I could have very easily stayed on at the Dollars as we had
made ourselves quite comfortable. I decided that at my stage of life I could
choose the dangers I faced. Riding in parks with lions, elephant, buffaloes and
hyena have a certain excitement about it. It is easy to be cautious and an
encounter doesn’t always have dire consequences. On the other hand, the dangers
of trucks and taxis have no excitement value to me and you very seldom have much
chance after an encounter. I decided to skip the section from the Dollars in
Horseshoe to Harare as there were no verges on the narrow road and plenty of
taxis that obviously learnt to imitate their South African
cousins.
In Harare we were hosted by Bruce and Gilly Hartman. Bruce is
Beth’s cousin. Once again we were treated to fantastic Zimbabwean hospitality.
It was great to see that the positive attitude and tenacity has enabled these
Zimbabwean farmers to create a wonderful life for their families. Beth was
delighted to see how the children have grown into such delightful well-mannered
young adults. Many interesting discussions were held over a Zambezi or two on
the challenges of their farming and the progressive management and methods
used.
Pedal4Paws and Painted Wolf Wines were involved in fund
raising event called Taste of Africa. This was done to raise funds for the
conservation of African Wild Dogs. For more info have a look at www.painteddog.org/ and www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org
. There was an auction of artwork and holiday accommodation. What really grabbed
me was how artists have contributed their art to raise funds for the cause. The
quality of photo prints and paintings was outstanding. The food was great and as
usual, the Painted Wolf Wines were wonderful. Beth’s favourite for the day was
the Rosalind, a Pinotage Rose` and I got stuck into the Chenin Blanc.
We were having such a good time that we bought a 3 day stay
with Greg Rasmussen tracking wild dogs in Hwange or Mana Pools. I did this to
commit us to returning to Zimbabwe and to support their conservation efforts.
The next day we were told to report for a race in the
Mukuvisi Woodlands. As Pedals 4 Paws riders we were to ride as celebrities.
Mmmm…., this was a bit odd for me who is used to being a middle of the pack
rider. It was a great windy track and I had a chance to ride with Beth and win a
t-shirt. Well done Mukuvisi for a great fun day.
The topic included blisters on the bum. Well, the morning
after a bit of wine tasting at the Inn on the Mvumba outside Mutare , we set off
for what we thought was a 120km ride. I think with the amount of wine sampled
the night before all of us had a different place to meet in the morning. It was
interesting and took an hour or so for us all to come together. As we spoke, the
distance got longer. The scenery was stunning with Chimanimani Mountains to our
left and the hills on our right. The 1st 150 km was on tar and done
at a base building pace at about 60% heart rate. The problem with this that at
that pace I tend to sit more upright. Being on tar I just sat and some parts had
to wear. My saddle was tougher than my bum and I couldn’t even show off my
scars. When we turned onto the dirt road into the Save Valley Conservancy, http://www.chishakwe.com/save.html
, the others had decided to take a break. So as not to hold the procession with
my guards up, I decided to go flat out and after about 8 hours was surprised
that I could still ride sand and corrugated road at about 28kms/hr and 85 to 90%
heart rate. At least I couldn’t feel my backside any more.
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