Verneukpan – Groblershoop: 221 km
I was hoping for a good sunrise photo opportunity this morning but it just did not work. There was still cloud cover that obscure the sun and by the time it became visible it was like, duh, the sun. And guess who is back this morning? The wind. It made sure that setting up camp was difficult with things flying around everywhere and it’s going to make sure that packing up will be just as difficult. It was so windy and cold that the gas burner had an uphill battle to get the water up to temperature for coffee and oats. I tried building a wind shelter but resorted to moving the stove inside the tent. Yes I know it’s dangerous and blah, blah, blah but nobody ever got killed by making fire inside a tent. Oh somebody did? Well OK, then I won’t do it again.
After what looked more like a WWE fight than packing up I eventually managed to get everything where it belonged and we were ready to go. I must say that I was a bit disappointed that the weather did not play along because the silence that you experience during the brief respites from the howling wind was mind-blowing and I would have loved to enjoy that the whole night. There are few places left where you can experience this.
Just 5 km later we start playing the farm gate game again. We are heading for Kenhardt about 80 km away. I was planning to visit the quiver tree forest 4 km outside of Kenhardt but we arrived at a locked gate and all contact information has been removed. I’m not sure if it is a result of the whole Covid thing but we experienced a lot of closed attractions during this trip. We stop at Oma Miemies. What an awesome little place. They have the most delicious lamb pies and chutney.
I’m directed to the local doctor when I ask about a pharmacy and I eventually get some nose spray that will hopefully help with the sinuses and nasal drip. We take yet another great gravel road, R383 to Groblershoop where we will be camping tonight just 10 km outside of town. But first, we stumble upon the most awesome dude in the most unlikely place, Putsonderwater. This little village has been deserted but Oom Blackie Swart decided that he’s had enough of the rat race just 2 years ago and came to set up home here. When we stop he comes out with a knife in his hand luckily not to fight but he was busy making food. He immediately invited us in and offered us something to drink. Izabel got tea with rusks and I got an ice-cold beer.
‘Home’ is a tent erected inside the old abandoned Bayly De Villiers general dealer store. Besides his place to sleep, he also had another tent inside the store for visitors and he welcomes people overnight at no charge.
When asked how he makes ends meet Oom Blackie proudly takes us to his freezer stocked to the brim with meat. People look after him like the crows looked after Elijah in the bible (I think that’s him). Yes, he has sorted himself out with solar power so he’s got 220v for his camp fridge/freezer and uses gas for his cooking.
We spend some time talking to Oom Blackie about family and his life here before we had to leave. He is 75 years old but does not rely on anybody to do anything for him. I hope he has a long and peaceful life where he lives now. We leave him with a bottle of pickled olives that I got in the Karoo and I’m sure he will enjoy them as much as I would have.
The remaining 45 km to Groblershoop turns nasty about 10 km before we reach the town. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden such a bad dirt road. But to put the cherry on the cake, the road ends with a dumping site. This s something I could never understand. Poverty does not explain it. Why would you want to dump all your rubbish on your front door? Also, just because your front door is a piece of plywood does not mean that the local municipality can make a dumping site out of your front yard.
I try to get some money in Groblershoop but load shedding denies me that privilege. Just 10 km outside Groblershoop we find out spot for the night, Kheis River Lodge. We find a beautiful camping spot under a Camel Thorn tree. Great for shade but not so great for a sleeping pad so we meticulously clean the area of any thorns before pitching our tent. Meticulous means shuffling barefoot over the entire area multiple times. I’d rather have a thorn in the foot now than wake up on the ground in the early morning hours.
A bonus is that they have a restaurant on site which means I do not have to cook tonight. After setting up camp and doing some maintenance it’s time for dinner and we enjoy some lamb chops with chips and salad on the deck overlooking the Gariep river. The river has been in flood the previous week and it is amazing to see how high the water pushed up.
Tomorrow is a long day of 465 km so we want to get an early start but will only be able to get away after 7 am because there is no connectivity to do payment and the office will only open at 7.
Leave a Reply