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Several years ago, when I cruised up Vanrhyns pass in the early hours of the morning and stopped in Nieuwoudtville to fill up with petrol, a rather sleepy owner came out to serve me.
While he was busy, I happened to peer through the window of his showroom to spot a clutter of motorcycles and an old-fashioned hand petrol pump.
I vowed I would return to spend some time browsing among the bikes.
This past Easter, I cleared my diary and rode out late on the Thursday, heading out on a busy N7 for Vanrhynsdorp before branching off onto the R27 to Nieuwoudtville.
Nieuwoudtville and the surrounding towns are normally jam-packed during the flower season but Easter should be quiet, I reasoned.
The two mistakes I made were to underestimate the number of men in blue on the road - all looking to make as much revenue as possible - and thinking Nieuwoudtville would be empty of visitors over Easter.
The first mistake was fairly easy to avoid as most of the men in blue were sitting, cameras at the ready 50m or so inside the 80km/h sign at the end of the speed restriction area, just as I was accelerating back up to 120km/h.
They must have made a packet, but saved no lives.
The second laugh was on me as Nieuwoudtville was bursting at its seams.
The town offers about 140 beds, as well as two caravan parks.
I pulled into Protea Motors to meet Thinus Coetzer who, with a glint in his eye, was happy to spend as much time as needed, talking about and showing off his excellent collection of motorcycles and cars.
First he warned that accommodation was at a premium. Fortunately Hendrik Van Zijl, owner of several traditional sandstone buildings and a fine restaurant situated in the old blacksmith's shop, walked in.
After being helped and settled in Olive Camp and Caravan Park I immediately booked dinner with Hendrik at the Smidswinkel then settled down with Thinus to talk bikes.
What a mind-blowing experience it proved, for any person interested in the history of motorcycles and cars.
He has managed to cram 95 bikes ranging from a 1914, 211cc New Hudson Swift - possibly the only one in the world in running order - to a Ducati Paso - of which only 200 were ever built - into his rather cramped showroom.
Thinus and I spent hours browsing the showroom, paying special interest to some of the 50cc mopeds and powered bicycles, through to a 850cc, two-cylinder Toyota, which the Toyota headquarters in Japan is desperate to acquire. Toyota has offered Thinus a new Toyota of his choice in exchange for his car.
Thinus is an avid collector who, on rotation, loves to start and run each of his collection. Toyota is going to lose out. Their offer has been solidly rejected.
Also among his collection are several children's tricycles, an American pedal car and a 1971 Porsche Carrera with only 60 000km on the clock.
Another pride and joy is a yellow-and-black Armstrong Sidley acquired in Cape Town, now used for weddings.
The car is in immaculate original condition and even the original tool set is worth looking at.
Apart from this fine collection he has showcases packed with model cars, car magazines from years back and workshop manuals for nearly his entire collection.
Vowing I would be back again to drool over the collection and possibly snatch a ride on one of the classics, I moved on to spend an evening with Hendrik in his Smidswinkel restaurant.
After several hours and an excellent lamb shank under my belt, I reeled with the information he imparted.
Hendrik traced the history of Nieuwoudtville from way back in 1725, when the first settlers arrived, and the first farm Groenrivier was granted in 1750.
No reference by the pioneers to Nieuwoudtville will be found as the town was only named about 100 years ago when the new Dutch Reformed congregation bought the farm from a Mr Nieuwoudt.
Today the original sandstone buildings are in ruins and what was a proud farm is now a photographer's dream, especially as the light changes, bringing out the various colours of the sandstone.
It is best to walk across to the ruins either at sunrise or sunset.
In 1774, one of Sweden's most famous botanists, Carl Peter Thunberg, struggled up where the Vanrhyns pass is today and reached Clas Lospers farm, who at the time was the richest farmer in the area.
He discovered the quiver tree in the area, which is the most southerly area in the country to support the aloes.
Once on the Bokkeveld plateau and comfortable with extreme heat or cold and a harsh climate, which may deter many people, there exists a kind of peace difficult to find in other areas.
The wide-open spaces and vast plains host an incredible silence so intense that you can hear the blood coursing through your veins. Vistas stretching into next week are the attractions, guaranteed never to be forgotten. At night, the stars fill the sky to capacity.
This is a land of beauty and it offers visitors the chance to see and do many things.
These activities include hiking in areas such as the Oorlogskloof, to visiting waterfalls, rock art sites, quiver tree forests and, in season, possibly one of the most spectacular wild flower sights in the world.
Nieuwoudtville also has a fine sandstone church that dominates the town. Built in 1906, shortly after the end of the Anglo Boer War, its sandstone was quarried outside the town. It has oak pews, wrought iron railings and pressed ceilings, which all had to be transported by wagon from Porterville, more than 250km away.
The parishioners' commitment to hauling the material by wagon illustrates the dedication they must have had to live in this harsh land.
As Easter Saturday approached, I was directed in typical country style, to the Kloof festival - a cooking experience of note.
I drove out on the Loriesfontein Road for about 20km then simply looked for a huge pall of smoke alongside the road.
The instructions were to turn off at the smoke and park and enjoy the feast.
On arrival at the site in the middle of no-man's land there must have been at least 300 people ahead of me.
Here the local church community raises funds for the coming year.
On sale were the best braaied boerewors available, pancakes, braaied sheep chops, home-made ginger beer, home-made cakes, roosterkoek and, if you had the facilities, live sheep at a price way below a butcher's.
A few of the locals even did a low-level flypast.
Getting there: Nieuwoudtville is about 360km from Cape Town Accommodation: The town offers about 140 beds and two camping and caravan sites Contact the Olive Camp and Caravan Park on 027 218 1535. Contact Ixias B&B on 027 218 1445. Book your lunch at Swiss Villa on 027 218 1347. Book your dinner at the Smidswinkel on 027 218 1347. For further information, email NieuwoudtvilleCall Thinus Coetzer of the Protea Garage and Motor Museum on 083 293 5429.