Weekends away are a rare luxury for most farmers when no-one remains to care for the farm and pets. But occasionally we call upon a farmer friend to pop in and check up on the kitties etc. and we take off for a 3-day-break.
Last weekend (8th to the 10th May 09) we went down to Port Elizabeth for my Mum’s Birthday and an Aunt’s 90th Birthday celebration. Then we decided to take a scenic route on our homeward journey, through the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Reserve. ( www.baviaanskloof.com ) We have longed to try it, but were warned that it was a 4×4 route only. Well we don’t have a 4×4, only our trusty farm truck, but took a chance and set off at 2pm on that sunny Saturday afternoon not knowing what to expect ! Well, after 5 hours of torturously rocky mountain passes, winding valleys, through rivers that reached the doors of the truck, we emerged as the twilight fell over the valley. The last part, just as the sun was setting was particularly exciting as the wildlife came out to play in the road ahead. There were kudus, bushbuck, baboons and monkeys. We found a comfortable B&B, ( Bokloof ) just as the cloak of night fell.
The next day we emerged from the valley through the mist shrouded Nuwekloof Pass out to the wide open spaces of our beloved Karoo. We took many backroads through: Steytlerville, Mt.Stewart, Jansenville, Pearston, and over the mountains to Cradock and on home through Schoombie and the beautiful farms along the upper reaches of the Fish River.
This week I have started sketching madly to try and capture the excitement of that marvelous adventure. With 830 photos of the trip, there is a huge array of great images to choose from. Here is a small taste, with the first four.
“Art flourishes where there is a sense of adventure”. – Alfred North Whitehead
” The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes “
–Marcel Proust
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