Rocky's Ride Detailed Travel Log Day 9: 11/08/24 Namib Sky - Wild Camping next to a cattle trough 15.07km Today was both one of my toughest days on the bike and one of my most memorable in the desert. Namib Sky had kindly asked me to pack up before sunrise to make room for 60 guests arriving for hot air ballooning. At 4:30 a.m., I packed my headlamp and was greeted by their hospitable crew just as I was about to leave. They offered me freshly brewed filter coffee, and with the cool morning air on my face, I set off feeling exhausted but grateful. In the dark, my legs felt like lead, and the bobbing of my headlamp made me nauseous. The dim light didn’t help me pick a good line, so poor Rocky bounced along as we crawled forward. After 10 kilometres, just before sunrise, I stumbled upon a rare rest spot under a tree. With a concrete slab to lie on, I didn’t even bother inflating my mat. I just unrolled my sleeping bag, crawled in, and Rocky curled up next to me. As the sun began to rise, I watched several hot air balloons float gracefully across the horizon. Their colourful envelopes glowed gold in the early light, silently drifting over the desert. The peace of that moment washed over me, a rare stillness that was both humbling and beautiful. When the sun’s warmth coaxed me out of my rest, I continued on. But I missed a turn at a fork in the road, only realising I was on the wrong path much later when I cross-checked my GPS. The D845 became a never-ending sandpit, and I was mentally and physically drained. My body felt like a dead car battery—no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the spark to keep going. After six more gruelling kilometres, I called it quits. But fate was on my side. I found an old gate to lean my bike against, and by sheer luck, there was a working cattle trough about 100 metres from the road—the only one I had seen all trip. I decided to camp there. The spot was too perfect to pass up: cold, clean water, endless views of the red hills, and total isolation. I didn’t set up my tent until just before sunset, hiding it behind the reservoir to avoid any unwanted attention, though I hadn’t seen more than a handful of cars all day. The cattle trough had a floating ball valve, providing ice-cold water to cook and bathe with. Standing in the desert, in nothing but my birthday suit, surrounded by sand and silence, I felt completely at peace. I cooked dinner on my MSR Dragonfly Multi-fuel stove, using diesel since it was easy to come by in these parts. It took a while to get the hang of, but it got the job done, even if it left some black soot on my pot. I scrubbed it clean with desert sand and a small splash of water. With my belly full, I rested against the reservoir, Rocky nestled in my arms, and continued reading The Sheltering Desert. The overwhelming stillness of the desert was all around me, and in that quiet moment, I felt a deep gratitude for this journey. Even now, writing this, I get goosebumps remembering it. There was magic in that solitude, a peace I’ll carry with me forever. Rocky's Ride Detailed Travel Log Day 10: 12/08/24 Wild Camping - Backtrack to Sesriem Waking up before sunrise, I could hear the wind battering my tent. Thankfully, it turned out to be a tailwind, which helped me backtrack to the junction. Once there, I faced a tough decision: push forward on the C27 into the wind with low supplies, or head back to Sesriem, rest, and stock up. My poor planning had put me in a tough spot. I lacked both the mental and physical strength to continue, and the thought of running out of food—especially Rocky's staple diet of biltong and droëwors—was worrying. My goal was a self-supported crossing of the Namib. Hitching was only allowed to go backwards or in case of an emergency. The idea of turning back after fighting for every kilometre was emotionally draining. I slumped over my handlebars for several minutes, trying to pull myself together. In the end, I decided to hitchhike the 30 km back to Sesriem to resupply and rest. It wasn’t long before an Italian couple in a double cab passed by. I flagged them down, and we had a great conversation as they kindly gave me a lift back. The manager at the Sossus Oasis Petrol Station was surprised to see me again, but after hearing my story, he generously offered me a campsite for the night. With essentials stocked, several cups of coffee, and a few freshly made sandwiches and pies in my belly, I set up camp. Rocky, ever the social dog, kept wandering off to other campsites, quickly making himself at home on strangers' laps. He’s the ultimate icebreaker, and soon I found myself chatting with fellow travellers, hearing fascinating stories from their African adventures, most of them in overlanding rigs or 4x4s. That evening, we had a special visitor—a Cape fox, sniffing around the campsite while I was eating a sandwich. Rocky had chased him off earlier, but now, with Rocky fast asleep inside the tent, the fox returned. I shared part of my sandwich with the skittish little guy, making for an unexpected and beautiful close encounter with Namibia’s wildlife.