The Two River's Odyssey

[Bundy]

I post this in Hanger talk simply for exposure....Mod's feel free to move it to Flying events should you feel it is inappropriate.

About a year ago, the idea was born. The Two Rivers Oddysey. I have always wanted to explore SA's desert landscapes and so a dream manifested itself. A 2000 mile journey following (roughly) the Vaal down to the confluence and then routing all the way down the Orange to Alexander Bay. The return will take us South to Port Nolloth, then Eastwards, up through the Kalahari and the North West. The final leg will be from Ntokozo back to FABA....(which was the same route as our first flight in this special little plane.)

Some guys have flown a similar route in less than a week....Stef and I plan to take a month off from our busy lives and FLY, fly fly. Perhap's it's a mid life crisis? Dunno....but "Going nowhere slowly" for a month sounds like a hell of a lot of fun to me.

I started this thread to involve you all in the planning process. I will be posting Google pic's of the intended route, leg by leg. We will be looking for landing grounds and airfields.... Trike friendly people all over the country who wont mind giving us a spot to camp for the night, a spot in a hanger perhaps....and the occasional shower The flying duties will be shared between Stef and myself, one in the air, one driving the support vehicle. Nothing in the triking world ever seems to go strictly according to plan. We may spend day's in one spot due to wind/weather....then there will be days that we can push. With a month given to the task, I'm sure we will get the whole trip done....eventually

We also plan to film the entire journey..... Here is our "intended" route:

Please feel free to give advice on anything related...Essential equip, dangers associated, areas to avoid etc etc. To have fun is one of the objectives...but safety is the No 1 priority.

The first leg planned is FABA to Parys, Via Heidelberg. Dist = 85NM.

Please give us Co'ords for any alternate runways on route, is there a spot we can camp at in Parys? Anyone based there that can advise? Hanger space? Please post details here or PM me if you like.

Many thanks everyone, looking forward to getting this plan into reality.

[kloot piloot]

Awsome !
Get a sponsor and make a movie

[Tailspin]

Bundy & Batteleur

You guys Fly safe now Ya Hear

Enjoy - would loved to have joined you.

[Blue Eagle]

Hi Alan and Stef;

when are you doing this month long exciting journey?

[Bundy]

Linda...that's a good question....

No date has been set yet. To set a date, we need to calculate the cost. To calc the cost we need to plan the journey....

...2000 miles of flying, between the Bakkie and the plane equates to over R10k just on fuel ....yip.... I also thought to myself...HOLY CRAP

This is a trip of a lifetime for me and Stef, who.... I think is still recoverring from the shock of me telling him he HAS to join me. Probably the most challenging trip we are likely to take for some time. We will be travelling by car and air through some of the most isolated areas in our country. It will test our skills as pilots to the limit... (I'm assuming we have some to start with? )...a month to forget about the rest of the world. Most Microlighters understand that it's not about the trip...it's about the journey.

What I'm trying to do here is get in touch with fellow flyers along the route so we can set up "Accomodation" every 50-100 miles...in case we need a "friendly runway" where we can overnight (sommer in the hanger or under the wing ) I have no doubt we will spend at least a night or two next to some desolate Pan or dust road too. As you will see, the airstrips get a little "sparse" the closer we get to our goal.

Onto the subject....sheesh is there anyone still alive in Parys?? Where we gonna kip?

[Loco]

Legendary!! All the best guys I'm extremely jealous

[Bateleur]

I have a friend in Parys, so a place to kip is not a prob. Thinking about it, we will h ave to take our fly rods along. There will be yellow fish in the vaal and orange rivers! I am sure we will be able to get hanger space at Parys airfield.

[Bundy]

I have a friend in Parys, so a place to kip is not a prob. Thinking about it, we will h ave to take our fly rods along. There will be yellow fish in the vaal and orange rivers! I am sure we will be able to get hanger space at Parys airfield.

This is a good point Stef, especially for those days we are "grounded" Leg one sorted.

Here is the second planned leg: Parys to Hoopstad Dist= 102 NM

We have a 500 ft ridge to climb just out of Parys, we then drop about 1000 ft in altitude all the way down to Hoopstad. We are looking for possible Acc in Hoopstad as well as Bothaville. Can anyone advise on the runway condition of Hoopstad?

Does anyone know of possible landing grounds on route? Towns passed will be Vredefort, Viljoenskroon, Wesselsbron (south of track), any other private strips we should jot down?

[Madman]

Wooohooo

Sounds like a month of fun and good airtime

Have a safe and awesome trip guys,will be watching the thread checking your updates

[Blue Max]

Good luck guys.
On most of my trips there were the initial planning, thereafter it was plan as you go along..
Your cell phone and laptop will help you with that..and the people you meet along the route, also render important information as to who can be of assistance as you progress on your route.!!
Good idea to have one trike and two pilots..
Never a dull moment on a trip like this..!!!

[Bundy]

Good luck guys.
On most of my trips there were the initial planning, thereafter it was plan as you go along..

Thanks BM...I have no doubt this trip will have many "route changes" as we progress. Options are very important on a trip like this and we will certainly need a lot of help from all our fellow aviators on route...

[Asterix]

Mag ek saamgaan?

[Bundy]

Mag ek saamgaan?

What a silly question....

PS...can we borrow your trailer? (We may have to fit some off road tekkies for this one )

[Asterix]

OF course you can - Which one? I own two - not even sure where they are currently!

Jokes aside -it would be a good idea to have a groundcrew on this one - and a trailer. Fitted with BIG tekkies. Especially on the stretch over the Richtersveld. NO rwy's or civilization. And it is quite a stretch.. Engine out there will hopefully result in a good landing - somewhere between the rocks on a dry riverbed - but to get the trike out of there will be a mission! Full disassembly, down to every nut and bolt. Luckily you are an expert now on the "Anatomy of a Trike", or what?

[Asterix]

This is what it is all about - taking your trike over great distances and experiencing what other people only dream about, because they see the obstacles as excuses.
Yes - this kind of expedition does not come cheaply. But a lot of the cost can be shared / eliminated.

I would love to help you plan and join on this one!