Dodds familie na Kammievlei

 

Die plan was om vandag van die Doddse na Hadley, deur die Grootrivierpoort te ry. 83 km met 1,900 meter se klim. Ek besluit om 07:00 in die pad te val. Llise Dodds het vir my 'n paar grondboontjiebotter toebroodtjies gemaak en ook 'n paar ander lekkernye in gesit.

Na 'n goeie nag se rus en 'n lekker gesonde ontbyt, val ek 07:17 in die pad. Dit is redelik bewolk en die weervoorspelling vir Patensie en Steytlerville wys baie reën! Ons hou maar duim vas dat die weer hou.

By die hek uit en regs in die Elandsrivier vallei op. Die wolke lyk redelik hoog en dit wil voorkom of ek droog sal kan bly. Die padoppervlakte is goed en die bulte nie te lank nie. Ek handhaaf 'n gemiddelde spoed van so om en by 13 kpu. Die temperatuur het op 18 begin en daal geleidelik na 15. Ek stop om my reënbaadjie, wat nie meer waterdig is nie, aan te trek om warm te bly. Die wolke is nog redelik hoog en dit wil voorkom of ek in goeie weer sal kan aan ry.

Na 'n rukkie begin die weer meer toetrek, maar dit reën nog nie. Op 32 km begin ek die eerste nattigheid ervaar. Ek hou weer stil en trek my "windbreaker" aan om te help teen enige reën. Aanvanklik hou die weer maar dan begin dit saggies reën. Niks om oor bekommerd te raak nie, maar hoe later hoe kwaadter. Die intensiteit van die reën neem stadig toe. Teen 40 km reën dit lekker hard en is die pad vol waterpoele. 

Ek begin my opsie oorweeg. Ek weet daar is 'n plek "Ingwe" of so iets waar ek sal kan bly. Indien dit so aanhou reën sal ek beslis my dag moet kort sny. Op 45 km kom ek by Mount Ingwe Lodge uit. Die intensiteit van die reën het redelik afgeneem. Ek draai af en volg die bordjie was sê "Plaashuis" maar daar is geen lewe nie. Ek hoor egter stemme. Regs bo by die waanhuis is daar lewe. 'n Plaaswerker kom aangestap. Hier is niemand nie. Die eienaar is in Jeffreysbaai. Ek vra of daar nog blyplek verder aan is. Hy bevestig dat daar by die Beers oor die bult plek is. Hy sê hy kan my by Ingwe uitsorteer, maar ek besluit om eder oor die bult te gaan kyk! Die temperateur het intussen tot net onder 14 grade Celsius gedaal. Om my is daar gereeld donderweer en blitse! Dit raak nogal vrees aanjaend! 

Die bult is 'n "bulletjie". Ek is genoodsaak om 'n stuk te stoot as gevolg van die gradiënt maar ook omdat die pad te glad raak en ek nie behoorlik traksie kan kry nie. Selfs my skoene gly terwyl ek loop. Sake vorder gelukkig redelik goed en ek trap die res uit. Onder in die vallei kom ek by Kammievlei van Roelie en Sareta Beer aan. Die voorhekkie en voordeur is oop! Ek trek hier in. Noes, wat besig is om skoon te maak, lyk nie te gretig om my in te laat nie. Sy skakel vir Roelie wat nie toestemming wil gee nie. Ek skakel vir Roelie en hy sê ek moet met Sareta praat. Haar telefoon lui net! 

Die besluit is geneem. Hier pak ek vandag af. Sal maar later die gevolge moet hanteer. Noes is heel te gemoedkomend en bied vir my koffie aan. Ek vra waar ek kan stort en sy wys my die badkamer. Na 'n lekker warm stort en baie droë en warm klere, kry ek my koppie koffie. Ek eet van my toebroodjies vir middag ete. Ek probeer weer vir Sareta en Roelie skakel maar kom nie deur nie. Nadat ek klaar ge-eet het, lui my foon. Dit is Sareta. Sy stem in dat ek kan bly en reël met Noes om vir my aandete te maak. Dit blyk dat die probleem was dat hulle 'n groep kinders hier gehad het en Sareta was nie seker of hulle al weg is en of die pkek aan die kant gemaak is. Noes het bevestig dat alles in orde is.

Nou sit ek op die stoep en skryf my "blog". Dit het 10 minute gelede nog honde en katte gereën, maar nou is dit heel aangenaam. Die wolke het gelig en dit het opgehou om te reën. Ek kan dit amper oorweeg om aan te ry! Ek het egter al lankal besluit dat wanneer ek op so 'n rit "afgesaal" het, ek klaar is vir die dag. Begin eder môre vroeg weer!

Nog 'n ding wat die dag vir my duidelik uitgewys het is dat ek 'n waterdigte reënbaadjie en broek moet kry. Ek sou my dag se mikpunt behaal het indien my lyf net droeër was, maar met nat klere raak die koue faktor net te groot om aan te hou. Soos die weer nou is, sal dit eintlik baie lekker wees om fiets te ry!

So eindig 'n baie interessante dag. Nog eens 'n "toets" vir die hanteer van moeilike omstandighede wat buite my beheer is. Môre lê die laaste drie kilometer na die toring voor en daarna af deur die poort en deur Marlu toe via Steytlerville. Ek kom net na 20:00 tot ruste en slaap die nag baie lekker.

Dag se statistiek: 49.61 km; 4:18:13 teen 'n gemiddelde van 11.53 kpu met 1,107 meter se klim. 

English version

The plan was to ride from the Dodds family home to Hadley, through the Grootrivierpoort. 83 km with 1,900 meters of climbing. I decided to hit the road at 07:00. Llise Dodds made me some peanut butter sandwiches and also put in a few other treats.

After a good night's rest and a nice healthy breakfast, I hit the road at 07:17. It is quite cloudy and the weather forecast for Patensie and Steytlerville shows a lot of rain! We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will hold.

Out of the gate and up to the right into the Elandsrivier valley. The clouds look quite high and it seems like I will be able to stay dry. The road surface is good and the "bumps" not too long. I maintain an average speed of around 13 kpu. The temperature started at 18 and gradually dropped to 15. I stopped to put on my rain jacket, which is no longer waterproof, to stay warm. The clouds are still quite high and it looks like I will be able to ride in good weather.

After a while the weather starts to get worse, but it is not raining yet. At 32 km I start to experience the first wetness. I stop again and put on my "windbreaker" to help against any rain. At first the weather holds but then it starts to rain gently. Nothing to worry about, but the later the worse. The intensity of the rain slowly increases. At 40 km it is raining really hard and the road is full of puddles.

I start to consider my options. I know there is a place called "Ingwe" or something like that where I will be able to stay. If it keeps raining like this I will definitely have to cut my day short. At 45 km I arrive at Mount Ingwe Lodge. The intensity of the rain has decreased quite a bit at this point. I turn off and follow the sign that says "Farmhouse" but there is no life. However, I hear voices. There is life right up at the warehouse. A farm worker walks up. There is no one here. The owner is in Jeffreys Bay. I ask if there is any accommodation further on. He confirms that there is place at the Beers over the hill. He says he can sort me out at Ingwe, but I decide to go and see what is over the hill! The temperature has meanwhile dropped to just under 14 degrees Celsius. There is regular thunder and lightning around me! It is getting quite scary!

The hill is a real "hill". I am forced to push a bit because of the gradient but also because the road becomes too slippery and I cannot get proper traction. Even my shoes slip while I walk. Fortunately, things are progressing quite well and I pedal the rest out. At the bottom of the valley I arrive at Kammievlei of Roelie and Sareta Beer. The front gate and front door are open! I go in. Noes, who is busy cleaning, doesn't seem too keen to let me in. She calls Roelie who doesn't want to give permission for me to stay. I call Roelie and he says I need to speak to Sareta, his wife. Her phone just rings!

The decision has been made. I'll pack up here the day. I'll have to deal with the consequences later. Noes is very friendly and offers me coffee. I ask where I can shower and she shows me the bathroom. After a nice hot shower and lots of dry and warm clothes, I get my cup of coffee. I eat some of my sandwiches for lunch. I try to call Sareta and Roelie again but I can't get through. After I've finished eating, my phone rings. It's Sareta. She agrees that I can stay and arranges with Noes to make me dinner. It turns out that the problem was that they had a group of children here and Sareta wasn't sure if they had already left or if the house had been cleaned. Noes confirmed that everything is in order.

Now I'm sitting on the porch and writing my "blog". It was still raining cats and dogs 10 minutes ago, but now it's quite pleasant. The clouds have lifted slightly and it has stopped raining. I can almost consider riding on! However, I have long ago decided that when I "dismount" on such a ride, I'm done for the day. Rather start early tomorrow!

Another thing that the day clearly showed me is that I need to get a waterproof rain jacket and pants. I would have achieved my goal for the day if my body had been just drier, but with wet clothes the cold factor becomes just too big to continue. The way the weather is now, it will actually be very nice to ride a bike!

Thus ends a very interesting day. Another "test" for dealing with difficult circumstances that are beyond my control. Tomorrow the last three kilometres lie ahead to the tower and then down through the poort and through to Marlu via Steytlerville. I come to rest just after 20:00 and sleep very well that night.

Today's statistics: 49.61 km; 4:18:13 at an average of 11.53 kpu with 1,107 metres of climbing.