As mentioned before, Bobby has issues with his cortisone levels. The process to recovery or learning how to live with his situation, is a long one. His improvement has been steady, but sometimes he suffers setbacks. It was after going through one such rough patch, that I decided a long, slow ride to the Vaal, would be just the answer to lift his spirits.
A couple of weeks before our planned departure, Bob joined a few of our friends on a weekend ride and managed to convince them to join us. Suddenly, we were 6.
It was to be a short 2 day trip, starting on Saturday, 10 September, returning the next day. Because we weren't having a support vehicle, we carried our own kit for the trip, including sleeping bags for the evenings stay over at the Aeolians Yacht Club. James arranged accommodation and made sure that there would be beers and meat for the evenings braai.
We would ride a bit of tar, district road, railway service road, some single track, canals along the Vaal River and stop at a few pubs or restaurants along the way.
For my 5 mates, this was to be a nice gentle introduction to the world of bikepacking.
So we met at the Mall of the South for an early morning coffee and some breakfast. This is where our journey would start and end and where we left our cars for the weekend.
