Springtime in the Tankwa Karoo

In spring the usually arid Tankwa Karoo landscape turns into a sea of colour after the first rains.

Skywatch Friday - Big skies and open spaces

The wide open spaces and big skies of the Great Karoo are quite breath taking. 

This scene was taken at the Karoo National Park where you can get as much enjoyment from the scenery as from the animals.

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Skywatch Friday - Afternoon sky

View in the Klipspringer Pass, in the Karoo National Park, looking up at the late afternoon sky just before sunset, against the backdrop of the Nuweveld Mountains .

 
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Skywatch Friday - Great Karoo and Great Skies

The start of the Great Karoo, just after the village of Strydenburg in the Northern Cape. To get out into these wide open spaces, was one of the reasons why we embarked on this trip. I find this open country with its big skies amazing. When you close your eyes and stand still and listen, there is absolute silence and you know you are in the middle of "nowhere". It is a harsh, but beautiful part of the world

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Skywatch Friday - More Karoo skies

The Karoo between and  Laingsburg and Ladismith in the Western Cape is is a particularly rugged and beautiful part of the country. When we travelled that route the sky was filled with cotton wool clouds and the karoo bush was a blaze of yellow.

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Skywatch Friday - Karoo Skies

The Karoo between Sutherland and Laingsburg was looking particularly spectacular in December, with the karoo bushes in bloom, the blue sky and the cotton wool clouds. The windmill  also just happened to be in the right place.

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Skywatch Friday - Turbulent Sky

The sky over Kleinpoort in the Karoo, looking very ominous.

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Cape River Frog

I cannot resist stopping to photograph any form of wildlife. In fact it is a compulsion with me that is almost magnetic, as I am drawn towards the creature that captures my attention. For this one I had to clamber down some rocks and perch precariously over the water's edge and hope I that I did not fall in.

Karoo Kat - Our shadow

Sue and I first met this cat when it as still a kitten, when it joined us on an early morning walk. She is still as friendly as ever and does not miss an opportunity to go for a stroll in the bush.

Skywatch Friday - Cotton Clouds

Solitude in the Karoo

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Karoo - Got to love this place

The Grootwinterhoek Mountains near Klipfontein, with the Cockscomb Mountain shrouded in mist. This has become one of my favourite places on the planet. It is also one of the few areas of the Karoo that has not been earmarked for fracking. If you are interested in preserving the Karoo and have not already done so,  please sign the online petition in the side bar.

Click photo to enlarge

Skywatch Friday - Karoo morning

Whether you say windmill or windpump, it makes a good foreground for the sunrise.

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A time for refreshing

We have just spent a delightful weekend in the Karoo and come away feeling totally refreshed, but still wanting to spend more time enjoying its vastness, solitude and tranquility. Where we go has no access to cell phones or the internet, but those things aren't even a consideration for us out there. It is a harsh and rugged part of the world, with its own charm and beauty and when it gets into your system it grows on you and you just want to be able to spend more time out there, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Skywatch Friday - Sky or aloes?

I thought these aloe striata did a nice job of enhancing the bit of sky that is visible. This scene was taken in the Karoo, at the base of the Grootwinterhoek Mountains.

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Frack Off - the Karoo is our heritage

The announcement by Susan Shabangu Minister of Mineral Resources this week that the moratorium on shale gas prospecting would remain in place at least until the end of February is welcomed but does not provide much comfort. Until there is a total ban on fracking we can never become complacent or be satisfied.

Many of us are wondering where this road is taking us ........

The foothills of the Winterhoek Mountains, near Klipplaat, travelling towards the Cockscomb Mountain, which is shrouded in clouds

....and if fracking is allowed what will it do to the delicate fabric of the Karoo.............

Somewhere near Mt Stewart, between Steytlerville and Jansenville.

......will the oil companies only be satisfied when this vista is polluted and littered with fracking sites....we have alreay been faced with many of their lies and promises that will never be fulfilled......

The unspoilt Karoo, between Steynsburg and Hofmeyer

.........and where is the water going to come from for the fracking process and what will all the chemicals do to the supply of ground water?

Somewhere near Klipplaat

SAY NO TO FRACKING

Mini vs Maxi Tour - The Eastern Cape has it all

When I was looking at the plans for the Mini vs Maxi tour I was again reminded that the Eastern Cape is a really amazing tourist destination, but that is not always recognised as such.

Sue and I recently joined Couch Surfers and have had some fantastic people come and stay with us, but it always seems that they are just passing through. When I ask them if they are planning a trip to the Addo Elephant Park, they look at me blankly and say, "No, we are going to Kruger. I am sure we will see elephants there."

"Yes you will, but we have the big seven here," I say.

They also don't seem to realise that our elephant cows are much prettier, because they do not have their delicate facial features spoilt by large tusks.

And then, can you see whales and dolphins and sharks in Kruger?



We have the Wild Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the Garden Route.
We have lush green forests with amazing yellow woods and the wide open spaces of the Karoo. There are mountains and valleys and rivers, lakes and dams.

We have the most amazing fynbos and aloes. In fact there is always something flowering in the Eastern Cape, no matter what time of the year.

You can ski in the snow in winter and on the lakes and rivers in summer.

We have everything in the Eastern Cape and next week the Mini and Maxi teams will be experiencing the "adventure" activities the province has to offer. There will be many updates on what the province has to offer next week.

What don't we have? Malaria..............so, who cares. There is no need to go further North or South.

While on the subject of fracking let's look at the spin

Yesterday I had a look at the Shell Commitment to the Karoo and could not resist having a closer look at the spin in their statement. What are your thoughts? 

 
The world littered with environmental disasters that were born out of good intentions and promises.  Let's hope that the Karoo does not become another of these.

Close encounters of the elephant kind

Have you ever had a stand off with an elephant in the African bush, while on foot? This elephant was about fifty metres from me when I took this shot and was telling me in no uncertain terms to get lost.

Pictures can be so deceiving. On our way to the Karoo on Monday afternoon we stopped to photograph a small herd of elephants while driving past a private game reserve.  I was on foot and the reason I did not have to beat a hasty retreat was because of the fence. Though I doubt that this fence will stop a determined elephant.

His rantings were all bluster and bravado and he soon strolled off to feed with the rest of the herd. I have seen this behaviour before, where an elephant will pause in its wandering and have words with a warthog or jackal and then continue on its way.

Skywatch Friday - African Sunset

We have just spent a glorious three days in the Karoo. This was sunset on night two.

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The little house in the Karoo

I enjoy photographing derelict old houses and imagning who the occupants were and what stories the house could tell.