From PE it was inland to the wonderfully evocative Camdeboo National Park near Graaff Reinet in the heart of the Karoo. Whist enjoying a sun-downer I noticed movement near the electric fence that surrounds the camp (for some unknown reason!) Then up popped an enormous pair of ears belonging to a Cape scrub hare. Not sure if the fence was live but those ears were mighty close.
On an early drive around the reserve the only other animals sighted were these mountain zebra, not exactly dangerous - perhaps the fence is to keep out humans!
My father was a superb photographer who had a thing about churches. He took quite a few of this one in the heart of the town and I'm sure he'd be pleased to see that it is still beautifully maintained .
The reserve surrounds the Nqweba Dam and a board near wall details that even though the name means "the meeting place" because it's at the confluence of three rivers, it's not particularly well sited. It has only overflowed a couple times more than it has been totally empty.
A cloud formation that looked like a huge question mark had unfortunately dissipated a little by the time I thought to get camera out. Quite appropriate in 2020 though.
Close by, the intriguing pillars of the Valley of Desolation stand sentinel over the vast plains of Camdeboo. Not quite so desolate though, a very loud red-chested cuckoo was rather enjoying the echos of his Piet-my-vrou call.
In the other direction Spandaukop is typical of many koppies throughout the Karoo that resemble the conical hats that are popular in Lesotho - or should that be the other way round?
The summit of another koppie has a toposcope that details distances to many towns and cities in Africa and also provides a superb view of the historical town that is almost encircled by the Sunday's River.
A splash of pink caught my eye and revealed itself as a Coral aloe, A. striata with it's pin-striped leaves.
A reasonable drive up the road brought me back to the Forever Resort at Gariep Dam. There are 20 odd sites with private facilities for R180 pppn, a real bargain I thought.......
..........especially as the bathrooms had recently been upgraded.
An early morning stroll took me down past the harbour to a look-out with a spectacular view of SA's largest dam.
It is possible to get right around the dam which I did on the bike, stopping regularly for pictures
Near the hamlet of Bathulie the R390 crosses the Orange River by way of an enormous rail/road bridge. Not quite sure why the bridge is so out-sized as the next stop is the even smaller Venterstad.
Was sitting on my "stoep" one evening when I saw a bird feeding on the lawn and noticed something I'd never seen before................any ideas what the bird is?
Not called a crowned lapwing for nothing!
Next stop was Aldam Resort on Willem Pretorious Dam near Ventersburg as although I was heading for the 'Berg, I needed to go via Villiersdorp to see the agent about my caravan movers which died in Cape Town.
A big red ball rose shortly before 6 am and laid a golden path across the water and a very chirpy white-browed sparrow-weaver greeted it lustily.
The nearby Willem Pretorious Reserve beckoned mainly because it is one of the few places where it is easy to see what has to be one of the most enigmatic and graceful antelopes, the sable.
As there is covered storage at Hlalanathi near Royal Natal in the 'Berg, I spent a few days there prior to heading to Boksburg for Christmas. Another amazing site looking out over the Tugela River towards the Amphitheater.
It even had a downstairs porch with a braai clinging to the side of the cliff.
On a ride up Oliviershoek Pass I came across a patch of these members of the milkweed family with their lime green flowers. As I recall they are an Asclepias sp. but as the book is still in the van I'm unable to confirm.
I also tackled DeBeer's Pass near the new pumped storage scheme called Ingula, but had a rude surprise at the top when I ran out of tar at just over 100 kph. Not the best thing on slicks, but when I'd managed to stop the bike and myself shaking, I noticed this panorama.
Back at the camp, some frantic tapping drew my attention to this Cardinal woodpecker, which is easily distinguished from the similar golden-tailed by the barring rather than spots on it's back.
Once the van was covered and packed it off to the cottage and a few days later, a report dwarf bittern had me in the bird hide at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in a hurry. The bittern failed to co-operate so had to content myself with my namesake, a Southern red bishop, who was very intent on finding a mate but having about as much luck as I am.
With abundant rain, the falls were in full spate and looking very attractive......
..........as was the Cape Chestnut Calodendron capensis or beautiful tree from the Cape.
