So have you been to the coldest place in South Africa?
Jacques and I were having this discussion over a BnC. No and no, we answer . So,
Sutherland appeared on the list of places to experience and just had to be ticked off.
We sent out a few mails and all of a sudden a mini-trip was born. We chose the
weekend 1 – 3 August because we were told it would still be super cold. Little did we
know how much excitement lay ahead.
Photo: bonnet – got down to -5°C
Drivers - Vehicles:
1. Jacques Dowd – Cruiser
2. John Murray – Patrol
3. Gert van Rooyen – Jeep Cherokee
4. Gary Dobkins – Disc 2
5. Garth De Nobrega – Colt bakkie 2.8
6. Wernich Stipp – Q7
What a mixed bag!
We left Cape Town at different times on Friday due to work commitments and ended up
leaving/arriving in 3 groups. The trip there was uneventful as we took the quickest
route via the N1.
Because of the size of the group and certain diverse preferences we ended up booking
at different places. We settled in as follows:
• White House: Dowds, De Nobs and Stipps
• Galileo: Dobkins’
• Rooikloof: Murrays and van Rooyens
Photo: Donkeys: Note the frost.
Well, the most action by far was at the White House, ‘maar ons praat nie uit nie’
leave JD to explain that one
Rooikloof guest farm has 2 houses. We booked the smaller one called Renosterbos. This
is an awesome spot, pricey, but if you have kids it’s wonderful
with donkeys, poultry, streams and waterfalls
Photo: Entrance to Rooikloof
Friday evening 8:00pm: we all got together at Jurg’s for our first stargazing
experience. At this stage it was 2degC and I knew we would get on well with Jurg when
we saw the welcome drinks, Obies. After an informative, indoor presentation we
headed for his outdoor telescopes and soaked up the stunning night sky’s of Sutherland
– Wow. We saw Jupiter and a few others, but the longer we spent, the colder it got and
eventually the wives and kids took cover in the adjacent vehicles. By the time we
finished the start gazing it was below 0 and rushed back to the warmth of our cottages.
Saturday morning we headed off to a visit to the SALT, which wasn’t as impressive as I
expected. The kids kept asking where the telescope was, because all you could see
were a bunch of mirrors. A guide however, explained how it worked – mmm, but, I’m
still lost.
Photo: at SALT
Saturday avie, everyone joined us for a braai at Rooikloof. As the time crept closer to
the big, CC kick-off, the manne were deciding when exactly to tell their wives they
were going to slip away for the rugby – eish anyway, that backfired and only Jacques
and Gary managed to slip away – and that my friends is a chapter on its own. What
goes in Sutherland, stays there! Right, back to the rugby – the rest of us ended up
listening on the radio. The Lions won 27-13 - John is a happy camper. We ended off the
evening with a sensational braai under starlit sky’s! The minimum temperature is -
5degC. The next morning hose pipes and dams are frozen!
Sunday: We decide to head back to Cape Town along the lesser travelled roads. Ours
first stop was a bit of a detour and we head to a viewpoint along a farm road to
Blesfontein. This is truly spectacular and well worth a visit.
Photo: View Point at Blesfontein
Once there, T4A tells us about the proximity of a star tree. We find this unimpressive
tree growing in a fenced off area and all postulate about the significance. JD later
Google’s it and finds out what it’s all about. Hopefully he’ll comment here. The last 50m
or so is quite rocky and I cringe at the thought of the Q7 losing Tupperware, but he
survives – with a few scratched and bent panels, nothing more. Whist driving back I
take the lead and we drive through some marshy areas. I almost arrive back where we
started, when JD reports that the Q7 is stuck. I turn around and find the Q7 in the
middle of the marshy area. Slightly off the road, and he’s sucked in.
Photo: The ladies decide to make the best of it.
Photo: Q7 sucks like a leach.
Jacques is still on the other side of the marsh on higher ground. I attempt to snatch
the Q7 forwards, but it doesn’t budge. A second attempt with more speed and as the
kinetic force builds up I feel the Patrol going down and not forward. Back wheels are
‘vas’.
Photo: John to the rescue, but eventually also needs assistance
The Jeep then snatches me out. We then decide to winch the Q7 backwards, but the
winch doesn’t appear strong enough. After several attempts JD attaches a second
snatch and on the 4th or 5th try the Q7 finally lifts out of the quagmire and heads back
the way we come.
JD deflates his tyres and guns it through the marshy road, no problem. We have beers,
celebrate and wait for the Q7.
Next we head down the Ouberg Pass, which has spectacular views – even more
spectacular are my wife’s, blood-drained knuckles as we descend towards the Tankwa.
We are greeted in the Tankwa by carpets of yellow and orange flowers. Quite
magnificent!
Photo: Crossing the Tankwa River
Photo: Please close the gate!
Photo: Spectacular fields of flowers.
We finally head to Ceres for a bite and then back home. I can highly recommend
this trip!
Some more photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhemurray/ ... 533747378/
