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Showing posts from February 26, 2023

Skeleton Gorge Hike - Cape Town

  After a lot of sitting and no exercise for five days, I was searching for something adventurous that we could do for our last day in South Africa. As we were flying back to Cape Town from Johannesburg, I was searching for run routes in Cape Town. I really wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens so when I came across a hike description i nside the gardens, I knew this would be perfect for us.  "The Skeleton Gorge is a moderate hike with a steep ascent from the start to the end and a couple of tricky climbs (on the way down) over rocks and boulders." We took an uber from the Cape Town airport to our hotel ( Best Western ) and arrived just before 11pm on Friday evening. We collected our suitcases that we dropped off on Monday morning before we left for our Safari and kept the bikes in the luggage storage. We also paid $30 for a late checkout (6pm) since our flight back to the US was not leaving until 10pm on Saturday. The staff was incredibly nice and the hotel had a mediterrean

Panorama Route Tour

  We weren't excited about sitting in a vehicle for 8 hours on day 3 of our 4-day Safari package but it turned out to be an incredible experience to see the breathtaking sights of this part of South Africa.  It was nice to sleep in until 630 am. Throughout the night there was a lot of rain. At 7:30am we had a cold breakfast. There was the option for a hot item on the menu but the cold food options were enough. We enjoyed fruit, yogurt, granola and banana bread. At 9am, 8 of us boarded the van for the panoramic tour. I had seen pics online but we were amazed by each spot on the tour. Our driver took us to each stop on the tour, deciding which spot to see based on the weather. It was a cloudy, cool and slightly rainy day but thankfully we were able to see a lot.  The first stop was Lisbon falls.  Then Berlin falls. We then went to Blyde River Canyon Potholes, which was incredible. The nature was so amazing here. We then went to Blyde River Canyon Three Rondavels. This lookout point w

South Africa SAFARI TOUR

In October, I booked a 4-day Safari tour with Safari with us  for $500 a person. With this being non-peak season and summer, the Safari rates were much lower than in peak season and the cooler/dry climate. The Safari package included a late day safari, full day safari and add-on safari, in addition to a full day Panoramic tour. Lodging was also included. The package also included all breakfast and dinner meals, transportation to/from Johannesburg airport (~5 hours away) and entry into Kruger National Park.  We were picked up at our hotel around 6am and transported to the airport where we met up with 9 other individuals. Interestingly, the other individuals (all from Europe) purchased their Safari packages with different companies so I am assuming the companies partner together. Everyone was really nice and we enjoyed getting to know everyone over the 4 days. We slept on and off throughout the 5 hour drive and had one bathroom stop around 3 hours in. We arrived to the Krugar Safari Lodg

6 Hours On The Ridge MTB Race

  Feb 2023 What a difference a year makes.  Feb 2022 6 hours on the Ridge was my first MTB event in 2022. I learned how to ride a mountain bike (Karel's old bike) 8 weeks before the event. The event was a complete mess for me. My chain broke, my cleat got stuck in my pedal, I fell a bunch and I didn't have a lot of fun. While some things were out of my control, it was hard being a self-proclaimed 'competitive beginner'. Fast forward to 2/25/23, I placed 1st overall female.  6 hours on the Ridge is a simple concept: Complete as many 6.6 mile laps as you can from 10-3:15pm. If you can start a lap before 3:15pm, you can continue to ride into the 5th hour of the 6 hour race (which means one more lap to your total). The goal is to complete as many laps as you can in 6 hours. You bring your own aid and you can stop at any time (and restart).  This is a low key event with 65 max participants (sold out this year) and the comraderie and staff support is incredible. Everyone was