The Fearless Fossils: FIRST OFFICIAL OUTING

On 30 December the Fossils embarked on an historic tour. At 2 days' notice the President (John Snr) met with the Vice President (George), and after a number of well thought out schemes whilst pouring over a map of South Africa, the two decided that The Fossils would be bypassing Harrismith via Bethlehem and The Golden Gate.

By our reckoning it was a 800km ride. Quite daunting for someone like me, who's career longest ride to date was about half that. Anyhoo, only Priests and Prostitutes were still working when we met at the home of the Prez for our first photos and final team talk.

On a very cool summer's morning, with lots of cloud about,our prospects of staying dry for the day looked bleak. Heidelberg and Villiers came and went before our first stop in Tweeling. We must have arrived seconds after the Mayor finished rolling out the 2 main roads and switching on the robot. Oh no, wait : Tweeling has no robots. After a fruitless search for a mystical collection of vintage cars, it was once again time for George to whip out the camera.

Then it was time to hit the road again. Next stop (Bum cramps, smoke breaks and toilet breaks aside) was Bethlehem. Not a lot has changed there in the last 20 years. As it turns out, a hearty breakfast was enjoyed by all at the local Spur. One of us even took a dump there. Lovely.

From here it was time to take the high road to Clarens, through Golden Gate and on to Harrismith. Between here and Harrismith there would be numerous stops to admire the scenery.

We then did a 30 minute stop in Harrismith as guests of the Liebenbergs before hitting the N3 home. Numerous stops and lots of miles later we were finally home. My bum was still sore the next morning but that's how it goes. Good fun was had by all and the next trip is already in planning stages. Watch this space.

It must be noted that Bernard chose not to accompany us on this particular ride. The following picture will explain why. It would have taken him 3 days. Baby steps though. It's just a matter of time before he is comfortable and has upgraded, and he can join the Fossils out on the open road. He remains a Fossil member in theory.