Thu, Aug 13 - To Kenhardt

Overcast sky with drizzle greeted us when we got up.  We have a glorious large tub with claw feet and, as this area is full of overflowing ponds, I didn't feel any compunction to save water, so I filled the tub and started the day warming up with a lovely bath.  We drove over to De Lande and had another great breakfast before saying good by to our birder Brit friends, and Mariette.  We loaded up our car, thanked Willem once again for helping us with the car and took off north.

We were going to stop at the waterfall again, but it was so cold and drizzly that we headed due east toward Calvinia on R27.  The landscape became more arid with high buttes resembling some parts of Nevada.  We drove into town and with the help of our GPS, found Akkerendam Nature Preserve and were let in through a large ornate gate and drove up to a dam.  

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A tiny iris - about 1" across

We hiked along a road which would have been pleasant except the Antarctic cold front that has just gone through producing a cold fierce wind.  We saw some interesting plants including a miniature iris about 1" across and almost stemless  (Moraea sp. ), booming euphorbias and tiny daisies. I was able to photograph a pair of Karoo Scrub Robins that circled around us after Bob played their song - springtime makes them very territorial!

Blooming Euphorbias

We continued on R27.  The mountains disappeared and the vegetation became scarcer on this   high plateau which is at 3400'.  Bob's bird guide suggested several place to stop along the highway which was easy as the traffic was so light - amazingly there are nice rest stops with tables and trash cans every 6 miles each way.  Bob got five life birds, although I didn't get out of the car each time as the wind was really blowing. 

We eventually got into grassland and saw a few Quiver trees and  started seeing the famous Sociable Weaver nests on telephone poles.  These are supposed to be the largest nests of any bird in the world and I can see why.  Some are about 10' high and must be quite old.  The weavers were zooming out of the bottom of the nest, picking up twigs from the ground and returning to build some more!

Sociable Weavers & Nest

We reached the small town of Kenhardt about 4:30, found the Kenhardt Motel and have a little cabin in the back.  It's pretty basic, but it does have a shower, and an amazing looking bar! 

I don't know if I will work up the nerve to take a shower in this unheated room or wait until tomorrow when we arrive at Augrabies Falls where it should be pretty warm.

We went into the dining room at seven and got some beers and sirloin steaks with chips and onion rings where were pretty delicious, better then the fancy steak house in Paarl!