A while back Anton suggested that our group of friends take the bikes and go to Oasis for a weekend. The only weekend that seemed to be open to all was the weekend of 9 and 10 June. With lots of prayers being offered to keep the rain away the plans were made and the weekend booked.

As it turned out Saturday ended up being very wet and rainy , but Sunday looked okay and so we set off on a wet adventure.

First stop was in Wellington , where we grabbed a cup of coffee before heading over Bains kloof pass.

With all of this said it is time to introduce you to our intrepid adventurers and their noble steeds.

In the lead was myself on my Yamaha Super Ten with my girlfriend Engela as pillion.

Then followed Mariska , Anton’s wife on her Kawasaki Versys 300X

Next up was Wilna on a Honda CRF 250l

And then Marius , Wilna’s husband on a Suzuki Vstrom 650.

Anton was sweeper on his newly acquired Yamaha Super Ten.

The guys from Left to Right : Anton, Mariska, Wilna, Marius , Engela and myself behind the camera.

Bainskloof was awash with water and waterfalls around every corner.  it was quite a sight to see , but we did not stop too much as the rain was coming down by the bucket loads.  I did stop for a quick photo opp of the swollen river and.

I sped up a bit to get out from the guys so I could take some pics of them as they crossed the Bree river bridge.

We made our way to Ceres where the steeds were given some drinks and we went for very lekker pizza’s at the pizza place next door.

After some very nice pizza and lots of jokes and fun we mounted up and made our way up Gydo pass where we stopped for the compulsory photo.

Still riding in the rain we opened the throttles and shot past Oppie berg and on towards Oasis. The gravel road towards Oasis was properly wet and full of potholes and mud. It made for some interesting riding.

But all made it safe to our first check stop.

As the road continued to started to dry out a bit and things became a little less tense behind the bars. For both Marius and Wilna this was quite a big step out of their comfort zones as they are not used to gravel roads , never mind muddy gravel roads.

The Cederberg never fails to supply panoramic vistas that takes your breath away.

Whenever I stopped for a photo , did not need to wait long for Mariska to pitch up behind me. That little Versys 300 is a brilliant bike for the type of riding we were doing.

 

 

Stopped at the top of the last pass before Oasis and once again took the compulsory photos as the guys made their way to the top.

And then down to Oasis where everyone could get off their bikes and talk about the trip and the rain and mud .

 

The evening was spent in front of the fire with chocolates, nuts, muskadel , and of course the best food in SA.

The Ribs at Oasis is still the best I have ever had.

Sunday morning broke with the promise of another beautiful day.

My steed was waiting patiently for the day to begin.

With our morning coffee consumed , our bikes packed and our accounts settled with Gerhard it was time to mount up and head back towards Katbakkies pass.

We headed off quite early with the sun just rising over the mountains.

Engela and I had to wait for a short while at the top of the first pass for the others to arrive , but they were doing a good pace and was not far behind.

This become the norm for the day where we would ride ahead and then wait for the guys to pass while we took some photos and then ride ahead again.

Once again the scenery was breathtaking.

With the mist adding an extra dimension to the views for the morning.

Once again I stopped at the viewpoint on Katbakkies pass and waited to get some photos of the guys as they came past.

We stopped at the ruins for a quick bite on some of Wilna’s Biscoti and a group photo.

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At Tankwa Padstal we had a breakfast and some lekker coffee

And the rather than going home by the (boring) R355 we went back over Katbakkies pass and Gydo Pass towards Ceres.

Doing the same route in the opposite direction gives you new views to appreciate.

Some juice for the steeds and coffee for the crew in Ceres saw us ready for the final push home.

By this time our buts were sore. So we were pushing to get home resulting in less pics being taken.

We arrived safely home with sore buts and happy hearts. A great weekend .