March 9, 2022
Picketburg to Redelinghuys - still hot!
Affi Plass Country B&B / Grenville's house - two nights
Had a beautiful view over the city below us as we got ready to depart this morning. On the road by 6:45 am. At least we get to start the day off riding down the hills we had to push up yesterday. All would have been well, but as I hit a bump in the road one of my front panniers flew off and proceeded to roll part way down the hill. Luckily, nothing was damaged.
It’s peaceful riding in the morning and I stopped to take numerous pictures. I knew as the day proceeded and as I got more hot and tired, stopping for pictures was less likely. It was absolutely beautiful scenery. Low mountains to my left. To my right, farming fields and larger mountains in the distance. (I think the Cederberg Mountains.) Not long into the ride, the sun crested behind them pictures then look directly into the sun.
Luckily, today was going to be a mostly downward trend with a few hills thrown in for good measure. As I was riding along just enjoying everything and taking it all in, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’m in Africa.” Still a bit of disbelief for me, but I am enjoying the variety of passing through numerous landscapes so far on this trip.
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Penny’s husband has a relative in the tiny town we are headed to who she has stayed with numerous times before. The neighbors have a bed & breakfast and have offered a room up for me. We are taking a rest day.
After today’s ride, again caught in the heat, we need it! Shade is at a premium so when we come across large trees with it, we take a breather. We found such a spot and I definitely needed a bit of a longer break. I sat in the dirt initially, but then decided that was just dumb, so pulled out my camp chair. What a difference. Note to self: definitely worth the effort to pull it out. We left there and then Murphy’s Law kicked in. Just a few miles down the road was a roadside stop, with a restaurant, groceries and even camping. Covered picnic tables, nice green grass and a few animals. Needless to say we stopped for another break and some ice cream.
We only have about 10 miles to go at this point, but when I left from this top, I wasn’t feeling very energetic. The heat was starting to get to me. I found some more shade and a rock to sit on and took another break to get cooled down. Although only 88F, clearly I am not acclimated and the heat here feels hotter than it is. Penny tells me it’s only going to get hotter. And this my friends, is why research before a trip of this magnitude is so important! All I can do is hope that as my fitness improves and I get use to the weather, it will get a bit easier. After this break, I felt fine the rest of the way to town.
Received a warm welcome from her relative Grenville as well as Nolene, the owner of the B&B. Had some ice cold water and cooled down before going to our respective rooms to get cleaned up and settled in. There is load shedding again this evening, so we are all going in to Elands Bay, which is actually on the Atlantic Ocean, for dinner and what I hear are some delicious fish and chips.
What's load shedding you ask? Because of government mismanagement of funds, the power supply cannot power the whole country. The infrastructure is poor, parts in disrepair and not up to modern standards. Hence, towns have different levels of "load shedding" where at your allotted time you do not have not power. I experienced two hour increments a few times. I guess if it gets really, bad the duration and frequency can increase. Yikes!
Penny is still having trouble walking with her knee so Grenville and I walked along the beach and I waded in the water. Endless sand and ocean as far as you can see. It was really pleasant walking and chatting with him before we headed back to join the others for dinner and sunset. I was not disappointed! Thanks so much for your generosity Grenville and Nolene!
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 1,924 miles (3,096 km)
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