After virtually no sleep last night, I headed back to Steers for a warm breakfast and some hot chocolate to get the day going. Alas I seem to have been a little too eager and got there before they opened, so enjoyed a juice and watched the passing traffic – busses, trucks, buses, trucks…
In I flew as the doors opened and had a great egg, bacon, patty and chips treat to fill the tummy, followed by best hot chocolate I’ve on this trip. As soon as the tourism office opened I headed across because I’d heard about the “flood museum” and wanted to check things out.
Well, my luck with tourism folk continues as I was met by Uan… an ex-Capetonian in fact. He moved here a few months back to help on tourism & community based development, and took me on a brief tour of the museum and then the complex. Loads of small enterprise being setup and supported by the tourism team or Boland College… which is really nice to see. But, as Uan says, things take a little time in the Karoo town.
It was quite funny that he mentioned the Bicycling Empowerment Network and some of the ideas he had, as my 2007 TheLifeCycle journey was in support of BEN who do amazing work at spreading cycling as a sustainable means of transport and employment. Hope it all works out for you Uan!
From there the OK was calling for a few items and then the railway line… and off towards my next stop. I’ve gotta tell you though, it was NOT easy going. Walking on the line with new shoes is no joke, but the Montail Hardrocks held up well – especially the TrailShield that protects your underfoot. While I knew that I was standing on sharp or rocky terrain, I didn’t feel anything enough to feel uncomfortable! You go guys!
Distance didn’t come easily like Monday morning, and there were times when I had to talk to myself and literally talk my feet into some kind of stride. Poles were crucial today with the track being all over the show, and the little bit I did off the track in the beginning being even worse than the track.
While I don’t like to set definite goals out here, the are realities to face – water supply! So making distance is kinda important as I can only carry so much water to last me so many days… after that I’d be in trouble. And, to make things a little worse, there is absolutely no water out here! I passed a few windmills today – none turning, despite fairly constant winds. Dams they’re supposedly filling… empty! Prince Albert Road is my next centre for water resupply!
I passed the Geelbek siding a fair bit later than expected, and then slowly trudged… looking for the bridge & blockhouse. The blockhouse dates back to the Boer War and was there to protect the bridge from sabotage. I saw it from a distance – can’t miss this old style bride surrounded by greenery 🙂 And of course, I walked across the bride – duh!
Based on the way I was feeling I made myself a goal of the top of the hill for the day. But, when I got there and couldn’t see a decent place to park for the night… I hit the secret weapon and pushed forth. Rammstein of course – FULL ball! Distance came a little easier, but my hips and shoulders were just taking a little too much strain. One can kinda understand though, as I am a good few kg’s over the recommended max weight of the pack! 13L of water in the pack, enough food for two weeks, plus all the extra stuff like the netbook, power solution, kit for review, etc. Certainly not “fast & light” like originally planned… but done for good reason. Luckily it gets lighter every day!
So, Ms Scarlett you ask? Yip, for some or other reason I pictured Tiffany’s smile when she won the prize for best dressed at a crime scene party a number of years back and that is what drove me the last few kilometres in the dark… to my goal for the day and current resting spot at Ruiterskop. 28km of mental and physical determination, filled with MANY rest breaks, and I am here!
Camp tonight ran slightly different to usual. Toilet, then wash, then power nap, then dinner & blog. Hey, it kinda works…
I can see I am going to have problems with my stove, as it doesn’t like the wind. Even with a windscreen its flame is all over the place… so my fuel consumption is high!!! I am going to need to arrange more gas along the way. And this is why I like my multi-fuel Dragonfly stove from MSR. Burns no matter what the temperature or wind, and can fill it with pretty much anything and it roars!
Ok, that’s me… need to sleep tonight so that I can crack tomorrow 🙂 Thanks for the messages today, along with Ms Scarlett they certainly helped push me… just what I needed!
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