Sorry no pics but just taken 25 minutes to do one day with 3 pictures for the 9th. Photos will follow.10th Jan
Decided to head for Lydenburg or Mashishing as its now called. Got confused as the maps have the old names.
Woke up to the sun streaming into the tent at 7.00 and a quite respectable 28 degrees. Looked west at the dark sky and wondered about another day but decided to have a coffee and pack up. Left at about 9 and headed north 30Km to get petrol, out of the way but guaranteed as I wanted to stay on back roads. Filled up and headed out along along the 33, two lanes up through the mountains, nice and gentle, then the 555 north to pick up the road with the passes over the low Drakensburg. Speed limit 100, way to low for the new surface. The mountain road was in excellent condition and the highest point in the Mpumalanga is at the De Burg Pass where I stopped for a look see, photo will not do justice, view was great, you get all the way up there and on top is grassland, farms, water and lush green pasture, speed limit hard to keep too especially on the up hill bits with long lazy bends, cambered and views of the road 5km away with bits missing for bends and embankments. Was standing at the top and it dawned on me that men with horses found the way over these passes for their families to follow in wagons pulled by oxen. They were hardy people, me I would have stayed in the UK.
Glorious ride down twisting and turning on good tarmac until about 20k from destination, road potholed. Lorries swerving about to miss the craters and the heavens opened.
Hit one full pot hole and thought no way so pulled over onto the dirt as the road was just a sheet of water, sat there for about 20 minutes being dumped on by the rain and the wash from Tom, Dick and Harry going by. The bike and I were red from the mud. When it cleared I rode on just missing all the puddles until another shower washed me down.
Pulled into town and rode around looking for the campsite, went passed it twice, only a twelve foot sign, so not surprised I missed it, too big to read. Booked in to camp but rain came down so as it was only R200 a night went for the chalet (there is R16 to the pound) so about 15UKP. No frills but dry and gear is dripping away on the line. Found some Crabbies Ginger Beer NOT alcohol free so know where I will be for a few nights, they only have 6 bottles. Hope to go see some sights tomorrow

11th Jan
Saturday, explains a few things, why the bike stops are working today for biker breakfasts.
Got up at 7 and was off by eight. Decided to ride the 80km to Erasmus pass and the circle back across robbers pass, good plan. Headed off with warm tempertures, along road with signs up saying beware potholes so at least knew where they were. Filled up and kept on, scenery is beautiful, mountains, rockpiles, twisties a bike and a tent, what more could one want, my idea of heaven in UK would be Dartmoor travelling by bike. The mountains piled up one on the other and then the road started climbing, no kerbs just a drop, hate to get target fixation up there when watching the scenery across the massive drops. Speed 40km/h but progress was good and had a great time going up. At the top a tunnel and then through to a couple of Km of straight roads with wandering cattle and a policeman with a speed trap. Thanks to the cows only doing about 20k. Round the next bent and down it goes, got the bike over on a right hander, no kerb just a drop, pothole the size of a car no kidding, bike up between the edge and the pothole about a metre to play with, put the bike over again, easing throttle trying to bleed off speed down to second gear and stuck to the speed limit. Underpants still clean as I did not have time to do anything. Got to the bottom and turned round to back over it the other way. Why oh why do they not have view points to stop at. Scenery was breath taking. Headed south again looking for turn off to Graskop which I found. Wanted to visit Gods Window a view point over the Blyde River Canyon. Mist started, then fog with visability down to 10 metres at times or 3 cats eyes.
Found the turning and off I trundled after a long period of time I ended up on the road to Graskop again, had done a long loop seen nothing and missed Gods Window. The road follows the canyon the map tells me but I did not see it.
Got to Graskop and rain so headed for Pilgrims Rest to a café that did a Voers rolls and breakfast I had been told. Found it and ordered both. One to take away from lunch. Had a wonder about, an old mining town left as it was when everyone moved out. Car wash 500 rand, bike wash 1500 rand? Rode off up the Robbers pass ( apparently was a good spot as the ox wagons were struggling and everyone worn out). Stopped to put on waterproofs as was getting wet. Rain stopped, little mist and pass was a joy to ride even with potholes and lunatic cars coming the other way on the wrong side of the white line. Rain started again so thought just go back, shower and change and head for local museum.
This I did via the petrol station, headed for the museum but the sun was shining so carried on to LongTom pass. Long Tom was a Boer cannon that could out range the British cannon in the Boer war so thought I would look at it, the museum and even the shell hole it made. But it was not to be the fog was there at the top with a vengeance, had to ride down at 20-30km/h for 6 km until I could turn safely. Crawled back to the top and stopped in the sunshine to take some pictures in a driveway, absolutely breath taking panorama, understand why everyone fought over it but must have been a pain dragging the artillery up there. Kept on to the local museum which was closed?? Tomorrow is another day. It was 5 o’clock so back to chalet and put bike away. 331km today in all that foul wether, The sun is shining now and it is 25 degrees??

12th Jan
Got up at 6 and ready to go at 6-30 but thought Sunday, too early to get the caravan park owner up so waited and drank more coffee. Went and rang the bell at eight and poor lady looked like I had woken her up. Five minutes later her husband opens the garage. Raring to go, jacket on but after 3 cups of coffee, I am buzzing and the bladder is busting and will be again in ten minutes so finally leave at eight thirty.
First stop the museum, excellent local history from 300 AD to present really. Inside remains from stone age up to 400AD of tribes that were pushed out by the varies invaders. The map looks just like the remains of villages on Dartmoor, amazing that they all had the same design ideas. Then on to the arrival of the Europeans and Voortrekkers. Only issue was it was worded as if done in the apartheid era, whites lived in Lydenburg, blacks in Mashishing and coloureds in Area 2. All part of the same town now. Explained about the Boer war in the area and Long Toms role, that gun sure did have some range, the Brits had to bring in Navel guns off a ship to compete.
Outside were all sorts of ploughs and memorials to modern times and an old trekkers wagon that was towed along by 16 oxen. In bad need of restoration but guess they are trying to forget that era in history, pity as it is a fantastic thing.
Cloudy and only 22 degrees so headed for Long Tom pass again, Did I really ride it in the fog? Views were fantastic, road edges on the kerb where the drops began, series of hairpins and lesser bends for 7km, went even slower when I could see it. Over the top and down the other side to Long Tom its self. About the size of the 25 pounder, a replica at the site it was last used on the British. When they ran out of ammo the blew the original up in place. Back on the bike and on to Sabi and some waterfalls, what to say, tourist trap to park and see water coming off a cliff, were beautiful but nature should be free, put a kiosk in to sell drinks and icecream.
Headed on to Graskop in the sun and stopped for a tropical exotic breakfast at 11-45. Egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, fried banana, fried pineapple ring with 2 pancakes, a slice of toast with strawberry jam and a banana milkshake, large. Was brilliant, loved the feelings with the taste buds. Headed out to see Gods Window but got waylaid by the pinnacle a gorge. Spent the best part of an hour just looking and wandering, thinking if this is not the best what must Gods Window be like so on the bike and off.
Got half a kilometer down the road and black clouds rolled in, got thicker, could see little, into a layby and did a u turn, rode back half a kilometer and clear again, looked back and guess Gods window was blacked out so decided on Pilgrims Rest and Robbers Pass in the sun.
Pot holes, stopped and took a photo for you, case of choose your pothole and try to miss the ones you could bath in. Roads are amazing from this to beautiful tarmac in a metre. Rode on through GrasKop and up towards Pilgrims Rest behind a car doing 30km/h, even slower than me, no place to overtake for 6km so just poodled along, allowed me to look at the scenery.
Pulled into the town and the visitors centre was shut so rode through, what a dump, could be lovely but get rid of the shacks selling curios all over the place, put them in the shops or gardens makes it look like a squatter camp. Supposed to be an old mining village made famous by the book and film Jock of the Bushveld.
Headed up over the Robbers pass again in the sun much nicer and got caught in a layby by a lady selling curios, got 2 nice bowls and haggled the price down to 50 percent whilst sharing my lunch, (apparently she and the children had not eaten for 2 days etc etc, never sure what to believe) felt bad so gave her the full starting price for the 2 pieces and put them in the box. As I got on the bike to go she ran over with a small wooden hippo and gave it to me, to remember her she said. Headed off over the top and down the other side, first pot holes off the pass appeared.
Stopped at the bridges to look at the old one standing behind it, as something on the tourist trail to see, I have done it but would rather have seen the old ford or drift the wagons used. Started raining so headed away from it at 100km/h and managed to stay in sunshine back to Lydenburg, being Sunday of course it is all closed, so back to chalet to pack.
Thinking of heading to Hazyview tomorrow to see if I can spend a day with the orphaned elephants, lots of money, about 500 pounds but what an experience, ride one maybe and just spend a day wandering in the bush with them till their bed-time. Hope it happens