The Karoo is not flat, hot or dry!

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We got up early on Boxing Day and headed for the local nature reserve.

Quiver trees in abundance.

The old fort was constructed by the British during the Anglo-Boer War - they used tiger eye rocks from the Koppie. 

 

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A close-up of the tiger eye. My wife always collects rocks, but due to limited space, she only smuggled a couple of small samples.

Photo's taken inside the fort. Yes, like everything else, not maintained 

 

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We explored the area further.

The plan was to try and get as close as possible to the Orange river, so we followed single track through the jungle. No matter where we turned, the water closed off all the paths. It was hot and humid!

The timber bridge was Awesome!

 

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The mighty Orange River!

If you look closely, you will notice a braai in the centre of the first pic - this is a designated picnic area. Could be fun  :biggrin:

 

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We had a wonderful time in Prieska - the sunset was the icing on the cake.

Sadly, we had to march forth. Our next overnight stop was Carnarvon.

We passed by Copperton (very impressive mine dump and wind farm) and had a quick stop in Vanwyksvlei. Yet another town falling apart around the seams...

 

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Just passing through.

I will say this, there are big houses with big yards - some them kept well, others not so much. The most striking thing is the absence of "gardens". Yes, there are succulents and some trees, but no grass and/or flowers. It is slightly depressing...

 

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Deja Vu much?

An so the fun begins. The clay road surface has the consistency of snot mixed with Vaseline. Had a couple of oops moments, but enjoyed every second of it.

The weather seemed to change at the drop of a hat - see those blue clouds?

 

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Objects in the rear view mirror...

 

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How much water do you want?

 

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The lovely quaint town of Carnarvon.

We were treated like royalty and had an excellent dinner!

Used 2l of water to clean out the radiator and some of the mud that went basically everywhere.

 

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Although we do not normally do the touristy thing, we did have some time for sight seeing.

The corbelled stone houses is interesting. The domed roof was out of necessity as no building materials were available at the time for a "normal" design. They are dotted all over the place.

 

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On the road to Williston.

We really enjoyed the scenery and stopped to stretch our legs. Just before we set off again, my wife noticed something gleaming in the sun. Someone lost a gold ring.
Somehow, my wife always collects trinkets. She has found all sorts of things in the past....

 

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Following on from the previous post, here is the stash my wife collected on this trip. This excludes the rocks and pebbles she sneaked past security  :biggrin:

Beautiful Namakwa. I'm a bit jealous - what a gorgeous part of the country.

We stopped to take a closer look at the ruins.

 

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How can you not stop?

 

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I was not going to pass up the opportunity to explore the abandoned farm homestead.

Would really be interested in the story behind it.

When can we move in?

 

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I can imagine what it could be like living here...sigh!

 

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For those that also might want to explore, the farm is on the Goraas dirt road, just past the railway station on the R63.

 

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One of many stops along the way. I like the tin roof sun shelters.

The view over Williston.

 

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We stayed over at The Ark Guesthouse (our host were absolute legends) which is housed within the Williston Mall.

There is really just too much to take in at once - it is an sensory overload. For more info, go here: https://www.willistonmall.co.za/

Well, Narnia can take a back seat!

 

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Takes you back in time!