Author: TDA Scott

Today’s ride was only 93km. Danger Wil Robinson! Danger! Alarm bells are sounding, klaxon wailing, Arrrooogaa!! 

Ok, it wasn’t that bad. Well, the first 27km were bad, but at least half of it was avoidable by taking a secondary road that other vehicles had made on their own, because of how horrid the main road was. You can imagine how dismal the road conditions must be for other vehicles to say “screw this, I’m driving over there!” However, once past the abysmal part, the road became some really nice smooth, compacted gravel. I was riding on it as fast as I would on tarmac. Our lunch spot was at wonderful old German train bridge built in the late 1800’s. 

History note: Namibia was once a German colony called German South West Africa. You can still see a lot of the German influence in the place names, churches, and languages spoken in the area. 

After lunch it was a quick ride to our camp spot, a nice facility called The Cañon Roadhouse. It is located a mere 27km from Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world (the Grand Canyon, being first). Well… I can’t let all those alarm bells ring for no reason, so I decided to ride the additional 55km (round trip) to the canyon and take a look-see. I was the only full day rider to cycle the entire day AND be crazy (stupid?) enough to add another 55km of voluntary gravel to my day. The others who did venture out to the canyon either hitchhiked, didn’t ride the day, or took a guide vehicle.

Well, the additional kilometres were totally worth it. The canyon is an impressive site (and sight). Thanks to the visit, I’ve now added another activity to my bucket list, the five day Fish River Canyon hike. It’s 80km of trail through the bottom of the canyon and, unlike the Grand Canyon, you don’t have to apply years in advance hoping you get a spot. 

Finally, I ended the excessive energy expending day by placing my tent on an even bigger hill than the previous day. I’ve earned a bit of reputation for extreme camp spots and I’ve got standards to uphold. I did kind of question my choice of locale after ascending the hill five or six times. Feel the burn!

Today we had two special treats. 31km into our ride this odd black stuff appeared under our wheels. It had strange yellow and white markings written on it. Perhaps some alien artifact sent from the stars to communicate with us, or was it some natural phenomena? We may never know. The surface was a nice temporary departure from our usual gravel and sand, so I enjoyed it while it lasted. Our winding route over the last few days has taken us through some wonderful arid desert landscapes. The air is so dry that even my lips are cracking and dry (and my lips never do that, even during the harshest Canadian winters). The landscapes remind me a little of Arizona, minus the cacti. I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to the desert landscapes but they are some of my favourites. 

Our second treat of the day came at camp after dinner. The TDA crew treated us to a Canadian classic…Nanaimo bars! Perhaps one of the greatest desserts ever invented! They always bring back fond memories of my childhood, visiting my Grandparents out in Calgary, playing croquet and lawn darts (how ever did we survive!?!) in the backyard.

Tonight I’ve pitched my tent in a wonderfully secluded spot on top of a hill. I’m going to sleep outside (as opposed to outside IN my tent) and enjoy the the wonderfully clear night sky and all the stars.

We are down to our last ten days of riding. It’s hard to believe we’ve been cycleing for over three and a half months and that the end is near.  After yesterday’s 6000 calorie ride, today was both easy and hard. Finding the energy to get back on the bike was the hard part; riding on the gravel was the easy part. Despite the ride being 17km longer with more climbing the day was actually much easier than the day before. The first 25km were the same hemorrhoid-inducing, posterior-pounding rubbish we’d been riding for the last few days, but after that the gravel transitioned to a nice flat, well graded road for the rest of the day. I just put my head down and pedalled.

I even managed to miss the worlds largest Social Weaver nest. I’ve seen a bunch of them along our journey through Namibia so it’s wasn’t a big deal. They just look like giant bales of hay with holes poked in them, jammed in very undersized tree. Someone should really speak to the Social Weaver engineers, they really need to update their building codes for the 21st century. 

“Your worst nightmare”? That’s what the description of today’s ride was, and as I mentioned two days ago, I was going to stay positive and own it. Well, the positive thing was easy. The scenery along the ride was stunning! The early rays of the sun illuminated the dust as it hung in the still air. The keen tourists in their 4×4’s kicking it up as they rumbled by us on their way to a game drive or dunes excursion. After about an hour of riding the dust and 4×4’s slowly dissipated and we were left with a long dirt road and a massive expanse of beautiful scenery. The small foothills that surrounded us slowly retreated into the distance. The colours of the dirt began to change, going from a dark sandy brown to a Mars red; indeed the landscape started to look a lot like what you would expect to see from our “God of War” neighbour. Despite the huge day of riding ahead of me, I had to constantly stop and take photos of the awe-inspiring landscape; unfortunately none of the photos do it justice. 

The road itself was very rough and corrugated, but nothing I wasn’t expecting or mentally prepared for. I was ready for whatever the day threw at me, and it threw a pile of crap! On top of the steaming dung pile of a road, the sun also beat down on us. Before lunch I’d already stopped the “refresh” truck twice and drank over three litres of water. On the second stop, Tallis pointed out where our lunch stop was. “That tree line on in the distance” was what he told me. I was at 50km into the ride, lunch was supposed to be at 70km. I couldn’t believe that the tree line was 20km away. Well, I rode, and rode and then peddled and rode, for another two hours, crawling along the slow dirty incline towards lunch, and it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Finally at about 1:15pm I arrived at lunch, very hungry and very tired. Normally I arrive at our lunch spots between 9:30-11:30 at the latest, so my tummy was complaining loudly about the lack of things for it to digest. 

After appeasing the monster within, my attention shifted to the time. At the rate I was travelling I wouldn’t reach camp till almost 6pm, dangerously close to sunset; I had to get moving! Back on the bike, I pushed my weary legs to continue their cyclical routine. Only another 64km of crappy roads to go. Luckily for us a considerable tail wind had picked up over lunch and started pushing us all towards our temporary home for the evening. I told myself I’ll never curse a headwind again, if this wind stayed with us the rest of the day, and stay it did. Between the beneficial wind, and the slightly improving road conditions, I managed to get into camp just after 5pm. There hadn’t been a day since Sudan, in the oppressive 40C+ heat that I’d come in so late, and during those days I had taken many, many breaks. Today I only stopped for lunch and to hydrate (almost 8 litres worth!). The day was so tough that only about one third the group finished it and six riders had to be pulled off the road because of darkness and safety issues (no riding after dark); that’s a first for this tour. 

At the end of it all I was physically spent, but mentally and emotionally very excited. I’d stayed positive the entire ride, and done what I’d set out to do, own it, kill it, and enjoy it. 

(Sorry for the delays on posting, cell/internet coverage in central Namibia has been problematic. Expect several multi post days and other delays over the next few days)

I’ve started to be wary of “short” days; they are usually short for a reason. 83km and today was one of the hardest.  No one will debate that. We all knew starting the day, that there were going to be some difficult road conditions ahead, and the road didn’t disappoint. The early morning sunlight cast beautiful long shadows across the landscape highlighting, with infinite detail, the washboarding and gravel that would slowly wear us down over the course of the day. A few hours later, with the sun high in the sky, that detail was all but gone, and with it, any hope of avoiding the worst corrugation. With no contrasting shadows you felt the washboarding before you could see it. Gripping the handlebars tightly is usually the worst thing you can do when rolling over rough corrugation, but over some of the most extreme stuff it was all that would keep me on the bike. I had to keep reminding myself, “loose grip, let the bike find its path”. 

In what seems like an ongoing theme, the hardest riding was just a few kilometres short of camp. Maybe it’s because we are tired from the days ride, maybe it IS frequently the hardest part, it really doesn’t matter. The fact is, the last ten kilometres today were tough! Massive corrugation from edge to edge and deep soft gravel that just swallowed your tires when you passed over it. Once into camp I heard a number of comments about how “that was the worst road I’ve ever ridden” and how horrible the road was, and they were all valid, however THIS is what I came to Africa for. I enjoyed riding on the hellish, maddening road. Sure, maybe that makes me a “sick and twisted” individual, but so be it. This  “sick and twisted” person is having fun. Dirt road riding is much more interesting than a flat paved road through some winding hills. Also, keeping a positive mental attitude towards the hardships ahead only makes you stronger. Focusing on the negative before you even start will just make it even harder. Our next riding day is labeled as a ten out of ten for difficulty and crappy road conditions. It’s description on the section whiteboard is “Your worst nightmare”! I’m going to own it, kill it, and enjoy it. Strong mind, strong body!

Today was a mix of pain and pleasure. My fears that Namibia would be bland and boring have now been totally quashed. The countryside has turned into a spectacular gem. The trees have given way to low rocky foothills and small bushes, the desert sand reaching out in all directions sending its fine fingers into every crack and crevis. The dirt road we are riding winds its way in and out of the age old hills, seeking the path of least resistance. That’s where the pain starts. As we cycle through the beautiful landscape, passing zebra, oryx (so tasty!) gazelle and other assorted wildlife, the gravel road slowly transitions from nice smooth, well graded dirt, to bum destroying, hand mutilating washboard. 

Thankfully the stunning vistas at Spreetshoogte Pass took my mind off the crazy vibrations turning my hands into bloody stumps, as I plunged down the steep and winding switchbacks. Normally on the steep hills I hop into an aerodynamic tuck and try and go as fast as I can, but that wasn’t possible on this descent. The road was paved with interlocking brick and was incredibly steep (-20% grade at its steepest point). I had to ride my brakes hard just to stay under 65km/hr on some stretches and slow even more for the many very sharp hairpin turns that pitched back and forth down the pass. It was exhilarating and painful, and that was just the tenderizer for what was to come. The last 25km to camp was horrid sandy road with bone jarring washboarding all over it. Finding a smooth path through it was almost impossible, despite the road being over sixty feet wide in some places. Still, after it all, the views continued to be amazing and I really enjoyed almost every minute of it. 

We are camped in a tiny place called Solitaire, which is quite apt since there isn’t anything else even close. It’s maybe a dozen buildings, a gas station and a restaurant. There is a small lodge that caters to “overlanders” like us and the other tourists in their safari trucks. It only exists as a stopping spot on the way to the dunes. Great apple pie though!

Oh, I almost forgot. We crossed another imaginary line today, the Tropic of Capricorn. I’ve never been this far south.

I have to admit, I was starting to wonder why we were riding through Namibia. After the first two days of nasty headwinds, bland landscapes and narrow highways, I was starting to think this part of the tour might be a dud. I’m glad I’m being proven wrong. Today was another beautiful day, and another beautiful ride! After spending the first 20km getting out of town we were greeted by our preordained dirt road. As I’d mentioned previously, I’ve been looking forward to getting back on the dirt. It’s fun riding, and we have seven more days of it coming up. The landscape is starting to change back to desert. The trees and bushes are shrinking and the sand is creeping in. In a few days time we’ll be in “The Dunes” where some of the biggest sand dunes in the world reside. I can’t wait. 

I neglected to mention in my rest day post that we’ve picked up another four riders in Windhoek. That brings our current total to almost fifty riders (we started in Cairo with 32). TDA has had to add another support vehicle to accommodate all the extra baggage. The new people, including the ones who joined us in Victoria Falls have it extra tough. They are dropping into some of the toughest sections and they don’t have the advantage we had of being able to train our way through the tour. There are a lot of sore body parts on the new guys. 

On a side note, we passed the red monstrosity pictured above on our way out of camp. How would you like to do an overland tour of Africa seated in this thing, and spend your night sleeping in the little coffins they provide?

Last night I actually pulled out my sleeping bag. For the first time in over two months It got quite cold and the morning started very chilly. It was like we were back in Egypt. Nothing a few kilometres and some sunshine couldn’t fix though. After the cold start, the day was pretty much the same as yesterday.  The wind in the morning was calm, but as soon as I left lunch, blammo! The wind picked up and started trying to push me back to Cairo. I felt sorry for the slower riders, who had to struggle with it over a longer distance. The wind, however, wasn’t the biggest thing on my mind, the traffic was. The road we were cycling is the major artery to, and from Windhoek and Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia. Sure, we’ve cycled dozens of busy roads and highways, but this road has the distinction of being very narrow, zero shoulder and a speed limit of 120km/hr. The traffic wizzes by you VERY fast and very close. I can’t count how many times I thought to myself, “just one careless driver getting too close and I’m eating a mirror in the back of the head at 120km/hr”.  Not a pleasant thought, but it mostly kept my mind off the cruel wind that was hitting me in the face at maybe 20km/hr. 

The other thing that kept me distracted was the slowly changing landscape. The trees are starting to disappear and things are getting much drier. I can’t count how many bridges I crossed over that had completely dry riverbeds under them. We are also heading into a more hilly area. Nothing major, but compared to the flatness of Botswana, the 5% grades were killers. The head winds didn’t help either. One nice surprise, the last 10km was almost all downhill. I managed to hit 50km/hr even with the strong winds. It’s too bad it wasn’t calm, I might have been able to break my land speed record. 

Now, after 830km, this five day section is done. We get a luxurious two days off here in Windhoek. Everyone is really tired, with the last three days having been really tough. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record (a spinning black vinyl disk that used to hold music) when I say this but, the next two days will be a much needed regeneration.