particular , there is a little red spider mite that makes its home in the dust coated foliage and ends up devouring and destroying tree after tree . Only much further along the road did our tyres bite into dust for the first time . I wondered if a day would come in the future where there would be no more dirt roads available to ride . What a sad future this would be .
Big Mike easily found his groove on the gravel . This terrain is where both of us cut our riding teeth and honed our skills in our long-forgotten youth . It is where we are most comfortable and where we most like to ride on two wheels . For the next few hours , it was playtime .
Dirt , soft sand , mud , rocks , trenches , potholes , and uneven corrugation were no problem for the bike . We hopped and sped easily over anything in our path . The best and most straight section of the road is what we had lost to the tar . The instant we sped past it our disappointment faded . The gravel was not just dirt , but a gnarly road that kept Big Mike ’ s focus on each square metre and my gloved hands squeezed firmly onto the passenger rails .
Idling through the picturesque town of Clanwilliam , I wondered what the next section of dirt road would be like . I had been warned that along sections where farmer ’ s tractors worked , it can be really sandy . I knew the KTM could manage anything thrown at it but warned my pilot to play nicely . After a quick stop to stretch the legs and munch down two massive roast beef sandwiches , overlooking the Clanwilliam dam , we mounted the beast and spun off again . The next strip of dirt proved to be sand free , but the last bit , coming up to the small village of Klawer , was a gauntlet of ups and downs in quick procession . Let ’ s just say that we were airborne more times than I counted .
It is here that we made our first proper stop at the Klawer Wine Cellar .
Our hosts welcomed us warmly and put on an impressive spread . A wine and food pairing that included a selection of their awardwinning range and with each glass of tipple , a delicious little sweet . I chose the white wine pairing . The most memorable and interesting was a little lemon flavoured white chocolate truffle with the Chenin Blanc and an orange flavoured nougat dipped in dark chocolate with the Sauvignon Blanc . Big Mike went with the red and got his own little smorgasbord of eats . I gulped down every drip of the delicious wine , while Big Mike took very proper sample sips and generously used the spittoon . I just laughed . Another advantage of being blind : I never have to be the designated driver .
With a sugar buzz edging us on , we bid farewell to Fransie the Sommelier and roared on . After a quick fuel stop , we found ourselves pointing directly west on a dead straight road that melted into the distant horizon . It was time to see what the big machine between our legs could really do .
With the rev metre barely touching the 6 mark , we reached over 200km / h . Not the ideal speed for a couple of dudes wearing adventure helmets , so after the little burst , we dropped down to a more legal speed . Besides , the distance to the coast had peeled away in an instant .
Our next stop was Doring Bay [ Thorn Bay ].
We idled through the tiny West Coast village and a splash of fisherman ’ s cottages . The main road led down to the small harbour and the old fish processing factory , now a local eatery called Fryers Cove Vineyard .
We were greeted by a pair of bubbly ladies who were extremely excited to welcome us . They put on a
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