Trying for South Masai Steppe

 Saturday night I look at maps and think what would be an interesting loop, but I don't manage a decision.  that continues as I get up and do my morning routines.  I wake before light at 530 but this and that makes it closer to 830 before I leave.

Somehow i manage a decision to ride a loop south onto the south masai steppe.  I will go south on the main gravel road to the east go up on the steppe to Terat and then smaller tracks back from there passing Shimo la Mungu.  That was the rough plan

Good roads, a bit of washboard the second half of the morning.  Some motorcycle paths along the main road to avoid gravel road.

I passed a guy on a clunker with shamba tools on his bike and 20 minutes later he passed me and i could benefit from him knowing with motorcycle tracks were worthwhile

A little over three hours and I am climbing the escarpment. It is almost 400m elevation.  The top was always around another cornor.  When it leveled off and turned west i was hungry and wanted to get in the hammock a bit and enjoy life even more.  I tried to find two trees suitable with shade and a view .  I settled for two trees in the sun and no view while in the hammock.  Ate every food and snack I had.

This is the view when i started back from top of steppe.  I realizied not enough time to do a loop but head back the most direct way.

It was ten hours, 150km.  arrived near my home just at dark and had a couple of beers.  Great ride.

Lolkisale, Losimingori, and Monduli Mtns tour.

Four day bikepacking tour to different mtns.  Route was unplanned.  Mike and I got our schedules in sync to do another bike pack trip.  I had finger surgery and it finally healed but it bothered me some.

We rode familiar trails, tracks and roads to Lolkisale.  Lisa escorted us for a bit.

starting to climb up to Lolkisale mtn.  it sits out by itself with lots of rock outcroppings.  About here we shooed and cameleon off the road so it wouldn't bite the dust.

Then up the communication tower road to the top of Lolkisale mountain.  First part was doable to get on a ridge. not overly steep

Starting to get good views.

Then it got steep or rocky, sandy,  or all three.  They had actually put concrete down but it was broken up.

Higher up it was smooth but steep.

Starting to reach the montagne forest.

My company has a communications tower at the top.  One of like 10.  So we were expected and well looked after.  This is the gate to ours

Mike enjoying the late afternoon with the towers in the distance.  We moved down from the very top to an open grassy place surrounded by trees.

Lots of firewood and plenty of cold.  so we had a fire and sat around in the wind.

In the morning the fog was thick.

My hammock in the trees.

While breaking camp a small herd of buffalo crashed through the forest below us.  We didnt get a glimpse but certainly heard them.

Descending was easier but still I had to walk a few rough sections

We rode a trail we knew west and then took a track to take us north towards Losimongori mtn.

We hit the highway around Makyuni.  Stopped for lots of food and water.  ten kms from Makyuni we decided to move off the road and look for tracks going up the mtn. We were in overgrazed scrub.  we came upon a good track and immediately the habitat became good bush, high dry grass, mature trees, and thick .

Met some young herders and they said camp anywhere.  So we camped here.  Had to chase some eland and zebra off our camp site.

Great camp site.

Calling home

Next day me continue gradually to the base of Losimingori mtns and come upon this camp.  Turns out this was Steins place and is now a WMA wildlife area.  This old man stayed on all these years looking after the place.  everything was run down but we were told there was a ranger post up top.

I must say now the trail got very interesting.  Lots of sign of Elephant all over as we were following a drainage with water.  Thick bush.

Checked out the water flow.

Came into an opening and we glimpsed a land cruiser parked on the other side and sounds of someone chopping wood.  luckily the road forked going out of the drainage.  so we took this steep track and came into cool open grasslands as we contoured around the mtn.

Another fork,  one road going up to the top where we were told was a hunters camp.

We were so luckily to be able to ride this track.

After a tiring up and down section in the heat we came to the highway and one of the villages hugging the highway.  Ordered food, sodas, water, chai, and eventually a couple of beers and had a good rest.

I added 2 litres of water on my back seat post rack as we wont get water until mid next day.

Took some tracks the the Nanja dam.  Lots of people washing clothes on the lower side of the dam, we rode a bit and then took a bath and swim in the water.  refreshing.

now we were on a good gravel road, which was new to us.  it started to head up to monduli juu plateau. As we started to hit a village we turned around to camp in a Accacia drepanelobium forest.  heading there i went through a ditch and snapped the seatpost rack and it sat on the tyre.  i balanced it on the handle bars and caught up to mike and we camped.  nothing spectacular about the camp.

 I haven't posted for 2 years for a reason.  Someday will explain.

Most of my weekend rides are under 5 hours.  Despite living in a mountain bike paradise eventually you need some new trails.

Reading about the Tour Divide race in USA i got the itch for a longer ride.  Decided on sunday and thought i would do circle around Monduli mtn. I do it about once a year, but I will try to do it a bit differently.  Done it several times alone, sometimes very strenuous, sometimes not so bad.  Last time it ws the fastest i had ever done.  I would also do clock wise so that I finish with a downhill.  Otherwise it is 15km slog home into the wind.  I also did some unplanned sections.

Despite getting out of bed at 430am and was hoping to start at 530 by headlight I whatever happened and i went out about 615.  Then i discovered i needed to add sealant in the back, and then learned the valve was slowly leaking, chain was dirty.

Then i decided I needed to weigh my bike.  It was 20kgs with racks, tools, and now i forget what else.

Ahh strapped the chair on the back and got on the bike at 7am.  Hmm now i heard that funny noise from he seat again and checked it out and the seat rail was broken.  this is the second time in 20 or so years i have broken brooks seat rails.  Changed that seat and finally left at 730am.

Two reasons to leave early around here.  

-Avoid heat during middle of the day

-have 12-13 hours daylight.  it gets light at 6  give or take 15 minutes and dark at 7 give or take 15 minutes.  

today I am okay as it is the cold overcast season (more later) and I figure this is about 8-10 hour ride.

Familiar highway, gravel roads and i move nicely the first 15km.  Take a picture of the gloomy farmland on the slopes of monduli mountain.  mostly wheat fields in this area.

The gravel road rolls and i almost break a sweat with a jersey and light pullover.  I hit the road to Mondul Coffee Estate and climb up it a few hundred meters and then take a new gravel road west again.  net gain is 200m and now i get to go down mostly towards a military academy.  this new road bypasses the old colonial road that doesnt exist but is rideable but very tiring with many washed out gulleys.  I said many right.  The road becomes a dirt track but good and i make it to the edge of the military land and steal a jog into their land to avoid more washouts.  In the end I have to do 2 or three washouts like this before i reach the highway to Monduli town.

this was a steep one.  Now i ride tarmac up to monduli town and opt not to stop for food or water.

the tarmac continues even as i climb the valley up to monduli juu plateau.  They tarred the first km or so as it is very steep and the soil was slippery.  Then i am on a perfect gravel road with a reasonable grade.  I sweated a bit on the steep part like 15% grade.  

the first time i passed this road I was with Father Chris Promis.  We parked his VW beetle at the mission in Monduli town and walked up.  the road was rutted and muddy.  We then walked accross the basin to a boma of Kukai his friend.  It was unique experience for me at the tme.

Three quarters of the way up at around 11 I look for a place to get off the road, have a rest and breakfast II.  The chair feels great, I almost fall asleep. Chai, bp sandwhich, couple bananas and i am ready to go.

I pass the village and then there is a longish hill to climb to 1900m and then  rolling accros the side of the mtn.  I am headed for the far escarpment a village called mfereji.  there i will pick up a track and climb along the northern flank of the monduli mtns and eventually to the saddle between Meru and Monduli

then "Seven cornors" to switchback and forth a step part of the mtn. the road below is one switch back below and then you see the road again .  While still descending i take a old jeep track that is only used by motorcycles.

On this stretch I see a giraffe close by.  I stop and i see a dozen.  In the next one km i see 50!

It is a dry area and didnt receive much rain this year.  i follow piki tracks heading north to mfereji village.  I want to cut east before the village and water tank.  the water tank will be a vast dust bowl around it from cows hoofs.  there is a branch and i take it but realize it was probably too early.  I figure i will somenow get over the the other track going to my friend melubo's boma.  I ask and the guys says everyone knows Melubu.

I get some directions and more directions and like the look of the clouds and mist in the canyon.  very steep canyon cuts into the mountain.

There are zebra in this picture, really

I find the old jeep track eventually with only one tough canyon to pass.  Then it peters out to single track and then cows went straight and pikis headed off north.  I know I passed where the cows did once before.  i take the piki but it seems not going my way and head back to the dusty cattle trail.  It isnt too bad except where it is steep and then it is 15 cm of dust.  I get to the canyon before Melubo's and make it down easliy the dusty trail but going up is a bit of a grunt and lifting the bike.

He is home and wondering where i have been.  I get a couple swigs of gin, some rice and potatoes, and a coke.  i beg to leave after an hour.

Melubu has a big celebration this coming week and while i was there a piki came with 4 crates of soda.  I knew i could follow his tracks although i knew this way somewhat.  5 minutes from the boma and suddenly I felt the feeling of being all alone in the world.  I couldnt see people, cows, or goats, nor houses.  just this vast treeless expanse.  It was cold and windy.  I didnt pay attention once and had to backtrack.  Then after a canyon i knew the 'road' veered left but the motorcycles went straight up a gulley that used to be a road or cattle trail.  it is eroded down to hard rock.  i follow the piki thinking it is just going around.  eventuyally i realize the piki is goiong up a trail from hell that we do on 4 hour rides sometimes.  The only time in my life i almost blcked out frorm exertion was here.  Do i go back or climb it.  it is probably shorter, but up to 20% incline.  I decide to keep on.  There continues to be a strong wind against me and even on the gentle parts i am in lowest gear.  Eventually i walk a fair bit.

I dont fair too badly and make it to the landmark church and a rough road what will take me mostly down to lengijave.  From there it is 95% down on a big highway.  

Komoot spaced out 3 times and it says 96km  in 7:35 moving time and 1600m climbing.  Total time with stops was 10:18 and top speed was 51kph.  

It was a good one.  I have been hungry since.  I only drank about 1.5litres of water, 0.5l chai, and a coke.  Amazing that i never took off the second layer.  when i got to arusha i bought a beer and put on my raincoat as it was cold.