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Kradmelder
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Joined: 13 Jun 2012
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 Posted: 16:01 - 24 Jun 2012  Post subject: Mid Winter ride through the High Veld - 550 km |
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Seeing, the winter solstice came this week and we are in the depths of winter, I decided to ride across the High Veld, a cold bleak place in winter, with all the grass dead. A cold Front was coming through so there were high winds and overcast, clearing as you break through the front.
Sunrise is at 0700, but I left at 0800 due to the cold. It was 4 C when I left. I decided to take Frau, the BMW 1200, due to far better wind protection than the KTM, and the cylinder pods radiate heat to your lower legs.
I left Pretoria and took railway servitude roads to avoid the herds of breakfast runners that clutter the road on sunday mornings, with their road captains, ride marshalls and grand poobahs, all riding at some low rate of speed and blocking the road. But I doubt too many weekend warriors would have gone out on such a cold day. It is like we both are travelling on two wheels but inhabit different planets.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00137.jpg
I was heading east to Delmas, into the sun, so it was difficult to take pics with a cell phone camera. The railway roads also help to avoid all the coal trucks on the road, as Delmas is a coal mining town.
A few weeks ago in Delmas, 2 darkies murdered an old lady and 5 month old baby for a cell phone and some jewelery. Did they really have to murder the baby? It is not as if he can talk or identify them. But that is the nature of the beast.
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/two-in-court-for-murder-of-day-mom-baby-1.1309258
By 10:00, past Delmas and heading to Devon, it is still only 7.5 C 
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00138.jpg
Approaching Devon, The Devon Black Township
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00139.jpg
The high veld and approaching cold front
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00140.jpg
After Devon I cut across to Greylingstad on gravel, heading for Villiers, now crossing the cold front and temepratures start dropping.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00141.jpg
Frau
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00142.jpg
Getting closer to Villiers there are vleis. the temperature now was 6 C
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00144.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00145.jpg
Crossing the Vaal river into the Orange Free State on a small single lange bridge to Villiers. At this stage I'm shivering and my numb fingers battle to hold phone still. If it wasn't to take the diamonds and gold, I don't know why the British would want to take these 2 Boer Republics.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00146.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00147.jpg
After Villiers I cut across to Oranjeville, in the rural Free State, where english is like a foreign language 
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00149.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00150.jpg
To get to Oranjeville you cross a long single lane bridge over a narrows in the Vaal dam.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00154.jpg
Next destination is Deneysville, a small town off the tar road on the vaal dam, and consisting of gravel roads. Lunch and beer break. And to thaw out. At no time did it climb past 9 C all morning
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00155.jpg
From Deneysville it is to Sasolburg. Sasolburg is a town that blossomed due to Apartheid. Due to sanctions, SA had a shortage of fuel, and available fuel was needed by the army for the war in Angola, so civilian traffic was restricted to odd even days depending on your number plate. The government realised they could not trust their western 'allies' and needed to start strategic industries so not to be at the mercy of the worls. Sasol was started to extract oil from coal so that SA would have a fuel supply. One of the many economic boosts from sanctions, and the arms industry, and nuclear industry and many others. Sanctions boosted research and industry in SA and the Rand became stronger than the dollar. They still had to buy SA gold diamonds gold and platinum, but we had few imports, so there was a great balance of trade . Their hearts may bleed, and they may be offended, like liberals usually are, but not enough to give up gold diamonds and other metals and minerals. Baah...idealists. At no time did sanctions ever stop necessities coming in.
From Sasolburg it is to Parys (Paris in Afrikaas). It is full of antique shops and arty things, and is like a yuppie get away, but thankfully unlike its namesake, it is not full of frenchmen . I cross the Vaal at Parys, back into the Transvaal, oops Northwest and Gauteng in PC speak. They can call it what they like; you cross the Vaal, so it is the Transvaal.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00157.jpg
From the Vaal I head to Losberg and the gold mining areas. It is now sunny and warming up to 13 C
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00158.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00159.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00160.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00161.jpg
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00162.jpg
African stop sign
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00164.jpg
I arrive home at about 1615, in need of an Old Brown Sherry to warm me up.
https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20120624-00166.jpg
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Hetzer
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Posted: 16:03 - 24 Jun 2012  Post subject: |
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Do you carry a pistola, in case of rogue darkies?
:edit:...oh yeah. But...a Peacemaker?  Wtf? What are you going to do with that when a mob exceeding six falls upon yo white ass? Assuming you could hit all of them with one round each. 
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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Hetzer
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| Posted: 16:26 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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Here's a wee tip for you...in the house, SHOTGUN! Fucking SLR for in-house defence, what a noob.
Or maybe it's for picking off the pikkaninnies in the cotton-fields.
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ThunderSteve
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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| Posted: 18:03 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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| ThunderSteve wrote: |
Some of those surely bring back the memories.
Both me and the wife left for the better. Having to "work" in the townships after I left the SAAF in the 90's had it's ups and downs. Both the wife and I decided the circumstances & the way things were heading would not be an ideal environment to start a family. I will not deny missing the open roads and my old GS1000 and ZA1300.
What line of work you in if you don't mind me asking in Pretoria? I was based at Waterkloof and Tek Training for 2 years in the early 90's. Miss my Mossberg & Rossi & Baretta too. |
If you were PF in the SAAF, good move. A few years ago I helped my former RSM start a business and get out. But it takes well over a year to get your package and how can you get a job when you cant tell when you get your discharge? Nuts. Today he does the security for a euro embassy. Wont say which publically. I have another one now. These ou toppies are stuck. Well, they not quite oom to me
I did lots of work in townships as well. Partners in a business now, but we do our own community security as a pty security firm but all as volunteers, including armed response, cameras etc. But the SAP asks us to respond to cash in transits....Slowly they giving up and giving it over to the private sector, but we dont get paid. Eish. The same old old. Use Nationsal service ous. Only now we do it willingly. Ai jai did we get brainwashed. But looking at thethe youngsters today, it wasnt a bad brainwashing. We are far more adept at surviving.
Hope it is well with you ou boet, and that the welfare state limeys, and the still proper englishmen that remain, treat you well. Must be tough. But maybe you left early enough to adjust.
I am in Pretoria and pass by waterkloof often to visit a good mate in Valhalla. takes me past zwartkops as well.
Im planning a ride over normandien to rourkes drift. Now those were true proud englishmen. I just must wait for the weather. Cant take a bike up over normandien now. Far too risky as a solo if you have kids
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Last edited by Kradmelder on 18:12 - 24 Jun 2012; edited 1 time in total |
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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| Posted: 18:17 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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hang on ou boet, I will post a pic from the miltary sports club in voortrekkers. I must just find it and upload. it was on my old lap top, not this one. Proudest day was when my son played there. His pa played for 6 SAI in the EC
I am sure you will recognise
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Kradmelder
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Kradmelder
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| Posted: 18:30 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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If you really really really homesick, next time i go by waterkloof, snake valley, or Special Forces Centre, I can take pics for you
My last old years eve at jakkalsdans training centre was i think 2007. Only 2 white instructors left. I may have epics, but that far back will be on old phones and not on PC.
Was lekka. We fired off 60 mm and my kids loved it. But it was sad, like the end of an era.
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ThunderSteve
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| Posted: 18:49 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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All the pictures you have posted so far have made me homesick.
Valhalla, now that was an interesting 6 months of PF training 
Moving to the UK was an eye opener for sure, specially when Afrikaans is your first language. This country like any other has its flaws, no doubt about that.
The world is a small place, fancy having a "chat" on an internet forum about times gone past one sunny Sunday afternoon/early evening.
May your travels continue to be great with epic pictures & awesome write-ups.
ps. how much is a litre of petrol? Think when I left it was just under R2. |
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Kradmelder
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| Posted: 19:04 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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| ThunderSteve wrote: | All the pictures you have posted so far have made me homesick.
Valhalla, now that was an interesting 6 months of PF training
Moving to the UK was an eye opener for sure, specially when Afrikaans is your first language. This country like any other has its flaws, no doubt about that.
The world is a small place, fancy having a "chat" on an internet forum about times gone past one sunny Sunday afternoon/early evening.
May your travels continue to be great with epic pictures & awesome write-ups.
ps. how much is a litre of petrol? Think when I left it was just under R2. |
Valhalla, I am there often.
Voortrekkershoogte is now tshaba tshwane. City of baboons. How appropriate hey?
I guess you can adjust to the UK. Not me. Too much water under the bridge. Too much blood spiilt, too much verkrampte old scool. PC liberalism makes me explode.
If you can adjust to the UK, good for you. But I argue this with you: Is it better for your kids? Mine are solid, old fashioned, strong, athletes. Look around you. Do you want your kids to become like those around you, or proper boertjies?
My daughter was chosen for SA team for USA tour (but ex said no). she strives for 2020 olypics. My son also going strong but still young. hey, we raise strong white kids, not welfare state liberals.
Ja, but I budgetted for them to emigrate. Hope not. This is their land. No land not worth fighting for is worth living in. To me the UK is surrendering their nation to immigrants. What would old school englishmen have done? They resisted. Now they are content to get the dole and cheap curry and rice
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WannaBeDude
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Kradmelder
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Posted: 19:20 - 24 Jun 2012  Post subject: |
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well, follow your own avatar. Go hug a turd.
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WannaBeDude
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| Posted: 19:24 - 24 Jun 2012 Post subject: |
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well, follow your own avatar. Go hug a turd.
Well, go follow your own Avatar.
No need for the Go hug a turd direction, being as if you can't follow a picture, then written instruction is likely beyond one.  
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 13 years, 63 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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