(Day 2) 1 April 2011 (Springbok – Upington)

Distance for day          – 378 km             Odometer – 973 km
Hours on the Bike        – 04:19
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R46 627.00

The alarm went off for the second day in a row at 04:00. Rufus was up and had only one goal in mind – get to Upington so that the problem on his bike can be accessed to make the necessary plans. Stelios insisted to join him to leave early, in the dark for Upington. The rest of the team slept later because they had no rush to go. They visited the Augrabies water falls on there way to Upington.

Augrabies in full force

Richard and Norman at Augrabies

The road was good with little traffic and luckily no Kudu like you would expect in the Eastern Cape. Lots of oncoming traffic would flash their light at us, which was because of the heavy weight the bikes were carrying and therefore changing the angle of the headlights.

Beautiful landscape on a good road.

Rufus’s bike could only reach 90km’s on the straights which made the journey to Upington frustrating. However the beautiful landscape made it worth the wile.

At 10:45 the early birds got to Upington and called in at Bike World, hoping to get the problem diagnosed on Rufus’s bike. It was important to get a verdict to be able to get parts if needed before the weekend.

Bike World to the rescue.

Rufus was stressed for what he was expecting to hear, watching over the shoulder of the mechanic, while working on his bike. Stelios then convinced Rufus to rather leave the professionals to do their work and join him for something cold to drink.

Jaco hard at work.

All tests were done and it was concluded to be a problem with a carburettor diaphragm that had a small hole in it – hence the lack of power due to fuel starvation. It sounded too good to be true as Rufus heard the news with disbelieve. “This is no April Fool joke is it?” he asked. This was a much “better” problem then he was expecting. The next problem was where to get spares. None were available in any nearby town. The only solution was to make a plan with blitstick and a small piece of an old diaphragm.  Well done Jaco at Bike World, you are a star.

Jaco and Rufus - Job well done!

The rest of the group decided to find accommodation for the night. We heard of a place by the name of Africa River Lodge and booked for the night. This was at a wonderful setting on the mighty Orange River at a very reasonable price.

African River Lodge

Longest Train Bridge in SA over the Orange River.

Rufus updating the Blog.

Sunset over the Orange River at African River Lodge.