Another trip to Capetown

Here's another photograph out of Africa, I'm not sure where but how safe is that?! Look at the baby on the kid's lap at the back! And no crash helmets, man there's a tragedy waiting to happen.

Today I lucked out on another trip to Capetown to take samples to the research institute, I could have gone down with the company bakkie (pick-up) but the weather has been fantastic this past week so naturally I decided to go on the bike.

I got on the road at 0740, 20 minutes before sunrise and let me tell you it was cold - my dashboard thermometer was reading 9 degrees as I headed the thirty kilometres to Veldriff to our factory to collect two frozen samples to go with the fresh ones that I already had, it didn't matter though because I don't feel the cold like mere mortals do.

It was certainly fresh as I sped through the clear early morning air with the first golden glow of the sunrise ahead and to my right, once I had collected the samples I rejoined the R27 heading to Capetown and settled in to the rather boringly straight road, soon I was blasting along at my usual 140 - 150kmh with the sun rising now on my left and already starting to warm the day. I have the luxury of heated handgrips which I put to good use.

The road was not particularly busy at that time of the day and I was able to maintain a good cruising speed, ever mindful of the game that can often surprise the unwary motorist, small buck often scamper across the road with disastrous results in the early morning.

Luckily nothing happened today and about an hour later, after really enjoying the open road I cruised into the outskirts of Capetown. It was close to 0900 and at that time the traffic is not as bad so I had quite an easy trip through to the laboratory where I dropped off the samples.

After a brief stretch to relieve the saddle muscles I was back on the bike and back into the traffic, I love it and I have no problem with lane-splitting and dodging careless motorists and soon pulled into the parking area of the "Viper Lounge" biker bar and restaurant in "Bloubergstrand". There is a nice bar, light meals restaurant, a pool table and a lounge area all leading onto a Harley Davidson agency. A very pleasant place to spend a bit of time and I had two very good cups of coffee and a toasted sandwich with chips (fries) before happily hitting the West coast road again for the ride home.

I felt so good on the way home, I wasn't even speeding! I cruised along at between 130 and 140kmh and by then it was lovely and warm, what few cars there were on the road mostly all moved aside to let me pass and those that didn't I swept past without any problem. You do get the occasional idiot who seems to resent us going faster than the national speed limit and who will steadfastly block the lane as if they are authorised to enforce it! Fools!

Halfway back I spotted these guys close to the road so I stopped for a bit, they are in a small nature reserve which has quite a few different species of game apart from the Giraffe. Great to watch for a while and apparently there is a very nice restaurant which we will make a point of visiting sometime.

All too soon I was cruising into Saldanha and I arrived home in time to help Janet fry up the fourteen chickens that I had cut up the previous night. What a morning it had been, a very enjoyable ride and hopefully the two of us will get out on the road on Sunday.