1st Leg- Cape Town to Gariep Dam to Nottingham Road

The first part of our trip was a hectic two day drive. We actually left from the farm in Vyeboom as we had to say goodbye to the folks and leave Looka to be dog-sitted. We had alot of early mornings on the trip but day one was a departure time of 5am in the pitch dark and rain. You'll all be amazed at the fact that even I got up at these ungodly hours and kept a sense of humour :) . We conveniently packed the car the night before and were driving to our overnight destination of Gariep Dam, about 9hrs away.

Our first campsite, just how we like it, empty and quiet

The view of the Dam at almost sunset, 5pm

Anthony doing some stunning photography...

The next morning was also an early one and a rainy one, we just packed up in time before it downpoured. Another long day of driving but probably the worst one all around. We were constantly out running the rain and spent the better part of the day driving through the Karoo. This area is known for it's game meats, lamb and fresh water but unfortunately it's as long and flat as the saskatchewan plains. A very boring day in the car i have to admit. Our destination for day two was a family friend's house in the Midlands near the Drakensberg Mountain range, a very welcome sight after the flat landscape that dominated for 7hrs of the 9hr day. Unfortunately for us we had bad luck again as the rain followed and caught up with us in the high mountain range. That night we were lucky we got to sleep indoors in real beds instead of the tent because the forecast was for -9 and snow on the ground. This is supposed to be fall, not winter. We woke the next morning with a crisp bite in the air and sure enough, there were snow onthe surrounding mountains.

The Tillbury's house in Nottingham Road in the Midlands, a private housing estate

Some of the Drakensberg Mountains with light snow...snow in Africa? Who knew...

After two days of hard core driving we were a short distance away from Pietermaritzberg to go and stay overnight with Oli and Erika.