Hanging Out in Hogsback

We have been slowly working our way eastward, from The Cape winding our way through the Klein Karoo, dropping down from the Outeniqua Mountains to Storm River's Mouth. It's there that we camped on the edge of ocean, nothing but a few meters of rough shore separating us from waves that have rolled from the antarctic to explode into spray on the rocks surrounding us.
We also took the time to go to an elephant santuary that temporarily houses "trouble" animals. The kids were awestruck walking up to these gentle creatures and getting to feed and touch them. I ended up with a handful of elephant snot. Yum!

Our strategy of avoiding major highways (major highways start with 'N' here) is paying off and have passed through some beautiful country. We took two days to drive through Baviaanskloof (valley of the baboons) a remote valley in the Karoo that is serviced by a road built by some masochistic englishman. One moment we were bobbing along the countryside with the kids singing in the backseat, the next moment I was in low gear gingerly negotiating washed out roads and river crossings (kids still singing).

We spent a few days in a thatched cottage in Hogsback, a small mountain town full of artists and coffee shops, set amongst massive yellowwood and pine trees. It snows here 11 months of the year - and they had a 50cm drop on them last winter (in July) and there were plenty of snapped trees to prove it; so the climate is rather temperate and we felt quite at home. The area is characterized by it's environment which is full of mountain vistas, cascading waterfalls and deep gorges choked with ancient yellowwood forests. JRR Tolken used to visit this town whilst in SA and the residents like to bragg that it was this striking scenery that inspired the shaping of 'Middle Earth' in his trilogy.
We needed a break from tent life and this was the perfect place to get organized, hang laundry in the sun, and rest. The scenery was having its affect on the kids too: they have convinced themselves (using their own stories) that a battle between delicate fairies and red-eyed wild pigs raged in the forest surrounding our cottage. They have spent hours exploring the thicket and I have armed them with carved wooden assegais (Xhosa spears) for protection. They move through the bush easily, walking almost upright in the underbrush. I look less battle-ready on my hands and knees spitting webs out of my mouth.

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/116486261622853021292/SATrip2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCLL_gbqGtdC63wE