As the time grew nearer, the temperatures seemed to drop lower and lower.

There were reports of snow and ice on the roads, but for the BM boys it meant, pack warmer clothes! Nothing much deters them, I am glad to say. The trip started in two legs, the fortunate ones left on Wednesday already, some seven or eight bikes headed out early to Fouriesburg and onto Katze Dam. The plan was to meet up in Clarens on the Friday.

On the Friday we, the balance, came together at the Blockhouse to set off at 09h00. Temperatures ranged from zero to zero as we approached the Blockhouse, the sky was however crystal clear and blue. The best weather to ride in, who cares how cold it is!! After a breakfast, for most, we set off to Ladybrand. It would be a non stop ride to Bethlehem to refuel and stretch some legs. The weather still played along. Roads were good, not too many potholes. After a quick stop for fuel, we headed off on the next 40km to Clarens, making a stop to see where Gauteng gets its water from, the Lesotho Highlands Scheme. Hard to believe they could drill and blast a hole that large through the mountains.

Clarens saw the joining of the clans as the Katze group joined the Mohale group to become one. 14 bikes and about 26 odd riders and pillions joined up for a lovely lunch in a warm restaurant - Artist's Café. Food and service was good.

David took the lead as we headed to a Cherry Farm, close to Ficksburg. Just a word of warning, the entrance to the farm is on a blind rise, requiring the bikes to turn across the main road. A nasty accident was avoided here, thanks to ABS; just wish ALL cars had them too. The Cherry farm catered for the people with a strong constitution for Witblits and Schnapps. I am sure you could run a bike on that stuff. With bottles in hand, we all set off on the last leg of the trip to Ladybrand, arriving at our destination around 15h00.

The final destination, for two nights, was Cranberry Cottage. A lovely old place with a lot of character and charm. If you ever want to stay in Ladybrand, look it up, www.cranberry.co.za, you will be pleasantly surprised. It is run by a young team of people but a more helpful and accommodating bunch of people would be hard to find. They went out of their way to accommodate every body’s wants.

Not sure if Ladybrand was told about warmth, sure did not feel like it. As the sun dipped the temperature also plummeted. Thank goodness for heater, fires, electric blankets and air conditioners. I am sure the electricity grid took a dip the minute we stepped into our rooms, I am sure it caused a black out in Gauteng. So you see, it’s not the soccer that is to blame, it’s these little towns that get Jo’burgers visiting in the winter, on bikes!! After settling in, unpacking and parking the bikes, the crowd got together in the bar to discuss the days ride, swop experiences and now and again a little bit of soccer did creep into the conversation, but not much though. Biking and mainly BMW biking dominated the conversations. A person from a different group with different interests would find it very hard to fit in with the crowd that gathered in the bar that night. The traditional club gifts got handed out the first night, as they came in VERY useful for the warmth that was lacking inthat area, it seemed to go down well with the group.

	The next day, Saturday, was the ride into Lesotho, the unknown for most of the group.   After a good breakfast we started gathering in front of the Cranberry, slowly the bikes came together. A few needed jump starts, some of the bikes too, it was just too cold for some of the batteries. The temperatures were showing a minus on the temperature displays on most bikes.
It is always exciting to be able to ride a new road, visit a new place or country. That is one of the best things I find belonging to the club. Seeing new places with people of the same interests. Seeing all the bikes gather on a frosty morning is very impressive and that is only 17 bikes, imagine a few more. Unfortunately group rides, of this nature, make it almost impossible to have more bikes, the logistics etc, would kill the adventure. Just after 09h00 we departed to our first stop the Border Crossing.
	This however turned out to be a painless exercise of stamp and go. Passports done and dusted, we where in Lesotho. Not sure what people expected, but not any different to being in South Africa. The bikes gathered just inside Lesotho and this attracted a few onlookers, as the bikes always seemed to do.

Once everybody was safely through the border post, we proceeded to Mohale Dam. Temperatures never rose above the 8C all day; there was a lot of evidence of snow and freezing around. All along the road one saw snow and all the streams where frozen along the route, icicles hung like stalactites from the rock faces.

Once out of Maseru, away from the traffic, the countryside changes dramatically. The roads close to Maseru are sweeping bends with views of the mountains. The roads in the mountains are tight twisties, with bends so tight that 1st gear was required to get around them. The riding was simply amazing. I must admit, it was the type of road that one always looks for, that is what biking is about. Now I know why I ride bikes, and why I enjoy touring. For those that have not tried touring, the time is now. There are roads out there that do not see many bikes, (thank goodness) and many bikes have not seen the roads out there. For those that love riding, get your passports out and visit Lesotho!!

Our destination, Mohale Dam, was reached all too quickly. That type of riding should go on for a lot longer, just not right that roads like that should come to and end, one consolation though, we had to ride back the way we had just come. That would make it about 140km of the best road in Southern Africa. All that, about 4 hours ride from Johannesburg!! We just seemed to climb higher and higher as we neared Mohale dam. We passed village after village and too many Donkeys to count. Most of the donkeys were left to their own devices with loads on their back and no handlers in sight. They seemed to know where they were supposed to be going. I must add, their road manners where impeccable. Never once did we have to brake or swerve to avoid the donkeys. Cattle I cannot vouch for, they had a mind of their own and one always had to try and wonder where they would be going as the bikes approached. Of all the obstacles on the road, the worst is the stones/rocks on the road. Around each bend one encountered them, one under your front wheel and you would hit the ground. Luckily they all seemed to be on the outer edge of the bends, out of the riding line. But one still had to always keep an eye out for them.

As we got closer to the Dam, the evidence of the snow and ice was still evident. It was about 12h00 that we reached the dam, a good 3 hours after we had set off on the 100km ride. So planning a trip does not always work out at the average of 100km/hr. Our average travelling speed was in the region of 50km/hr for this ride.

The approach to the dam was spectacular, nestled between the mountains one caught a glimpse, first, of this huge mass of water hugging the contours of the mountains and then the dam wall came into view. This in itself is worth seeing, some 160m high and over 600m wide.

We stopped off at the visitor’s centre, where a most enlightened talk was given by one of the Engineers working on the dam. At all times an Engineer was present to monitor the pumps, water level and the wall. We all then proceeded to the dam wall where another talk was given and we where also taken into the pumping area and into the wall. After a brief rest and after taking a few pictures the group split up and left for Ladybrand in smaller groups. One shortfall with this ride was the lack of facilities to buy anything to eat or drink.

Another great thing about the ride we just had, we had it all over again in the opposite direction. The scenery was different the road was different. It was like winning the jackpot all over again. Riding at ones own pace and in smaller groups the ride was totally different. Honestly a “must do again road” and very soon. Definitely a ride the club can put on its calendar again for next year June. More people must experience this ride.

Getting through the border post, at Maseru, is painless and one gets through as fast as you can fill in the forms. That is unless you misplace your passport (no names mentioned!! )Jackets were checked, the bike was unpacked, not once but a few times, a lot was sweating was evident; you don’t want to be on the wrong side of a border with no passport, believe me you don’t!!! The passport was found, in the helmet that was put down on the counter while completing the forms. All well that ends well.

At around 19h00 we all came together again for the final dinner. Again Cranberry did a good job with the food. That night also saw two people having a birthday, both from the same family and adding the two ages together we celebrated 100 years.   Congratulations went to David’s

What was left of the beanies and scarves was given to the staff of Cranberry. This was well received by them all.

The next morning at around 09h00 saw the departure of about half the bikes, the other half chose to leave in smaller groups a bit later, maybe they expected it to warm up a bit more as the temps at 09h00 was still hovering around the zero mark.

The route back was a different route to the one we came down on Friday. We made a stop in Kroonstad for fuel, food and final goodbyes. The groups became smaller and smaller as the bikes headed off in their own directions nearing homes.

Another lovely weekend had come to an end.   Time to start thinking about the next trip.   Thanks to all those that joined us on the trip and sorry for those that did not, next year is your turn.

Written and Organized – Wymoth & Anne Palmer-Pilgrim