The Last Country

528 kilometers.  Three dinners.  Two more big food shops.  Four more rider meetings.  The counting down has officially begun.  We crossed into South Africa on May 3rd, our quickest and easiest border crossing yet.  Climbing up from the Orange River into the rocky hills of Namaqualand the landscape didn’t seem too different from the previous day but the mood of the riders and staff has begun to change.  Our new route in Namibia was as beautiful as it was difficult and pushed many of our riders to their physical and emotional limits.  The mood in camp heading towards our rest day at Felix Unite was somber.  The bars as Sesriem and Betta were empty by 8pm, a sure sign that the riders were tired and a bit fed up.  But in Felix Unite Camp at the Namib/South Africa Border attitudes began to shift.  The end was near, one country left to cross and six days to do it in.      

Tonight the bar in Garies, although a kilometer away, was filled with sanguine riders laughing and reminiscing… the celebration has begun.  The roads, save just one 70 km stretch of dirt, are paved and the days are sunny and cool. Today riders caught their first glimpse of the Atlantic.  In two days we will turn south west and head towards the coast.  After a couple of days of fish braiis, short, easy rides and hopefully a good bit of fun and cheer we will convoy in to Cape Town to see friends and family waiting at the penultimate finish line.