4-wheelin in South Africa!

 Monday, February 27, 2023

It's day 15 of our 33 day trip.  Hard to believe we're almost halfway through.  

The first 9 kilometers of our journey today was down a rough road--a really rough road!  It took 45 minutes to get through this stretch.  We were 4-wheeling, even though it wasn't planned!   I'm sure the recent rains didn't help, but we have to wonder if the road is like this all the time.  It was an opportunity to experience yet another adventure! Everyone made it through and lived to tell about it.  Here's a clip to show what it was like.  

On that crazy road we passed a closed wildlife reserve that houses a few lions who are in their final stages of life.  We saw the big guy snoozing in the sun. 

The scenery changed, as we passed huge fields of sunflowers.  The flowers seemed to be waving and welcoming us as we drove along.  The sunflowers filled the landscape, as far as you could see--quite impressive! 

As we moved farther north, the landscape transformed into rolling hills and sandstone cliffs.

We stopped at Clarens, a quaint small town centered around a park which made up the town square.  It boasts a thriving art scene, numerous restaurants, street cafes along the pavements, and boutiques and craft shops.  We stopped at a trendy cafe for lunch and shopping of course!  The big thing holding me back is having room in my suitcase to bring things home.

This sign made us smile.

It was a nice leisurely afternoon as we arrived at Golden Gate Highlands National Park.  We are at 6300 ft. and expected it to be a bit cooler, but temperatures are still warm. 

Just as we were going to bed, there was a huge unexpected thunderstorm with heavy rain and hail.  Jim captured the sound (pictures are of the vent in the camper)

We are here for two nights, so we will have time to explore the park tomorrow.