Aliwal North

April 19, 2021

Today was a ride in two halves. The first section from Zastron to Rouxville was really enjoyable. Perfect weather, a quiet road and a lot of downhill. From Rouxville we rode to Aliwal North on the N6, the main road between Bloemfontein and East London. Here we also had to contend with more traffic and a strong south-westerly wind but it was still a relatively stress-free ride.

Good views of the Assvogelberg as we left Zastron.

About sixteen kilometers out of Zastron we crested a series of hills and suddenly we were out of the esatern Free State and what lay before us was the flatter land more typical of the rest of the province. Soon it will change again as we head back through the eastern sections of the Karoo. We dropped a few hundred meters over the day although we will need to regain them again on our way back to Port Elizabeth,

About fifteen kilometers out of Aliwal North I spied this old memorial to the Great Trek, first erected in 1899 but now quite hidden from the road because of the road being replaced/repaired over the years. We only saw it because we had stopped to have a drink.

We are now back in the Eastern Cape after being in the Free State for the past three and a half weeks. Prior to this we had never spent more than two consecutive nights in the province.

Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 1,614 km (1,002 miles)

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