TRAVERSE 148
levels . We found lots of soft sand , more of those loose boulders , some slippery beds of pebble , more steep inclines and declines and finally , for the last few kilometres of cutting through farms again , some very deep grooves made by tractor tyres in the mud . I just smiled as I felt the bike adjust each time we started to slide . Traction control is a beautiful thing . We certainly did not want to drop the demo bike we were loaned and keeping the rubber side down without the tech it carried onboard would have been tough . If not impossible .
We hit the tar , both laughing aloud . I called out to Mike , “ This is the way a person should live man ’’.
It felt so good to be putting the Norden through a proper test and to ride it through the very conditions it is made for . I wondered about the many people that would purchase a bike like this and never see what its true potential is .
The tar felt so smooth that I took to sitting on my gloved hands to warm them up . Yes , the skies were all sunny now , but the peaks we had edged closer to were all sprinkled white with snow . I got a bit of a wakeup call and had to grab on quickly when Mike opened the throttle hard to get past a lengthy line of trucks . From the smell as we passed , I can only assume they were laden with apples . This was apple farming area after all .
We rounded the Theewaterskloof dam and Mike told me that it was full to the brim . I had just days before the ride read somewhere that the levels were at 106 percent . I imagine that the sluice gates were open , and millions of litres of water was rushing out . This was on the opposite side to us , so we would not see it .
After winding our way through the village of Elgin , we stopped for lunch at a rather special and surprising place called Hickville Smoke House .
Yes , a Texan style BBQ house in the middle of nowhere , in Africa .
Our meal of smoked beef brisket , pork ribs , beans and fries plus a mountain of chicken wings that Mike could not get through , was washed down with craft beers from the local brewery . Banjo style blue grass hillbilly sort of music was the perfect accompaniment to our meal . I chatted to the owner and suggested that she reach out to all the motorcycle clubs and try get themselves known as a breakfast run spot . There is a spectacular route that would take you over the Franschhoek pass on the way there and via the picturesque coastlinehugging Clarence Drive on the return . The round trip would be the perfect distance and the bike clubs would love the place . If a band were playing live in the corner , I imagined they would look something like ZZ Top .
The smells of the meat smoking and the BBQ sauces caramelizing made me take some extra big gulps . Everything was so good and a fitting last meal for us before heading
home . Hickville make their own sauces with a wide selection of sriracha mayo for the rustic fries , a chunky chilly relish of sorts and a host of sweet and savory choices . I am lucky to have this spot just a 30-minute drive from our new home and know that it will be responsible for me having to upsize my riding jacket size over the next year or two . The food and total vibe were impressive .
Big Mike dropped me at home and took to the long road back to Cape Town to drop the bike off . He sent me a message from the car after being collected and sounded teary to have said goodbye to the Husky . I must admit , I had been feeling much the same since he left . It is truly a remarkable piece of engineering , and we were both totally convinced . It has arrived and it is here to stay .
CV
TRAVERSE 148