Eastern Cape Drakensberg : We are back and safe (excluding the arrest)

We arrived back yesterday mid afternoon after 9 days and about 3500kms of fun, fun, fun.

Hopefully someone in the group is up to writing a trip report including lots of the hundreds (or was it thousands) of pictures taken.

It was by far the Tour with the most punctures ever and but for the few side stand incidents and the tumble that cut Brent Senders Tour short I am sure that all had a great time.

Poor Chris Dunn will never be the same again after having to pillion with me both on and off road after a puncture and sheer exhaustion in an off road section.

We were very fortunate to have Wayne Fritz from Atlantic Motorrad on the Tour with us and he kept both mine and Andy's hands clean by attending to all the puncture and other minor running repairs needed on the Tour. I doubt he has worked this hard in these conditions for years.

Then my carefully orchestrated arrest in Rhodes when a police van comprising 7 officers entered the premises and arrested me as the group leader for various transgressions of the Rhodes Conservancy act. This included frightening sheep, cattle and locals, noisy exhausts and various other trumped up charges.

Thanks to Russell Rathbone who was saying "Grace" at the time of my "arrest" and who asked our Good Lord  to look after me in the Police cells.

Devils Bellows (Devil's Bellows Pass, or just Devil's Bellows, is situated in the Eastern Cape, province of South Africa, on the regional road R351, between Fort Beaufort and Sada, Eastern Cape.) was closed due to strong winds in the area blowing numerous trees over and onto the Pass. We had good fun finding an alternate route to get not only all the bikes down but also the fully loaded back up vehicle and trailer.

But don't let me steel the thunder of whoever is going to write the report. Watch out for the next couple of Tours planned for next year (road and off road)..............book early to avoid disappointment.

Oh and by the by..........my wife informed me last night that this year alone I have spent 36 days away on Long Club Tours. This excludes weekend and day rides she sarcastically reminded me.

"Ek dink dit is tyd dat jy ophou" I was told..................!

Now about those 3 new Tours I am working on??????????????

The Roadies Tour, a "laid" back Eastern Cape Drakensberg Tour so the wives and less experienced riders can join us. Then this flippen place called Le.............Les...............Up there in the mountains by that silly Pass called.........S...........Sani or something like that.

Anybody know a good lawyer.