Day 28: Askham to Eensaamkasteel

So I left Askham looking forward to staying on a farm called Eensaamkasteel. Took my time as it was super hot once again, plus you generally just ride a little slower on the gravel roads. The scenery was pretty sparse being bushveld with thorn trees scattered throughout. I could also see the Kuruman river bed to my left.

Pretty much what I had to look forward to for the next couple of days.

I was now back on gravel road for the next part of my journey which would be the next few days as I was to find out. I’m not going to describe the roads much for this section of the trip as they were pretty much the same. In general they were pretty flat which was decent enough plus every now and then it would be peppered with bumpy bits and occasionally softer sandy sections. Either way, it was doable on a mountain bike, just at a speed less than on a tarred road. The other thing one must get used to is the dust that blows into you whenever a car drives past. Most times you will get right in the thick of the dust cloud but other times if there is a slight side wind blowing you can get on the correct side of the road while the dust blows away completely missing you. Those are the somewhat cons of gravel roads. The upside of gravel roads especially this section of the country is that there is very little traffic so it was way safer compared to the more used tarred roads. Some days, the amount of cars that drove past were less than ten.

Pretty vast hey.

I was also pleasantly surprised when shortly after I left, I was offered some refreshment from two kind ladies in their bakkie who were passing by. I think the can of fruit juice was already being handed to me before the bakkie came to a stop. Take note people who offer adventurers anything. Fruit juice or non alcoholic drinks is always the better option over beer. Then again it depends on the adventurer. We talked a bit and they said they had heard of my trip I was doing. Really I thought. Who from? Doesn’t really matter. They were prolly joking I think. So off they went leaving me with my extra bit of supplies and some zesty energy thanks to their passing kindness.

Lovely ladies who gave me some additional sustenance for the road.

Entrance to one of countless game farms

I was told Eensaamkasteel was about half way to Van Zylsrus which was perfect, as I would be riding there tomorrow so a decent halfway point is always a good thing. I arrived there after about 70kms with the remaining 80kms to do tomorrow. Before actually arriving I was met by a farmer or game ranch family who were returning from a shop in Upington and asked where I was off to. I told them, and they assured me it was close by. I finally arrived and I was quite tired after this little trek.

Why aren't you a permament river Kuruman?

I had thought for some reason that I would be staying in the actual farm house. (Hahahah, fool!, laughs the ghost of optimism). This turned out not to be the case. There was no one staying in the main house so I eventually went to where I was hearing music in the distance and met some of the farm workers where they were staying. I think it was a bit of a shock for them to see me as they had no idea I coming. I told them my whole story saying this had been arranged for me somehow so is it cool, if I can just pitch my tent somewhere. Seeing as this wasn’t their property they had to get permission from the actual owner and confirm my story. They called the guy and after another call I think, I got the go ahead. I was supposed to meet another guy here who Elreze from Askham knew, but it turned out he was now in Askham. So I was shown to a place to camp. I was quite tired by now and all I wanted to do was rest. I was also helped by a friendly guy who was a little bit drunk so I did my best to tolerate him even though he was quite talkative, and I was relieved to see him return to his house so I could just lie down. I was covered in dried sweat and dust and got ready for bed. It would turn out to be a cold night. But I saw plenty stars because I was peeing plenty as always. Yay, more interrupted sleep.

Camp at Eensaamkasteel.

Distance 70kms