Life is beautiful when you're on the road to somewhere

Part 2: Three days, numerous mountain passes, picture perfect accommodations in sublime locations and then Bontebok National Park

My favorite thing to do is to go where I've never been before, but before we can do that, we head back towards the Ocean, Port Nolloth and Springbok. From there onward its all new territory

Same road, different direction, feels like a new road, all this rugged beauty

You'll find Sperrgebiet Lodge a short distance past Springbok in the Goegap Mountains

An oasis in the desert

A lovely, neat chalet with an amazing view

And an ice-cold but refreshing pool to revive and wash off the travel dust

Its swelteringly hot but I'm out investigating the beautiful gardens around the lodge

At last, a Halfmens, albeit the popular P.Lamerei grown in our gardens (below left front)

The spectacular flower of the namaqua orbea

'Living stones' or Beeskloutie are so fascinating. They grow in association with quartz, relying on the microclimate created by the crystals reflecting light and heat from the desiccating sun. The yellow flowers appear in late summer

I take a walk with a friendly sheep dog up to the quiver trees on the nearby hill

The Aloe Dichotoma can reach 9 meters tall. All the plants in the gardens are found in the Richtersveld at different times of the year. It is wonderful to see some of the iconic plants we didn't get to see

A lesson learned, always carry a spare set of car keys hidden away but not inside the vehicle. A couple next to us locked their keys in the boot of their car last night. We feel so sorry for them. John suggests they call glassfit in Springbok to come and remove a window. We are back on the road after a good sleep and breakfast

We were advised against driving the R355 as it's in a sorry state. Sad Face, I really wanted to travel down that way to Loeriesfontein and see the Windmill Museum and Quiver Tree Forest. We head down the N7 as far as Vanrynsdorp and tick yet another mountain pass off our every growing list. Blue Cranes fly overhead as we pass Bitterfontein

This mastiff towers over the town of Vanrynsdorp

We stop at the 'good store' in Vanrynsdorp for a coffee and pick up a couple of homemade pies and a conversation with a Namibian couple travelling to Cape Town. One meets the most fabulous people in the darndest places

The Pass snaking up the mountain. We have an appointment with a waterfall near Nieuwoudtville, but now I'm thinking it might have left already not being summer and all

The pass was originally built by Thomas Baines and climbs 595m to summit at 825m. The views of the Knersvlakte are spectacular. This region is considered a biodiverse hotspot of the world and covers 85 500 hectare of protected area. I would imagine on a clear day one could see the sea

We pop up onto the Bokkeveld Plateau, an area that includes fynbos, mountain renosterveld and succulent karoo vegetation types, and in no time find our way to the Nieuvoudtville waterfall reserve

Even without water, the gorge is a sight to see

This is what the gorge turns into when the Doorn River thunders down into the pool below

The reserve protects a unique diversity of flora. I think this is a botterboom

Onward we go, heading to the Cederberg and our overnight hut in the mountains...

The R364 is a scenic drive on a relatively good sand road

With the Cederberg mountains in the distance, the gently rolling hills takes us ever closer but what goes up must come down as we soon find out

If we find we are nose to nose with a vehicle coming up the pass, well, they will find themselves on the wrong side of the track, we'll be sticking to the right

A backward glance...

Time out to enjoy a homemade pie and absorb the captivating views

Doringbos farm, northern Cederberg is 3000 hectare of isolation (future exploration for sure), but for now we cross the Doring river and what we've been hoping won't happen, happens...

Another lesson learned, even in South Africa, carry 2 spare tires if you have a wife pushing for 'the road less traveled' experiences

Fortunately, up another pass and we hit the tar and can relax. Clanwilliam Tyres is smiling, another customer thanks to the R364

We drive over the Packhuis Pass to get to Clanwilliam and it gives us a little taste of the Cederberg's magestic mountains

Stopping for a look back at where we've come from, 3 young ladies taking selfies, asks John to take a photo of them, they move into the middle of the road and leap into the air for an action pic

We have to drive back up the pass after replacing the tire, I could definitely spend some time in these mountains

Kleinfontein is a working farm with some unique accomodation options

A first glimpse of our cabin sheltered beneath red sandstone rock formations

The berg khiya is a perfectly contained tiny home-for-the-night

Too much to explore in the shortened time, bugger that burst tire...

Ah well, watching a couple of Black Eagles soaring above and spotting the nests with glass of wine in hand is a good way to end a day of extremes

We had a mozzie infestation last night, all windows had to be opened due to the heat. A mozzie coil would have been appreciated. We find a farm restaurant for breakfast, bursting with succulents, aloes and weavers nests hanging from fever tree branches in their dozen, quite a delightful spot

I drink a Rooibos tea by the name of Carmien so before we head west to the ocean, I want to visit their farm near Citrusdal. We stop at a citrus farm stall and a nice young man googles the directions for me. Just over the Piekenierskloof Pass (which incidently Thomas Baines built, in the 1800's through the neck of the Olifantsrivier Mountains) on the N7 is a Carmien Tea shop. Hubby is very happy not to go bundubashing this morning

Carmien tea is organic with many varieties of flavors. They've introduced a rooibos powder range for smoothies as well as a cold brew selection which are totally delicious. Pick 'n Pay and Dischem are stockists but I don't have either in Bethlehem so I stock up on my favorites

From Citrusdal we head down the R399 and find ourselves in Rooibos country

Velddrif, a coastal fishing village, where the berg river empties into the Atlantic Ocean at the Bay of St Helena looks to be an interesting place to visit. The estuary is an important habitat and home to some 30,000 birds

The town is part of the crayfish route and a common scene is bokkoms (dried fish) hung to dry on the jetties

Long, white beaches to walk and sooth the soul

Our journey takes us to Saldanha bay and the West Coast National Park. How I'd love to cycle through here! The waters are bluer than blue. The whole area has so much history, definitely worth a longer visit

You can lose yourself in time and open spaces

Its a short drive to our next destination, the darling of South Africa, Evita Bezuidenhout

The old Darling railway station building became Evita's se Perron, a museum and theater, art gallery

The outside area is known as Boerassic Park

Pieter Dirk Uys created Evita in the 1970's and with her wit and humour, she got away with free speech, informing the public what was really going on. She taught us to laugh at ourselves

Bambi's Berlin Bar is home to the famous cheesecake or one can enjoy the pogenpoel koeksisters so of course, we rested awhile and sampled the treats.

The shop is stocked full of goodies. It was such fun browsing, reminiscing on the shows and the characters Pieter played

One cannot miss an opportunity to hug a grandchild so we take a detour from our trip to visit our son who's just moved to the Cape

Melkbos on D'beach is a beautiful B&B full of little surprises. The only downside is no private parking on the property but it turns out not to be necessary, not a thing was touched, I mean fishing rods and gear, tool boxes, spare tires all on the roof of the vehicle

This is a perfect spot for a night or 2 or even longer, central to beach, shops, restaurants and the wider area. A full breakfast is included in the accommodation and with this view, its a delight to eat al fresco

Our room was more than enough for our needs. Lovely little touches, fresh milk in the fridge for before-breakfast coffee and makeup wipes in the bathroom and downstairs, beach towels AND sunblock for guests to make use of

There are crazy people living here, swimming and surfing in ice cold waters. I couldn't leave my big toe in for 2 seconds!

Blessed with a windless morning

Picnic packed, our family takes us to Betty's Bay for the day and the calm weather persists

One of the many lakes in the area

Stony Point is home to a breeding colony of the endangered African Penguins, black bank cormorant, cape cormorant and the rare crowned cormorant. All 4 species numbers are increasing. Cape Nature are doing a great job at protecting these sea birds

Betty's has some 13km of coastline to explore

The common name for African penguin is 'jackass' which refers to its call. They are endemic to the coastal areas of South Africa

Hello family! What a gorgeous day for a picnic

On the move but no-one can decide which way to go

Exploring a bit of coastline

and taking in the flora and unusual rock formations

A lone little egret amongst the sacred ibis colony

The calm weather gives a hazy view of the backside of Table Mountain

An innovative idea, putting a caravan on a truck base, love it

South Africa has an amazing 2800 km's of coastline with the Western Cape having the longest of all coastal provinces (over 1000km). Our coastline is under pressure from development and very few natural areas are left outside of protected ones. It certainly makes one think

A glorious Melkbos sunset ends a perfect day

Bank Cormorants drying out after a fishing spree and 2 humans trying hard to catch...well, anything

Son's motto: Learn from yesterday's braai, live for today's braai and hope for tomorrow's braai

Its time to head off to our next destination, Bontebok National Park. Our route takes us past the little town of Philadelphia, Paarl, through the Huguenot Tunnel and on to Worcester. The Hex River mountains are beautiful in the morning light

Through Worcester, on the road to Robertson, we make a coffee stop at this most delightful and unique pumpkin farm stall

Of course there are many other fresh items for sale, like a box of black figs, only my favorites, for R50 as well as gifts and nick nacks

Filled with caffeine and a box of goodies, Robertson is our next stop. For what you might ask? Wine would be the answer

I can hear the car groaning, where are we going to put these boxes?

Driving is such a pleasure when you don't have to concentrate on avoiding potholes. Not 1 since leaving the Free State

Nearing Swellendam and our 6 day road trip is at its end. We'll be using leg power for the next 6 and I'm so looking forward to starry skies again

Not another sole in sight, the camp sites are big, spacious and shaded but it feels like we are being watched...

And so we are, although bontebok is also being checked out by wagtail

Thrilled to have wildlife around us, we go exploring. Bontie the resident bok, enjoys the campsite as his munching and resting spot

The Breede River runs through the park. Fishing, canoeing, swimming, walking, cycling, birding, there is plenty to keep us amused

While the fisherman is scouting the water, I'm scouting the plant life (maybe I'll be a botanist in my next life)

Greater Stripped Swallows are nesting under a brick structure at the entrance to our camp site and wait patiently for us to move away (can you spot a little face at the entrance of the nest?)

The flower is a tethered butterfly

THE cutest 3 stripped mouse comes-a-foraging while we are preparing the braai

We wake to a misty morning and cycle the star gazer trail. Its not long before I'm off the bike gazing, no not at stars but these are pretty close, proteas in flower

We stop overlooking the old racecourse

Cycling in the Renosterveld is a feast for the eyes. It is the richest bulb habitat on earth and although Bontebok is the smallest National Park in South Africa, it is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom and is one of the largest remaining renosterveld in the area. Sadly it is critically endangered, because it is found on more fertile soils, land has been developed for agriculture and only 5% remains today. Conservationists are hard at work with local farmers to protect the renosterveld

This trail is for cyclists only, we feel so privileged to experience this incredible environment

The ridge is hedged with protea bushes

The Bontebok was in danger of going extinct with only 17 animals remaining. A farmer fenced off his farm and unknowingly protected the remaining animals. This is the only antelope that can't jump fences, even low farm ones. How fortunate for the Bontebok and us

We lengthen the cycle by riding down to the day visitors picnic area and find a lovely, open area with shade trees, benches and a beautiful stretch of river

Homeward bound for a late breakfast, some fishing and more exploring

It's quite hard to cook breakfast with all the activity about camp. The birds are habituated to humans and walk around without a care in the world

Hello African Pied Wagtail, hello Cape Bulbul

Yes I do have something for you Mr Southern Boubou, fancy a little egg?

No I won't forget fruit eaters, will an apple core do it for you Mrs Weaver?

I'd better get back to feeding humans

There are a lot of species in this river, 1 down 11 to go

There are a number of hiking trails in the park. I tackle the aloe hill trail and find, yes you guessed it, aloes of all shapes and sizes

This trail is spectacular, there are aloes in their hundreds, gorgeous views across the park and the river, flowers and shrubs, birds singing, succulents, ground covers, ancient habitation, it has just about everything you could wish for in a trail

History of the area

The trail meanders up the hill after Elsies Kraal. This is a magical section

A view of the chalets from a high point on the trail

I don't walk the entire trail this time (l'm feeling the morning cycle) but that's the beauty of Bontebok, you can add to or shorten any of the trails and I've spent a lot of time oogling the wonderful plant life that its time to head home

This is the un-electrified camp area. Unfortunately only one 1 big shady tree but the new ones planted should grow pretty fast

Aah, rest time...

We wake to another misty autumn morning, dripping over camp

We head out into an otherworldy atmosphere and onto the Bushbuck Trail, an out and back that meanders along the river, through aloe groves, riverine forest, renosterveld and open plains

Bejeweled spiderwebs

The beautiful flower of wild dagga, traditionally used to treat fever, headaches and malaria

With so much to take in, I'm lagging behind

This is what fairy tails are made of

The trail traverses a koppie where we take a breather and enjoy the views

After a brief rest, we head along the same path back to camp

We appreciate the misty weather, it gets to the mid 30's once the sun comes out

I'm still finding flowers on our way back, that had been missed on the walk out

A magnificent trail with perfect conditions for an enjoyable outing

The sun breaks through and after breakfast the fisherman finds a good spot to tackle that fishing list and I head out for some birding. The forest is full of birdsong and butterflies flutter across the path in their hordes, feasting on the abundant flowers

Love is like a butterfly. It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes

I know this is a birding walk, but who can walk past these beauties and not snap away

I spy, through a thicket, something beginning with D or is it G? Goose I think, of the spur winged variety

I've fallen madly, totally in love with this park

At last, a bird has sat long enough to photograph. Thank you African Hoopoe, and yes I doe love your hairdoe

And we are blessed with a stunning sunset, a perfect end to a perfect day

We wake to another overcast morning with a misty drizzle so take the opportunity to see what all the hype is about the Indian ocean meeting the Atlantic

Struisbaai holds the title of the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere, stretching 14km

I am really blown away at the amount of flowers I've seen in the Western Cape at this time of year, I did not expect such abundance in Autumn

A decked walkway takes you from the lighthouse through sprawling fynbos down to the ocean

Blood or Paintbrush Lillies dot the ground with a splash of red. They are among my most favorite plant

I love the interactiveness of the monument. Its awesome to recognize all the places we've been in Southern Africa

We were told of the shipwreck further down the coast, but when 1km feels like 10...

The Meisho Maru, a Japanese fishing vessel met it's end on November 16, 1986

We visit the Stuisbaai Harbour, hoping for some tea and cake and find a lovely calm bay but no cafe

You'd have to really twist my arm to get me onboard and out to sea on one of these

And we find our tea and cake in the main street of Struisbaai, totally yum

The Hotagterklip fishermen's cottages have been restored, are now heritage sites and serve as a museum. One cottage is a farm stall and another is a coffee shop. A sign on the road indicating this could bring in more tourists but today it looks closed up

The wind blew all night and this morning it's crystal clear if not a bit chilly but we are treated to our first sunrise as we take off on a route through the eastern part of the park

An easy, flat route of 21km's, cycling through this pristine Cape kingdom is one of life's small pleasures

Before heading down to camp, we check out the race course basin

The roads in the park are little more than jeep tracks, great for adventuring where few people seem to go

Back home and the birds keep me well entertained

A lesser doublecollared sunbird shows off his beautiful colours

Down at the river, a Robin chats us up, or he could be calling his mate. I like to think its the former

The chalet's at Elsie's Kraal have been beautifully laid out. Comfy open plan or 2 bedroomed units, high on the bank with veranda's overlooking the river are the epitome of elegant, bushveld taste

I take the opportunity to explore the rest of the Aloe Trail which assends a koppie before taking you down to the river

Amazingly I am still finding new flowers

A new world awaits, down by the riverside

A steep climb takes one out of the forest and the view unfolds before you

Our last cycle takes us on familiar tracks, we're just enjoying the quiet, unassuming beauty of this landscape

We are thrilled to spot some game, Grey Rhebok, Cape Grysbok, Mountain Zebra and Red Hartebeest as well as raptors flying overhead

A Karoo Robin scratching in the grass gives me an opportunity to stalk him

How can you not love these tiny creatures?

All hell breaks loose when a large grey mongoose comes a-hunting. He climbs the trees, presumably in search of birds eggs and the birds are on high alert and become quite agitated. We sit quietly and take in the action

I need to make mention of the camp ablution block. Not only is the bathroom block one of the best we've used at a Sanpark but the kitchen area has boiling water on tap (for those early morning coffee pots impatient for their caffeine fix), the laundry has a washing machine (bliss when you've been on the road awhile and have calluses from handwashing) and....

...best of all, recycling bins out back for us eco junkies

Goodbye Bontebok National Park. It's been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to spend time getting to know you

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore, there is society where none intrude, by the deep sea, and music in its roar. I love not man less, but Nature more" E Scott Fitzgerald

Next time: Cycling the Knysna Forest