Post road-tripping!

Well, gawrsh! as Goofy would say, isn't this such a beautiful country we live in? A quick road trip from Kommetjie to Little Brak River on the Garden Route took us up hill and down dale, along dusty country roads, immaculate highways, and past the rolling foothills of the mountains of the Western Cape. Many rivers drain from the interior through canyons sliced through the mountains over millennia, some in full flow despite a long, dry summer, and allowing irrigation of crops along their banks to cover the hills in soft greenery. The drive through Du Toit's Kloof towards the tunnel was, as always, spectacular, with the added advantage of my being able to take photographs as the passenger. I imagined we were being watched from a rocky perch on high by the recently photographed female leopard and her two cubs - testimony to the wildness of the place.

A random thought of bungee jumping off the Gouritz River bridge elicited many comments from friends and family, both concerned for my state of mind and cheering me on, so imagine my disappointment and relief to find that the jump is no longer operated there. A satisfactory ending all round.
A strong southeaster over the Peninsula brought rain to the southern cape as is the normal weather pattern, but such gentle rain as to be imperceptible except that it hid the mountains from view. We stayed with an old friend at Riverside Resort, a truly idyllic camp site with chalets and excellent facilities up the Little Brak River.We stayed in one of the permanent homes, and couldn't have been more comfortable. Silence reigned. No TV or radio. The mooing of cows in a nearby field; a rooster crowing at dawn; the call of a pair of fish eagles roosting on a dead tree on the river bank.

One purpose of the trip was to attend the second anniversary of the local astronomy club started by Andrew when he moved up there two years ago, and it was marvellous to see the huge turnout, nearly 70 people, to listen to a fascinating talk by well-known astronomer among other things, Case Rijsdijk. I was honoured to be asked to give a short speech on the SPARC club in Fish Hoek and of course went off on a tangent about going out and looking up rather than looking at pictures, but I think it went down well enough! It was unexpected and off the cuff, as I like it.

Next time our trip will be longer, as there are many interesting places to visit close by, and the drive warrants time out for browsing along the way.