Riding to Shoshong

After yesterday's haul I counted on being on seal to bump me through the next 100km where I could next get accommodation, Shoshong. No climbs of any consequence lay ahead, in fact I expected the same gentle up & down.
For a change I dug the muesli out of my food section and added milk I'd bought last night. And whizzed up coffee, which I'd been skipping in favour of faster departure.
The morning was already hot, 18 C and not a cloud to be seen. I thanked Mary who'd tried to find me meal last night, I'd made a 2 minute noodle/pasta delight as the concilation prize.
Checklist went along the lines of room clear, bags closed, bottles filled, bags loaded, glasses and cap and gloves in position, room clear. Helmet on and I left. Pretty obvious legs still tired so would be a slower pace, but on tar so quite doable. At 20km passed through Otse, which had a number of food stalls in place for the day. A good sign surely for the 40km distant settlement of Kodibeleng. That would be the lunch stop 60% done to Shosong. At 40km I was noticeably slower, then the roadsign popped up with 18 to go. I realized my first calc of 53 km was a little short. By this time my legs, were twingeing and I was feeling quite tired. I rolled into Kodibeleng, located the shop just to be told no restaurants or stalls until 23km further along. I decided to park up and try my luck with getting a ride the remaining distance. The next 4 hours was spent sitting outside the shop, in shade. 1 guy who worked for the government looked like he could do it, once he'd done a few more jobs and checked with the boss. He didn't come back. At 5.30 pm a truck rolled in. It was the shop resupply driven by the Dad and accompanied by hi 20 something son , Lewis. Up for a chat we got on well. Careful not to waste a good crisis I asked about camping on the generous concrete porch. Didn't take papa long to give assent. And I could use the kitchen for tonight's delight, as well as a shower, which was a welcome bucket wash. Quick tent setup and off to the kitchen. It was bit well lit for a cracker sleep but adequate enough for a 6 am rise as the staff arrived and opened up. No point diverting to Shoshong today, so I set off for Moiyabana further along.Read more