fresh fish were pulled ashore.
52) Day nineteen was another great riding day with more terrific roads. We first rode through more of the picturesque rolling farmland inland from the coast but as we made our way westward we returned to the coast at the town of Hermanus. From there we were on the famous Clarence Drive which hugs the coast, often perched up on rocky cliffs overlooking the beach, all the way to Gordon's Bay. Rain squalls were blowing over the Kogelberg mountains making for dramatic views like this one out over Kogel Bay. We ended the day in the prosperous college city of Stellenbosch
53) Day twenty was another rest day so we decided to check out Stellenbosch. We started by walking around the University Botanical Gardens The gardens were much more extensive than we'd expected and the plants were nearly all in colorful blossom. Among our favorites was the protea, the national flower of South Africa.
54) The second stop on our self-guided walking tour of Stellenbosch was the Rupert Art Musuem which is a private museum funded by the estate of a wealthy couple from South Africa. Most of the art was by South Africans and three special exhibits were on display that were quite impressive. We especially enjoyed the exhibit of Albert Adams and the collection of Pierneef Johannesburg Railway Station paintings.
55) Our final stop for the day required riding back to Gordon's Bay where we visited Monkey Town . This primate center is run by the mother-in-law of our tour guide Rene and, thanks to his generosity, we got a personal tour including getting to feed a few of the "good monkeys" like this Capuchin Monkey.
56) Our third week ended with another awesome riding day. We left Stellenbosch and immediately returned to the coast. With the sun shining we rode along the beach on the northern shore of False Bay. We then started down Cape Penisula to Simon's Town where we stopped at Boulder's Beach to visit the nature preserve there that is protecting a colony of African Penguins.
57) After a ride the rest of the way down Cape Penisula and through the Cape of Good Hope Nature Preserve we headed north on the scenic Chapman's Drive - ground zero for Cape Town motorcyclists. Lunch wss a picnic overlooking Hout Bay where Southern Right whales floated on the surface and sailboats chased the breeze.
58) From lunch it was just a short but frantic ride around Table Mountain and through the large cities of Hout Bay, Camp's Bay and finally Cape Town where we ended the tour. We dropped off the bikes with over 3,000 miles on the odometer - about 1,000 of which was on dirt roads. After all that dirt Alan had earned the nickname "Dusty". Dinner after returning the bikes was our farewell meal for the tour - it was a bit sad to know this incredible trip was over and that our band of friends would soon disperse back to their normal lives all around the US and Canada.
59) Our flight back to the US didn't leave Cape Town until the late afternoon so we took the morning after the tour ended to visit Robben Island Museum . This was the prison where black and colored political prisoners where kept during the struggle to end Apartheid, including Nelson Mandela who spent 18 years imprisoned on the island. The prison was closed in 1991 and is now a museum. The visit was very moving especially because the tour guides are all ex-political prisoners who are not only telling the story of the prison but are also telling their stories.
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