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Ostrich Eco - October 2008
This trip started with some of us meeting at the N1
Winelands One stop on the Friday afternoon and proceeding
from there via the N1,trough the tunnel to Worcester
to where we picked up Andy and Veronica and drove on
to Ashton. There we turned down to Swellendam. We carried
on along the N2 and turned down to Witsands just before
Heidelberg. Apon arriving at Piet Uys's farm we completed
the formalities and drove down to the campsite. There
we met up with three other vehicles that had driven
through earlier that day.
The fun started when we had to squeeze all the vehicles
on to the limited space of the campsite in the dark
but this was eventually achieved without too much
ado.
That evening the last of the two vehicles arrived
and we were eventually eleven vehicles all in all.
After a communal braai and chatting around the fire
we eventually all crept in for the night.
The next morning we all had a relaxed breakfast and
eventually set off for the route at 10h00.
The route itself was not terribly challenging but
proved to be most enjoyable and relaxed as we followed
the convolutions of the Slang river gorge and crossed
the river a few times. Half way along the route we
climbed up and over a fairly steep hill and arrived
at the official picnic spot.
Here we had quite a good view of the river and saw
why it's called the "slang" river with all
the twists and turns in it. As luck would have it,
Corne and Erica happened to spot a large snake swimming
across the river! We stopped for lunch at the picnic
site and afterwards continued on the rest of the trail
back to the campsite. We were supposed to do a deep
river crossing just before the camp but the farmer
warned us that two jeeps that did the trail that morning
before us got filled with water. We therefore decided
to take the chicken route and arrived back at the
camp early the afternoon.
Everybody spent a relaxed afternoon around the camp
with some folks catching up on some much needed sleep
whilst others decided to go for their regular endorphin
fix (jog).
That evening we once again had a communal braai and
socialized around the fire
The next morning some folks elected to carry on home
while the rest of us took Piet, the farmer up on his
offer to show us around the farm and take a look at
his new - born ostrich chicks. He showed us some of
the products that are produced from ostriches and
the whole process of ostrich farming was quite fascinating,
although rather smelly!
We then drove down to Witsands where we stopped off
at the Whalers Grill for a most enjoyable brunch.
After brunch we drove down to the river mouth and
the sea. There we were treated to a spectacular display
of the whales flashing their fins and tails in the
air.
We then took the gravel roads back to Malgas where
we crossed the only hand - operated pont in the country,
across the Breede River. At the pont Martin discovered
that he had a flat tyre on his borrowed vehicle. True
to club tradition everybody jumped in and in no time
the tyre was changed.
We then said our farewells and everybody headed home
at their own pace, after a most enjoyable and relaxing
weekend. As far as the trail and campsite is concerned,
we all found the campsite, ablutions and fireplace
to be very nice and although small we all fitted in
comfortably under the shady trees. A big plus is the
gas geysers with plenty of hot water in the showers
and battery lights in the toilets at night.
The trail is well maintained and offers some optional
challenges for those who look for more adrenalin.
All in all I would recommend this trail to everybody,
and the club can definitely support Piet and his trail
in future.
I trust that everybody that joined us for the weekend
had an enjoyable time.
George & Susan
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