Verneukpan September 09 photo report

great shots rynet! but you forgot we had 1 pillion (not by choice) from day 4 onwards.

Day Three: On the way to Brandvlei: Junaid Day Three: On the way to Brandvlei: Gavin , Jeanne , Holger and Harley On the way to Brandvlei: Gavin , Rynet and Harley Lunch at Brandvlei: Du Toit, Sean the back -up driver , Holger and Danny Lunch at Brandvlei: Danny and Maurizio Lunch at Brandvlei: Chris H and Gabriel Lunch at Brandvlei: ChrisM, Gavin, Sean and Jeanne Lunch at Brandvlei: Generaal and Shah Lunch at Brandvlei: Danny and Rony ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

Please tell us more. Why was Shah the hero of the trip? Did he put up your tent perhaps? ;-) Website Administrator [http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]

Verneukpan at sunset: Harley Verneukpan at sunset: Shah and Junaid Verneukpan at sunset: Danny Verneukpan at sunset: Gabriel Verneukpan at sunset: Boris Verneukpan at sunset: Chris M Verneukpan at sunset: Du Toit ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

Last day : Lunch at the skerm between Sutherland and Ceres Sean and Gabriel Boris and Harley Chris H, Boris and Harley Du Toit and Chris M discussing routes Sean and Rony Jeanne and Gavin Rony, Maurizio, Generaal and Chris H View back towards Sutherland/ Middelpos (check the rain clouds) Lunch spot ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

Thanks rynet. My wife thought this was SO FUNNY. She laughed so much she had to go to the bathroom. She had visions of her "macho man" struggling to find terra firma with his short legs. She laughed even more when I told her when my shoulder height just about measured up to length of your long legs! LOL! Honestly, the best thing about the trip is the CAMARADERIE, more so than the scenery or sunrises or the food which were all amazing. I couldn't have done it without the physical and moral support from the group ... especially, riding with only one good leg (the right ankle has swollen up again; have a doctor's appointment at 11:30 am today). Thanks to Jeanne, DTV, Boris for giving up their supply of ibuprofen. Thanks to Rynet for the fantastic homeopathic(?) cream to apply on the injury. Thanks to Sean for donating his ankle compression strap. Thanks to Sean, Generaal and Gabriel (and others) for helping to pickup the bike from on top of me (5 times in the sand, once in the water crossing, twice in the sandy corners; total=8 times). Thanks to Mauricio and Rony for fixing up my flat front tire (Rony mentioned we had 10 tire problems all together). Thanks to Chris Hammam, DTV, Mauricio and Sean for the tips to improve my riding skills. A message to the newbies out there reading this. If I can do it you can too. The learning curve is steep, the terrain challenging but it is all worth it. I went from zero to 1600 km of off-road experience in 5 days and will do it all over again in a second even with this mangled ankle. Just remember to get proper ATGATT gear. The boots saved my ankle from a worse injury. gtg...doctor waiting. See you guys at the meeting tonight

Haha Well done once again ZZM , you were an inspiration to the rest of us . After every fall you just smiled and got on the bike again and carried on .See you at the meeting tonight , it is exit 18 off the N1. Ps the homeopathic cream was Traumeel by Heel and is great for bruises caused by falling . I go through a tube fairly rapidly myself ;) ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

just bring all your picks off the trip to the meeting tonight, jeanne will compile them onto cd for us! Net nou trek jy jou hout jas aan, dan is alles te laat!

Day 5: Descent down Gannaga pass Since no one posted any pics of the weather at Gannaga Pass, here are some. Rony said it was not rain, just the fact we were in the clouds. Gannaga pass: Visibility down to 10 meters at best when stationary Gannaga Pass: waiting for the bakkie Visibility got worse with the rain stinging your face and the moisture from your breathing fogging up the visor. Du Toit said he took off his prescription glasses and advised me to do the same. We just need to see 5 m ahead and we will be riding 5 kmph anyway (more like 2 kmph). Gannaga pass: Du Toit sans his glasses Gannaga pass: Shah wearing his lucky flourescent yellow jacket so that rescuers can easily locate his body if he falls into the ravine It was a good idea that Rony and Chris stopped the convoy to give a safety briefing. No sudden motions. No sudden front brakes. No first gear. Avoid car tracks, ride over fresh ground. Go easy. 700m elevation drop in less than 7 km. He promised the weather down the hill will be bright and sunny. Gannaga Pass: Rony gave a Safety Briefing on how to ride down the pass It was so cold so everyone wore all the insulation they had. Gannaga Pass: Boris fully enclosed Gannaga Pass: Rynet, Junaid & General keeping warm Gannaga Pass: Gabey Sorry, I have no photos of the actual descent down Gannaga Pass because I was so busy praying and finding a line that is not slippery or muddy. Glad that everybody made it in one piece.

And it was dry a few kilometers after the descent. I never lie ;-) Net nou trek jy jou hout jas aan, dan is alles te laat!

Anybody has a photo of me with my purple umbrella?

Submitted by zzmelayu on 29 September 2009 - 3:23pm. "Anybody has a photo of me with my purple umbrella?" yes Jeanne has, its a brilliant photo ;) ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

ZZM wrote : "Gannaga pass: Shah wearing his lucky flourescent yellow jacket so that rescuers can easily locate his body if he falls into the ravine" hehehe ZZM this made me giggle ;) I myself was so nervous going down Ganagga Pass in the mud that I practically stopped breathing. As per Chris H 's insructions I did not move a muscle , in fact I did not even react when I looked down and noticed that I was going down the steepest part of the pass in neutral haha, I just kept going till it was safe to brake again :) ''"4 wheels move the body,'' ''2 wheels move the soul"''

Souvenir from Cederberg Doctor's prognosis: No broken bones, no torn ligaments. Just bruised muscles/tendons/ligaments around the ankle. He prescribed wearing an AIRCAST for 6-8 weeks. But I still can walk and ride a bike!! just no offroad riding for a while ;( Aircast: Not a bad price to pay for 5 days 4 nights of FUN P.S. The doctor was more interested of where I went, what I saw, what kind of bike I ride, how far I traveled. He laughed when I said I slept with my boots on as per dR. Desodt's advise.

Its not pink but purple Net nou trek jy jou hout jas aan, dan is alles te laat!

Thanks Rony. I love it. Purple umbrella to match the blue bike!

Purple??? = sexual frustration!!! Ignore opinions, heed facts. Bum in the saddle.

Question to the guys that went on the trip. How did the sunrise compare to others you have seen? Lets Ride!!!

One word. MAGICAL. Verneukpan at sunrise: Magical

There's a sunrise?! Hmmm. I've never bothered to watch one. I'd think it's just like a sunset. But in reverse.

I believe there was a little devil and his advocate on the trip! This little devil had fun Net nou trek jy jou hout jas aan, dan is alles te laat!

Thanks to everyone for bringing their photos to the club meeting. Am just waiting for Chris to get back from his trip to get his pics and also Andy's. Once I have those together, I'll collate them onto DVD... Du Toit, I'm struggling with your CD. It won't let me copy beyond the first 10 photos... Might need a back up plan... Sunrise over Verneukpan The devil's advocate's tour perspective for the last two days In the end it's the life in your years that count, not the years in your life...

I caught up with Andy last week Friday. Here's a couple of pics of his arm. Andy seems quite upbeat... It might have something to do with the painkillers ;-) Andy stitched up...: The dressing has subsequently come off. Looks like the arm has been sowed back on. Blue, yellow, green... The rainbow continues on down under the arm... In the end it's the life in your years that count, not the years in your life...

Eish Andy - I sincerely hope the reconstruction is a total success and recovery is quick. It would be a bugger if your arm raising ability were in any way impeded!

Andy, get well soon.

Get well soon Andy!