215km/22h After arriving in Prince Albert at 2pm, I ate, washed and got into bed at 4pm. Waking at 8pm, I ate supper, prepped all my kit and eventually left at 9:30pm. Heading up Swartberg Pass in full moonlight was a peaceful experience. The hills are steep, too steep to ride, so it was mostly a long walk for me. At about 2:30am, I saw some headlights approaching, the car stopped and out jumped RASA legend Tim James with coffee and biscuits! He was staying at a cottage in Gamkaskloof with his family for a few days. Later, he and his son Murray joined me on the hike up The Ladder, the rough donkey track out the back of Gamkaskloof. We said goodbye at the top and I headed off to Rouxpos. Thanks for the company guys. Following good dirt roads for a change, there were some fast downhills (77km/h max)on the way to Rouxpos. Ronel and Gerhard spoilt me rotten with great food and waffles for pudding. They make dried fruit rolls on the farm so my lunch pack had some in, together with some delicious homemade fudge. Next stop Anysberg, but first a short detour through Wagendrift, where the big 29er wheels floated nicely over all the soft sand. Anysberg was a bit tougher, rocky, sandy jeep tracks and gusty crosswinds swirling around between the mountains made the riding hard work. I got to the reserve office just after dark, tracked down Meisie, she had made food and gave me directions to my cottage. With a plan to still keep going to Montagu, I had supper and almost fell asleep at the table! Realising that after 200+km I needed to sleep, I decided to stay over so had a bath and got prepped to leave the next morning.
