Today we left on a 2.5 week road trip from Cape Town, to northern Botswana, across into Namibia and back to Cape Town. We are traveling with 3 other couples. Today though, we left Cape Town at different times. B&S left with us around 9am then A&O left around 11am and R&J left about an hour later. Our first night is at Calvinia in the Karoo. It is about a 4.5 hour drive from Cape Town. As we had plenty of time, the idea was to do a quick detour outside Clanwilliam to see if we could finally find the Protea Canary. If you have followed along with previous blogs, you will know that H & I tried to see it this year in January but never managed so we were hoping to get it this time. Unfortunately, P&H 0, Protea Canary 2. Despite 4 sets of eyes looking this time, we again didn’t see it.

After Clanwilliam, we took the road less traveled which meant leaving the main N7 at Clanwilliam and instead taking the road which took us over the Pakhuis Pass. It is rated in the Top 20 mountain passes in South Africa and is 26.4 kms long and has an altitude gain of 824m. The road takes you past places like Blindfontein & Moetverloer (translation for non-Afrikaans speakers is ‘Lost all Hope’). The latter is pretty much how many people might find the Karoo especially if you’re making your way on horseback or in an ox-wagon. We also passed Engelman’s Graf (translation .. Englishman’s grave) – clearly there weren’t a lot of English people in this area. The pass is a dirt road and besides Moetverloer, you pass no other towns for around 80kms. We simply stopped on the side of the road and ate our lunch. This was just after B decided that the best way to bird is to collect them on your front grill of the car. Both B & S are counting this one for their list as they claim they saw it while alive before it embedded itself in their grill. H said this for a different list – a ‘deader’ and not a ‘lifer’.

About 60 kms into the route unfortunately my car tyre pressure gauge popped up showing I was quickly losing pressure in the rear right tyre. For those of you who don’t know, this is the 3rd flat tyre in the car in the last 3 weeks. First one was front left (screw), 2nd on was back right (nail) and now back right again (brand new tyre) from a rock. We first tried the tyre weld bottle we had which claims on it that it plugs any tyre instantly and you can drive for 100 km thereafter. Not true. Didn’t work at all. Hissing sound of air still coming out of tyre. Only route was to change the tyre. Got experience of doing that now so we know how the jack works, we know how to get the tyre off the back of the Landy etc. 35 minutes later and a whole lot more dusty we were on the road again and hoping no further tyre issues until we go to Calvinia (and in fact would love no more car or tyre issues in next 2.5 weeks).

We pulled into Calvinia at around 3:30pm and found Visagie’s Tyre Repair. Lovely, friendly and great service and about 30 minutes later the tyre was repaired. Re-fueled and headed for our accommodation for the night – our usual place in Calvinia – Die Blou Nartjie. By this point, A&O had already arrived and checked in. We unpacked and we still had enough time for a walk around the town and do some birding. We got back just as the sun was setting and the temperature was starting to plummet. And plummet it does. From 23 degrees when we arrived, it is now 10 degrees but feels like 9. It is a dry cold so I would say it actually feels even colder.

We ate dinner at Die Blou Nartjie. We have learnt that is the best option for dinner. Only issue today was that after arriving at 6:30pm, we only got our food at just before 8pm. For some of us, that is nearing bed-time and not dinner time. They blamed the fact that 3 of us had ordered lamb chops. I meant to take a photo of when my lamb chops arrived. 3 lamb chops all about an inch thick. You can see what I was left with when I had finished eating. Lamb chop for lunch tomorrow it seems.

Despite missing the Protea Canary (again), the trip list is already on 40 birds with most of those spotted while driving. I am quietly hoping to break our previous road trip record of 248 which we set in Jan/Feb this year and crack the 600 lifer mark (4 to go). Migrants have left unfortunately so that may hamper our attempt but always good to have a stretch goal.

Until tomorrow (assuming we have cell signal) …

P, B (despite killing a bird, his help with changing the tyre was greatly appreciated), H (she also got fully involved in the tyre changing), S (she held the nuts) and then there is the rest of them that just didn’t help at all with the tyre and hard to order them due to their lack of participation but we will order them in arrival to Calvinia … A, O, R & J.