LCCSA trip to Rust de Winter - March 2011

Thank you Flip Jacobs for organising the trip and allowing us to accompany you. Thank you also to everyone else who added to the occasion. We had a lovely time.

After the weekend I downloaded our pictures and saw that I had just over a thousand.

The plan was to just download them to Picasa but Sylvia thought I should make a proper page again.

Well after a little decision making I have made the Picasa page open to those that have the address. The advantage of using that link is that you do not have to look at any more of my blurb - just click on https://picasaweb.google.com/100212136101166492201/LCCSARustDeWinterMarch2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJXQhLOMhoyXyQE#

1. Sylvia and I arrived early - before lunch time and set up our little tent in the shade. It was amazing how the sunlight moved bringing the tent into the shade for a while and then bathing it in full sunlight. At a guess I would say the tent spent an equal time in each environment and every time when I thought how lovely it might be to go and lie on the mattress and close my peepers the sun shone on the tent brilliantly making the interior oven like.

Those who came after us (arrived later) found significant traffic on the highway and it took them a long time to get to Rust de Winter.

2.Dappled sunlight showing the exterior of our belongings. (Please take careful note of the clean vehicle.)

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4. Early morning - some still snoring.

5. Another morning scene.

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7. Adam and Susan Stander.

8. Just now we will all be packed and waiting to leave.

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11. Lots of towels.

12. Dark halo.

13. Me doing my bit.

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15. Cell phone usage instructions. Not that button Dad!

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19. One of the most stylish hats.

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22. A woodland kingfisher which came and perched quite near to us. The lovely large old trees support a wonderful variety of birds. The campsite is lovely.

23. Most of the group posing before departure.

24. The same people - waving because they were told to.

25. Sylvia Bishop with Susan and Adam Stander.

26. At last we are off.

27. Lining up ready to go.

28. The descent to "Lovers' Lane".

29. The start of "Lovers' Lane".

30. The scenery is spectacular and the path narrow.

31. The sides are hard so care has to be taken.

32. Narrow too.

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40. This is why it is better if I am not in the vehicle - I would be screeching - LESS POWER - HOOF OFF - YOU ARE RIPPING THE RUBBER BITS ON THE BOTTOM TO SHREDS. Thank you Peter from both of us for removing me from the vehicle. I am not easy to live with.

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42. Fleeing spectators.

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48. It is lunch time and our gracious hosts are making boerewors (sausage) rolls for us.

49. A group of people planning to desert. Too many chaperones here.

50. More scenery.

51. Peter Claasen in front of the vehicle which has perfect winter heating facilities.

52. Peter Claasen doing a bit of pruning.

53. Who wants to be thought of as timid?

54. A nice climb.

55. Dinner on the mountain. We were generously given some ginger biscuits soaked in "straw rum". (I had no idea what I had partaken of and had to ask in a coughing tone. Peter said these biscuits were given out especially if you wanted to go to bed early and did not like your compatriots.) Why was I offered extra helpings??

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61. Success in folding after lessons. (Cantankerous teacher.)

62. Water donations. In dry times there is no water on the top of the mountain and generous people carried some up to replenish the tanks.

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65. Sylvia next to a Naboom. This is a type of Euphorbia and the sap is poisonous and extremely dangerous if you get it into your eyes.

66. A view showing some vehicles in the distance.

67. You drive down this.

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71. The returned vehicles lined up - drivers ready to receive certificates.

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77. This is how it should be done if you have lockers. (Just I beg of you be careful of your habit to put your arm out the window. In very steep inclines you should have the window wound up at least half way as it is instinctive to put your arm out to stop the vehicle from falling.) Now I am ducking before I am told to shut up and mind my own business for goodness sake.

78. The see-saw

79. Adam Stander going down a slope where I said I thought we should not go.

80. I am in the vehicle - door closed - water seeping in slowly - feet in the water - trying to just shut up. This is probably more interesting to those who were there - a winch is more powerful than another vehicle when it comes to extricating one on its belly. This is the second time we have ever used our winch and I was very glad that it worked as we have only played with it once years ago.

Stones in the wheels - between the dust covers and disks. Thank you Adam and Paul for risking your fingers in these slots.

The real recovery pictures are all missing as I am a poor professional snapper - when the chips are down and it is our vehicle the whole body goes into spasm - not only a finger on the right hand.

Addendum:

Two days later C-Track told me that the recovery unit is not working. Probably drowned as it stopped on the day of the "big swim". I got an SMS asking me to contact C-Track as our vehicle had "not reported in 48 hours". This was followed by in capitals as shown: "WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN AN EMERGENCY". This allowed me to let off a tirade at the person who eventually, after a long time, having had to listen to some whining female extol some or other virtue of C-Track on and on and bloody on - I reminded him, as I do everyone I ever meet who asks about tracking devices that I was charged an exorbitant amount for "roaming" when I left the country - and that the "roaming" cost more than the monthly fee. And I never asked their curious idiotic people to try and see where I was in the bush. And why the $%#&^ was I charged for this when I never asked anyone to snoop on my vehicle. Had I ever asked anyone at C-Track where I was when outside the country this would have been fine but I did not. I have major maps on our GPS units and know exactly where I am. I have tried to test the vehicle locally and they have not known where I was in some parts of the Northern Cape. For some time I traveled in peace through Southern Africa with no "roaming" charges - now I leave the country in terror at the possibility of enormous "tracking" bills on my return. GRRR - wound up again now!

I have spoken to Cross Country amongst other insurance people about this as they ("they" being insurance companies) like tracking units and all say they have never heard of "roaming" charges and they have even offered to investigate but to no avail. A sensitive, attentive soul may pick up that this "roaming" charge agitates me to a point where I become catatonic and chatter with rage.