This morning I left Katot Meyer's camp site in Oudtshoorn just when the rain started. During my stay I discovered that his wife Ilse also has a thing for mountain passes. The music that I had referred to in an earlier post was an all night fund raising event for cancer treatment. Very loud devil music with the DJ's voice in between. I tried to make ear plugs from toilet paper. They did not help at all and I even battled to get one of them out of my ear.
By the time I was out of Oudtshoorn it was pouring "nicely". The descent down the historic Montague pass was exciting with cascading waterfalls all around me. I took a number of dramatic photographs but later on discovered that there was no SD card in the camera.
In view of the weather I took the pink option to book into a chalet at Sanparks campsite outside Wilderness. The weather man says the next few days will be sunny in this area. If he is correct I will go back up the Montague Pass tomorrow (for photos), then eastwards direction Avontuur, turning south to Knysna via Prince Alfreds Pass.
The statistics of the blog's viewers are interesting. Since the start of the blog the top ten countries are as follows: (note that the number of views do not equal the number of different viewers - the same viewer can have many views)
RSA 1473
USA 52
Netherlands 51
Russia 37
Australia 28
Ukraine 25
Namibia 22
UK 17
Germany 16
Latvia 16
Also a few views from other countries, eg Ghana and Botswana.
I suspect that some of the viewers are hams who have picked up the link on the SA Radio League's website. It would seem that there is a viewer in the Ukraine who is following the blog consistently. It would be very interesting to hear from some of the very far away viewers. I am comfortable with any contact in Afrikaans, Dutch, English and German. My Russian, Ukrainian and Latvian vocabularies are limited to the words vodka and milota.
What this is all about...
The idea to drive, photograph and document the gravel mountain passes of the coastal region of South Africa occurred to me while driving the Prince Alfred pass early in 2012. A mountain pass is much more than a cumbersome stretch of road linking the areas on either side of a mountain. There is a "this side", which invariably differs from the "other side", as well as an "inside". Each side containing its own unique collection of marvels. Old classic farm houses, derelict but stylish bridges, missionary churches, rock formations, old toll houses from yester year giving shelter to a squatter ghost or two, succulents hiding in rocky crevices, black eagles scouting for hyraxes and much more. Hopefully there is also a charming campsite somewhere on the "other side" to erect an antenna in time for the 18h00 schedule to share the day's discoveries with the OM and YL's within reach.
The expedition started on 12 September 2012, when we left Durbanville for the Richtersveld. It is not always possible to say where we will be on what day. That is why this an expedition and not a tour.
Die idee om die bergpasse van die kusstreke van Suid-Afrika te verken, te fotografeer en te dokumenteer het ontstaan toe ek vroeg in 2012 oor die Prince Alfredpas gery het. 'n Bergpas is veel meer as 'n lastige stukkie pad wat die areas weerskante van 'n berg met mekaar verbind. Daar is 'n "hierdie kant", wat sonder uitsondering baie anders is as die "ander kant", en natuurlik ook 'n "binnekant". Elke kant bring sy kant met 'n unieke versameling interessanthede. Ou klassieke plaashuise, verlate maar stylvolle brue, sendingkerke, rotsformasies, tolhuise van eergister wat die spook of twee wat daar kom plak het teen die elemente beskerm, vetplante in rotsskeure, witkruisarende op soek na dassies, en veel meer. Hopelik ook 'n oulike kampterrein aan die "ander kant" waar ek 'n antenna kan opslaan, betyds vir die 18h00 skedule om die dag se ondekkings te deel met die OM'e en YL's binne bereik.
Die ekspedisie het op 12 September 2012 bgin toe ons Durbanville verlaat het oppad na die Richtersveld. Ons moet maar steeds sien waar ons wanneer sal wees. Dit is waarom dit 'n ekspedisie is en nie 'n toer nie.
Ons lees lekker aan jou blog. Die blonds sukkel net om met jou te kommunikeer.
ReplyDeleteGroete Lorraine