We travel from Kimberley to Van Wyksvlei

Kimberley is the Capital of the Northern Cape. After enduring the hustle and bustle of this City, we were just to glad to continue on our journey….

We were on our way to Van Wyksvlei via the R357.

The first stop was at a little town called Douglas – 107km ahead. Once again, as so many times before, it seemed as if the road went on …and on….

Once we filled up with fuel and bought a few snacks, we were almost ready to go but Bruno and Junior needed to stretch their legs and do what a pet traveler does best…
After a half an hour of exploring and marking their territory they were finally happy to go!

The confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers is a very scenic spot – only a few km out of town. 

It was late afternoon and we continued towards Prieska.

The Karoo landscape is awesome! Big areas of flat land with Karoo bushes dotted everywhere…complimented by hills stretching as far as the eye can see…
It reminded me of a painting I saw before and I could imagine being the artist who gets inspired through this lovely picture…

At the T-Junction we turned right into Prieska and drove through town to see what it had to offer, before heading towards Van Wyksvlei.

It was late afternoon and we had to find a place to spend the night…

We decided to attempt the last shift of the day and  traveled further, towards Van Wyksvlei.

Almost every pole, along our way, was decorated with a weavers nest.

These birds are social weavers and build massive nests.

 Us… a flat dry landscape, the sun setting behind the hills and an unknown destination awaiting…

Somewhere in the shadow of this landscape lies Copperton.

It was time for a good nights rest!

The next morning we woke up to a chill in the air. While Bruno and Junior enjoyed the freedom and explored the area, I prepared pancakes for breakfast.

From our overnight spot, we could see Copperton in the distance. We also noticed this power station some distance from town.

A flaky crust on the ground showed signs of drought…

This gentleman was hard at work – thanks to Bruno or Junior!

We took a few moments to enjoy the amazing scenery before we had to start up and go.

This confirms that water is scarce in this part of the country –  very low rainfall.

Once again, a long and dusty road…all the way to Van Wyksvlei.

As we got closer to Van Wyksvlei and further away from Prieska, there was a drastic change
in landscape.

A scenery of scattered rocks, red hot sand and bush.

Now and then, the barren Karoo landscape showed signs of previous life – this abandoned home told a story of what was once!

After a long and hot journey we were tired at the end of the day and decided to enjoy another beautiful sunset, while preparing supper at this interesting spot in the middle of nowhere.

Signboards pointing out different directions.   Prieska, where we came from, Van Wyksvlei, our destination, and another pointing towards Marydale, which is  included in our future travels.

Traveling along dirt roads can be quite an experience. On rainy days, muddy and slippery and dry and dusty during the hot summer days. No wonder the rig looks like this!