We had heard horror stories about Cape Town’s rush hour traffic and boy, are they accurate. Not too bad for us as we are heading away from the city, but the inbound roads are packed solid for miles.
Taryn suggested we break up the drive with stops at some of her favorite spots along the route. First up is the quaint village of ‘Riebeek Kasteel’ for coffee and a walk along the streets. There are lots of smaller shops and restaurants and a historic Afrikaans church. It is quite popular as a holiday destination for Cape dwellers.
Another hour or so down the road is the Piekenierskloof Winery where we stopped for a tasting. The wines were nothing special but worth a try. Many of their vines are grown ‘bush style’ without any trellising. This is the first time we’ve come across this practice. Lower yield, but more concentrated flavors. Plus, the views from the mountaintop winery were incredible.
One of the largest towns in the Cederberg is Clanwilliam. We expected something quite a bit larger. It’s reminiscent of one of those places you’d pass through in the middle of Montana. Like every town in South Africa, they do have a Kentucky Fried Chicken. We stopped to use the only ATM in town and for a tasting of the locally popular rooibos tea at the ‘House of Rooibos Tea Room and Country Club’, they have a place for lawn bowling. They make pretty much everything out of the rooibos bush. Mixed votes here – Dick liked, Mary not so much.
The countryside in this region is pretty wild – fynbos and stacked rock formations. Taryn is a big flower gal and took us to a spot where an endangered conophytums grow. Also known as button plants, they are apparently huge on the black market for the Asian trade. She requested that we did not post a photo on social media because the GPS coordinates are often confiscated to illegally harvest the plants.
Hard to believe anything could prosper on the rocks there. A mongoose ran across the road in front of us.
After we arrived at the gate for the ‘Bushman’s Kloof’ resort where we are staying we have a long drive on rugged roads to the property itself. We received a traditional African greeting by staff on arrival at the reception area. Very nice!
We stayed in the ‘Waters Edge 1’ suite. Really a special place.
Shortly after arriving a group of 6-plus Red Hardebeest wandered in front of our space, almost on queue. There are warnings everywhere to beware the baboons and to lock the doors. Evidently, they know how to open doors and windows.
Part of every day’s activities at the resort is an evening game drive. Pretty cool! In about an hour we saw springbock, zebra, wildebeast, ostrich, and more hardebeest.
The drive also includes the popular ‘Sundowner’. Pull off the track, lower the tail gate, pull out the alcohol and snacks and enjoy the sunset. What a great tradition! After a nice dinner in the Homestead Room (main dinner dining area) we hit the sack. A fine day.