GRAVEL TRAVEL NORTHERN CAPE Adiesel smell in the dust Between Namaqualand and the Kalahari you can get into cruise mode on deserted gravel roads. Forests of quiver trees wereflowering when Johan de Smidt drove three long gravel stretches between Loeriesfontein and Upington. JOHAN DE SMIDT photographs Hit the (dirt) road, Jack. Road signs like this one spell an escape from traffic. This one is near the start of Snakes alive –it’saforest! The quiver tree forest near Kenhardt is your chance to have aclose look at these iconic trees. Just watch out for snakes, though. amore than hour-long good gravel drive from Loeriesfontein. bring my goats and sheep to graze flowing with the Gariep.There hasn’t On the wayto Brandvlei we sawsome on the map looks like ashortcut gravel the dryseason. We stop to look anyway, here in the hills along the Gariep been another vehicle in sight for kilome- die-hard little flowers and near Kenhardt road between his town and Kakamas butdon’tknowwhatitis. because fodder is too expensive.” tre after dusty kilometre. we were surprised by aquiver tree forest is arutted stretch from hell. We should But if someone spies something Life on the edge under the The RockeryRoute is the third where Vanessa almost stood on aviper. rather take the much better R357 to thatbegins with a“p” near yetanother Fast facts E a s y ‘INorthernCape sun has lined the face greatgravel stretch we’vetravelled But it’shere, next to the languid Gariep, Brandvlei and then head north on the medium-sized grey bird of prey on a of Cornelius Coetzee. Apartfrom his from Namaqualand to the Kalahari. Best time: Autumn to spring, when it’s thatthe area finally gets ahuman voice. tarred R27. telephone pole, youcan’tgo wrong by 12 boer goats and 17 Dorper sheep,the Our welcome to the NorthernCape’s abit cooler Right-ho.Wehit the gravel on the answering,pale chanting goshawk. Stayat least: One day Eksteenskuil subsistence farmer’sonly well-graded gravel roads wasasmooth Enchanting goshawks sleepy town’seasternfringe. Soon we’re The only wild animals we see are a Distance from: Cape Town to Upington: companyout here among the hills near 121km stretch of the R357 between ±825km; Johannesburg to Upington: Loeriesfontein-Brandvlei: 121km over arise, belowwhich the ochre rib- pair of bat-eared foxes, fortunate ones Keimoes is his mongrel puppy.“Sit, Loeriesfontein and Brandvlei, after ±786km Some of whatpass as public roads bon we’reonstretches all the wayto thathaven’tended up as road kill like too Bobby,” Cornelius ordersinvain, as his which sunset found us on asnaking Know-all: Quiver trees have been dying between Loeriesfontein and Kakamas the horizon. manyothers. puppy licks us like we’reice-cream on 84km humdinger linking Kenhardt, out in some areas in the northwest of the youapparently don’twant to driveunless We’rekeeping an eyeout for flowers, The road dips and curvesoverthe this hot autumn afternoon. Brandvlei’snorthernneighbour on the countrydue to global warming. someone else is paying the insurance… butit’searly winter, awhole two seasons dry, sparsely vegetated plains north We’vestopped on top of ahill along R27, to Kakamas, southeast of our “Forget about it,”the Loeriesfon- since we last saw katsterte covering acres of theHantamsberg in the eastern the RockeryRoute, 60km of undiluted first destinations, the Augrabies Falls Accessible Accessible tein transportoperator insists in front of Namaqualand soil. Only afew small Namaqualand and through acouple gravel entertainment along the R359 National Park and Riemvasmaak. of the closed information office. What yellowflowers on the dryroadside defy of drifts.Evenwithout stability control, > 64 DRIVE OUT MAY2011 www.driveout.co.za DRIVE OUT MAY2011 65 GRAVEL TRAVEL NORTHERN CAPE the previous-model Fortuner is planted on the well-graded road as we pass Gravel places with ringing names such as Klip- Tar ±20km werf,Witputs and Lekkeroog. On along stretch of dirtlike this, you N10 Augrabies Falls N14 have time to get into mental neutral, as NAmibiA National Park there is no one in the rear-view mirror Upington trying to overtake, and no one approach- Orange Louisvale N10 ing to slowdownfor. Keimoes 46 Kanoneiland It’sjust the dusty haze of the open R359 41 Neilersdrif gravel road, the damp riverbed of the N14 Kakamas Krom Rivier and the three of us −six- 71 ties-survivor Bob Dylan has kept up with the missus and me with Mod- 84 R27 erntimes: “There’sanevenin’ hazesett- lin’ over the town /Starlight by the edgeof Quiver Tree Kenhardt the creek /The buyin’ powerofthe prole- Forest tariat’sgone down /Money’sgetting’ shal- lowand weak.” Aquiver tree forest South AfricA Kenhardt-Kakamas: 84km 142 After hitting Brandvlei, we swing north on the tarred 142km stretch on the R27 R27 Verneukpan to Kenhardt. Reaching Kenhardt takes more than an hour of counting mas- sivesociable weavers’ nests on telephone posts.It’senough time to think back how Verneukpan, south of Kenhardt, has lived Brandvlei up to its name. R357 Its sharpstones were the nemesis of 121 Blue Bird, Sir Malcolm Campbell’schar- iot in which he tried to break the land- speed record in 1929. Loeriesfontein This is also where South African land- speed record holder Johan Jacobs died in R357 R355 2006 when his jet car, Edge, flipped at 500km/h on apractise runtobreak the stopped to explore identifies it as a world record for the standing mile. lethal Gabon viper.“They’re terri- Nowadays the only ones who don’t bly poisonous,”heassures us.Phew, seem to mind dem stones are parasailers lucky us then. Ahospital visit wasn’t and kite-surfers. really on the first day’sitinerary. Just when the end of our informal nest Jawellnofine −itturned out to be not Twilight zone. Sunset along the gravel stretch between Kenhardt and Kakamas is the time to stop, get out and pull on awarm jacket. surveyisinsight, there’sasurprise about so venomous at all. In fact, the snake’s 8kmbefore Kenhardt where asign indi- light blue markings in dark brown cates aquiver tree forest. It’sanchors bands on its back gave it away as a aweigh at aclump of apparently about rather shy, mildly poisonous Namaqua- 700 quiver trees. land dwarf viper −possibly the world’s It’sthe first time we see the strik- smallest viper. ing trees in flowerand we get quite car- As we followthe trail leading to scores ried away.The coverinthis forest might more quiver trees scattered about the gran- be too sparse for ajackal, or awolf,to ite koppies, we’resuddenly very aware of ambush an excited Little Red Riding where we step.But there’snomore hiss- Hood in, butaslithering something lurks ing to spoil the peace. in quiver tree paradise… Fortunately,wedon’thavetolook Fortunately,Little Red Riding Hood for directions to the nearest hospital is wide awake, as usual. It’sjust afeint at Kenhardt’scop shop.Wenolonger hissing,but Vanessa still hearsit. Right trust our map’ssimple-looking gravel next to her feet, head cocked to strike, is shortcuts, so we ask the police about athick, shortlight-brown snake. Adder-ley St. The presence of Namaqua the condition of the gravel road to She has time to retreatbefore a dwarf vipers is one reason to watch your step Kakamas.First-class they say; they use Free grub. Subsistence farmers such as Cornelius Coetzee bring their live- Smooth going. Rocky outcrops dot the roadside on the 84-km stretch of passing “snake expert” who has also when you stroll around quiver tree forests. it themselves.Great. > stock to graze in the hills near Keimoes. His other companyisBobby,his dog. smooth gravel road thatlinks Kenhardt to Kakamas. 66 DRIVE OUT MAY2011 www.driveout.co.za DRIVE OUT MAY2011 67 Commune. Counting sociable weavers’ nests Flowing with the Gariep. Near Kakamas, the R359 thatweaves along the Gariep from Upington, brings shortens the road between Brandvlei and Kenhardt. you within astone’sthrowofthe river.Look out for aquiver tree nurseryand water wheels. We hook aleft 5km north of the town area, youcould also visit the water wheels in the Kalahari, and yetyou are smack and head down another well-graded near Kakamas thatscoop water out of the bang in the middle of the Green Kala- gravel road. Soon we slowdownfor a riverand redirect it to vineyards, and buy hari. Aline of bright green vineyards mini convention of bikerstaking aroad- some merchandise at the Orange River connects the towns on the riverbanks. side break. Wine CellarsinKakamas and the numer- It’shere thatyou’ll find the best sul- The Fortuner whistles along the ous road stalls along the N14. tanas in the country. road thatslitherspast sprawling socia- At Kanoneiland, where the Gariep It is also here, in the hot dryhills above ble weavers’ nests in thorntrees.Some splits in amyriad streams, youcan cut the sprawling grape farms, thatyou’ll of the nests became so big,the tough back to the tarred N14 between Spring- meet subsistence farmerslike Cornelius thorntree brancheshavecollapsed bok and Upington across twobridges. battling it out in the hills.“We have always under their weight. It’s so green around youonthe survived here with our goats and sheep,” By the time the road regurgitates us at RockeryRoute,you won’tsay you’re he says with awry,wrinkly grin. Kakamas, the sun has long sunk behind one of the scatterings of granite koppies. En route Rocking along (RockeryRoute, Kakamas-Kanon- What were you driving? Toyota Fortuner 3.0 and Kakamas at sunset; next to the Gariep eiland: 60km) D-4D 4x4 between Neilersdrif and Kakamas as you head It is from Kakamas thatthe Rock- How fardid you drive? We drove 265km up the hills on the R359.