Potholes, Toll Gate Traffic, and a Dry Seat!

They say all good things must come to an end, and for us, that meant a 6 am sprint to get home before the lunch bell rang. We had a short hop left, but we wanted to beat the holiday rush by travelling early and heading against the flow of traffic

Ready to go

Bushveld Sunrise

Potholes Inside Potholes

The first 10 kilometres were, to put it lightly, a bit of a disaster. We encountered potholes inside other potholes. I lost count of the resorts we passed on the way to the R101—at least ten!—but the road conditions didn’t seem to care that this is a major holiday route. After a quick fuel stop in Bela-Bela, a favourite spot for Gautengers, we found even more craters in the tarmac. It’s honestly mind-blowing how a road with that much traffic can be in such bad shape. The name Bela-Bela translates to “The pot that boils” due to the hot water springs in the area, but they had no idea that the “pot” would be replaced by a different kind – a POT hole.

The Freeway Miracle

Eventually, I decided enough was enough. We ditched the backroads and veered onto the N1 a few kilometres early. It was the best move of the day! While we had open roads and smooth sailing, we passed toll gates with traffic backed up for over 5 kilometres in the other direction. I felt for those “poor sods” stuck in the traffic with no idea what was waiting for them up ahead.

Home Dry and Happy

Even though we were riding under dark, moody clouds and over wet tarmac, a total miracle happened: this was the only riding day of the entire trip where we didn’t actually get rained on. We arrived home safe, dry, and full of new memories. Like any good Ural road trip, we had plenty of laughs and a few “nervous moments,” but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Riding a Ural is a bit like going on a first date: there are plenty of laughs, a few moments where you’re terrified it’s all going to fall apart, but by the time you get home, you’re already secretly planning the next one.

Unfinished Business

We took this specific route because we wanted to settle some “unfinished business” from our 2023 trip and finally find the site of our old accident. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and sketchy memories, the site stayed hidden. I suppose that’s just an excuse for another trip in the future!