Thursday. October 28. Day 90

Confidence blooming.

With only a few k’s left on Skate for Change 2010 and no more uphill’s and rough roads Puddy was as amped as ever to hammer down some k’s on the way to the final line at the SOS Children’s village in Cape Town. We started our marker which was 20 km’ from the charity and stopped after about 15 k’s. He will skate the rest on Saturday when he skates into the village.

Puddy’s parents pulled through and some other friends and family to give him support and encourage him on these last k’s. It was great to see some familiar faces again after 3 months on the road.

We are still staying at the Fire and Ice Hotel in Cape Town and would like to give them our sincerest thanks for accommodating us in such style.

Sunday. October 17. Day 79

Today was by far the hottest day on the road. After almost a week of rain we are now facing the extreme sunshine and over powering heat. We started the session right in front of the hotel where we were staying. At first the road was a bit rough but smoothed out a bit later. Puddy skated behind the van for the most of the day just to try and stay in the shade. We ended the session on a 19km’s for the day and made our way back to base camp. Tomorrow we pack up and leave for Riviersonderend.

Distance for the day 19 km
1674 km skated on tour
top speed 33km/h
average 22km/h

Thursday. 14 October. Day 76

The rain came today. It washed all hopes of skating away. We tried going out to the marker hoping it would clear by the time we got there. We eventually turned around not even reaching the marker as it just kept gushing down. Hopefully it will clear up tomorrow as we are losing time due the delay caused by the weather.

Thanks to De Doorn Kraal for the accommodation.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUES SUPPORT! IT DIES NOT GO UNNOTICED

Don’t forget to sms PUDDY to 38665 or to click on the page above to order a shirt.

Wednesday. October 13. Day 75

Moving out this morning we were stumped by the slow moving traffic. We later learned that there had been an accident up ahead, jarring the traffic. When we finally made it past we could move on to our marker of yesterday.

The road was a bit rough at first but smoothed out later Puddy was also blessed was some super fun banks next to the road which kept him entertained and made for some sweet shots.

We went back to our base camp a friend of ours parents' The Du Preez came and said hello and to support the cause. They also brought us a pack of biltong as a present. After lunch Puddy felt amped to do another session. So off we went, lead by Puddy to skate an extra 17km leaving us with 1599 k’s done for the trip. The road on the second session was quite fun. There was an epic downhill on the last stretch which Puddy took head on and bombed it reaching a new top speed of 66km/h. " It was pretty scary stuff, especially on a short board, but super adrenaline pumping and I really liked it."

Tomorrow we break the 1600 km mark and move base camp to Swellendam.

Thursday. October 07 . Day 69

On the way to George...

Started this Thursday with a mellow downhill where Puddy reached an average speed of 45km/h. What a way to start the session.

As the old saying goes:“For every up there is a down.” In this case, after the down an up awaited. It’s inevitable. As Puddy reached the bottom off his starting downhill he faced a super uphill, demotivating him somewhat.

The scenery around this part of the country is fantastical. A thick morning mist enshrouding the valley had us feeling like characters from the Lord of the Rings movie.

We encountered some Metro cops again. Twice actually, luckily they were very cool and supportive in both instances.

The afternoon Puddy was treated for all his hard skating up until now. The Hydro Spa in Wilderness treated him to a much earned massage to soothe and repair his aching muscles.

Thanks to Anne’s Place in Plet who cared for our accommodation whilst we were there.

Stats for the day:

Top speed 54km/h

Average speed 21 19 km/h on road, down hills 39 km/h

Distance skated 26km

Tour distance 1459 km

Tomorrow the team enjoys another off day, time to get our wits together for the final couple of hundred kilometres that awaits us.

Don’t forget to order your limited edition Skate For Change shirt @ R150. Quicksilver quality and a percentage of the money go towards the cause. Stock is flying so mail Human asap @ human@skateforchange.co.za.

Saturday. October 2. Day 64.

After yesterday’s extreme activities we thought it would be good to stick to some regular skateboarding.

The local skate/surf shop along with local man Clayton organised a small demo and Puddy show cased some of his unique skateboarding skills to the local kids. Thanks to Clayton for setting everything up.

After the demo the locals brought out a huge tarpaulin. Pulling it fast enough the tarpaulin or tarp creates a wave like tube and skater cruise through it as if on a real surfboard. Great fun and laughs were had with this as everyone joined in. Even max gave it a go and took a quite the wipe out when his wheel hooked and he flew forward face first.

That night we watched the game; WP vs. Bulls. Too bad for Cornell as he is a Province fan.

Stefan and his girlfriend joined us at the rad guesthouse called Anne’s Place for a braai and some socializing.

Tuesday. September 28. Day 60.

Double time.....

It was evident today that the weekends rest paid off as Puddy pushed whopping a total of 51km’s today.

We woke this morning to the friendly faces of the guest house owners and after a healthy breakfast made our way to the marker.

The weather was great for skating with no wind pumping from the front.

The weather was great for skating with no wind pumping from the front.

The road surface was abit rough and after a couple of k’s Puddy started complaining about the constant vibration in his calves. Puddy kept pushing though, and soon the surface took a turn for the better.

A visitor from “another planet” joined Puddy, for a brief moment on the road. A team of engineers were driving a solar powered car past us, escorted by a van. Much like we are doing. They contacted us a while later and organised that we take a photo with them but unfortunately we couldn’t manage to locate each other.

Trucks were a bit of a problem as they sped past dangerously fast causing Puddy’s cap to blow off.

We made it back around lunch at grabbed something to eat at a local coffee shop. The friendly owner gave as a friendly R100 donation after he heard what we were doing.

Puddy felt recharged after lunch and said he wanted to go out on the road and do another session. So off we went to burn some more rubber..

DJ Fresh from 5fm phoned Puddy while on the road. He does this on Tuesdays and Fridays to get an update on the tour. Soon after Puddy said good bye people started responding and recognising us on the road.

Further down the road the road looked better as the surface smoothed out again. Some more "visitors" came to say hi to Puddy as he skated along. A pack of baboons lurked over the road to have a look at this strange being that is Puddy. At first Puddy was scared shouting "hulle gaan my buit" but luckily he moved past them without being attacked. Planning this trip we never thought we would have to prepare for animal threats.

We made it back to camp with a great 51 km's on the clock for the day. 31 during the morning session and then 20 in the afternoon with a 19km/h average and top speed of 24km p/h.

Be sure to catch Puddy on 5fm during the Fresh Drive show on Tuesdays and Fridays.