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tossed down after a sports game . My assumption that this was some of the game was quicky confirmed when I heard hooves move just metres ahead . Birds were singing a nocturnal song that sounded like an orchestra at play . Louder and louder as I stepped forward , surely to warn of my movement . A crisp chill bit my cheeks as I moved out . Raising my hands to my face , it felt wet . This was the heavy mist . As I turned , I picked up the odor of the vegetable garden . Rosemary , Thyme , garlic chives . The ground crunched under my feet with each slow , gentle step . Far in the distance , a Baboon barked , and the sound echoed all the way down the valley . Just as I was lapping up the moment , a strange animal moved towards me and Said , “ Good morning ”. Big Mike had been standing quietly having his own moment when disturbed by me . We stood and lapped up the sounds , smells , tastes and feel of everything . The air was heavy with saltiness carried in the breeze all the way from the beach and lagoon down in the valley below us .
As the sun rose , the sounds of animals came to life . Things were moving everywhere . Different bird song , more antelope , and the dripping of condensation from the long hanging , willow-like , branches of the giant Natal Fig tree . It was a perfect African morning with all my senses helping me create the picture of what lay before me .
We slowly packed our gear , clipped the soft panniers to the bike and climbed on to idle the short distance to the reception , leaving our comfortable suites in the rear-view mirror .
Breakfast was another impressive smorgasbord of flavours and choices . Our full English and Continental breakfast platters were all brought at once and filled the table to the point that we had to position some stuff on the table to our side to make it all fit .
Bason , sausages , warm croissants , candied melon cubes , local cheeses and cold cuts of meat , eggs , grilled tomato , and this was not even the half of it . The team at De Hoop Collection really made every effort to impress and made the restaurant world class . We both wobbled to the old Land Rover after the meal . Climbing aboard the raised rear seating was not an easy task when you have overindulged the way we had .
Our guide for the nature drive around the park they had kindly offered us , was a young , enthusiastic guy called Vinchenzo .
As we cruised all over the park , he shared interesting facts all the time stopping to grab samples of the vegetation for me to feel and smell . Renosterveld , the hard shrub that is endemic to the area was dying out . He explained that without the Black Rhino to eat the wiry plant and disperse its seeds in their droppings , there was not really any other animal to do the task , so the patches of growth were dwindling by the year . I smelled some odorous wild herbs as we rode past Bontebok , Impala , Ostriches , and some naughty baboons . Vinchenzo giving a detailed running commentary all the while .
The fascinating drive was brought to an abrupt halt moments after stopping for coffee and pastries , when the rain bucketed down over us . We ate quickly , before cutting the tour short and heading back to the reception .
We defrosted and dried out in front of a big heater at the reception while the rain past , then checked out and climbed on our waiting Husky for some more kilometres . It was already nearing midday by the time we started rolling , so just as well our days ride was to be a shorter one . Potholes had become deep puddles , pebble beds were now slippery obstacles , soft sand was now mud and choosing a dry lane as we rode out the park was impossible . Mud sprayed up and gave the bike and our gear a good crusting . My shoe , just repaired with that special glue before going to bed the night before , proceeded to break once more and needed taping up again .
Big Mike navigated the Norden like the pro he is and despite a few fun wobbles , a couple of moments of bottoming out and the need for some quick braking , we made it unscathed to the larger road that brought a different set of challenges , but at least allowed the bike to power over the hurdles .
As the gravel rose and fell , we rolled up and down perfectly , with us each falling increasingly in love with the bike . Every time we stopped , we both commented on the comfort level . The Norden powered like a 1300cc and maneuvered like a 250 . The air suspension made it as comfortable as a large road cruiser , yet when riding the dirt roads , its agility allowed for quick and smooth
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