We spent two nights in the Cederberg Mountain area at Highlanders Camp.  On the drive there we stopped in the town of Springbok.  The town was bustling on a Saturday morning.  The people looked faded, tough and weathered.  Springbok rose up from the copper mining industry of Namaqualand. The first copper mine was established in 1852, and Springbok was laid out a few years later.  Miners flocked to the area and it continued to grow, since there was a good source of drinkable water nearby as well.

The weather has been deteriorating, and we see rain for the first time in weeks.  The temperature is dropping fast as well.  I already miss the desert heat.  The landscape has changed as well, and now it’s more hilly, rocky and green.  Roads are consistently paved, and we make good time.  The pace of some of the drive day son potholed drit was excruciatingly slow, bumpy and dust-filled.  Even so, we wouldn’t have been able to do a fraction of what we did having signed on with this tour.  We’re somewhat jealous of those who started the trip in Nairobi.  Maybe we’ll have to do that leg someday!  Doing things the hard way is part of the journey: camping, dealing with the weather, security, sharing chores and cooking, long hours in the truck was so much better than being led by the hand from luxury lodge to another.  Filthy clothes will be washed.  Torn nails, scraped knees, cut fingers and toes will heal, and we’ll all look back with a smile at the time travelling together that made us so many new friends.

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