Wed, Aug 19 - Namaqua Daisies

We packed up and left our beautiful thatched dome after a breakfast that included a dish of potatoes,onions, and herbs that was really delicious. It was sad to leave such a well-run place with its wonderful staff, food and unique rooms.

We took off on the N7 south and gassed up at Kamieskroon  at the turnoff for the Namaqua National Park and, after several kilometers of unpaved road, joined a line of cars waiting to enter.  We filled out the paperwork, paid our fee and drove in.   One can park and photograph the flowers but not walk into the fields so as not to trample the flowers or make paths. Busloads of flowers lovers and cars stopped for flower jams.  The masses of orange daisies were really overwhelming. They stretched on forever and were incredibly intense. We are really lucky as we seem to have arrived as the flowers are reaching their peak.

After a few miles, we left the tourist circuit at Skilpad and took off on a road designated 4x4, but the manager at Naires had told us that our car could make it, which we hoped was true as we had about 27 kilometers to go on it.    We drove on the narrow, rough dirt road over enormous speed bumps or water channels, feeling somewhat dazed and couldn't appreciate the lovely and varied displays of flowers we were passing for a while until the impact of all that orange subsided a bit!  

We saw masses of purple & white ice plant, yellow daisies, and millions of tiny yellow rayless flowers that formed sheets of pale yellow.  Bob spotted a tortoise (skilpad in Afrikaans) crossing the road and we stopped to rescue it, but couldn't find it for a while as it was such a fast mover.  I've never seen a critter like that move so quickly! 

After another 100 kilometers of better dirt road we finally reached the paved N7 again and picked up speed for the last 90 minutes into the small town of Vanrhysdorp. We didn't know where our B&B  was located, but it's such a small town that we had no  problem finding it.    We're staying in a simple, nice guest house with wifi and a shower and a very nice old non-threatening black lab rather than a ridgeback!   We had a good dinner of baked fish, ox tail stew and creme caramel family style with an  Afrikaaner couple on their annual flower trip and a road engineer.  They seem amazed by the amount of money required to run for office in the US, and wish Hillary well - as do we!