Twists and Turns

One bad thing about travel-schooling is that Saturday is the same as every other day.  Today was no different as we started with a bit of math and reading immediately followed by the pack-up and move  on routine which is becoming old hat for us.  This was a travel day for the RTW Adventure Family as we headed from Hermanus to Oudtshoorn.

The drive was a four and one-half hour journey up, through, and down a mountainous region. The roads were as striking as they were twisting.  At times, we were literally on the edge of the mountain with no guard rails and little margin for error.  It was a fabulous ride and Bob loved every second behind the wheel.  Roman and Mabret spent time playing their iPods in the backseat.  Kathy occupied herself by wringing her hands and breathing deeply. 

Views from the road.

We found a very nice spot for an outdoor lunch and some rest from the twists and turns of the road.   The view made it hard to leave once lunch was finished.

As the road unfolded in front of us, there was no alternative but to put on some Bruce.  Bob found himself putting together a list of the 5 best Springsteen road trip songs.   Of course, there could be separate daytime and nighttime lists as well as singalong lists versus contemplative lists. We sampled some of the contenders and began listing and eliminating. For today at least, the list is as follows:

5.  Darlington County

4.  Cadillac Ranch

3.  Racing in the Street

2.  Born to Run

1.  Thunder road 

We rolled into Oudtshoorn at approximately 4pm with 2 sleeping adventurers in the backseat.

The town of Oudtshoorn is in the Klein Karoo Region between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains. Oudtshoorn is the ostrich capital of the world. The world's biggest bird is just one of the many attractions in this area of beauty. 

Oudtshoorn is also home to the Cango Caves, Africa's largest show cave system which is an ecological hotspot.  We are told that the tour in not for the faint of heart as crawling on one's stomach is required to squeeze through some of the passages.

Tomorrow we visit the Cango Caves and an ostrich farm. We will report back with a recap and photos. Although darkness has now fallen as I write this post, below is a picture from the patio of our room at the Hlangaga Lodge in Oudtshoorn.

Talk to you all tomorrow. 

Grotto Beach

So you ask, "Where in the world is Mabret Levant?"  That was the question posed and answered by Mr. K's 4th grade class at the Wallenpaupack North Intermediate School.  This morning we received a picture of a bulletin board which is proudly displayed by Mabret's classmates.  The picture brought smiles to all of our faces.  We love the Waldo hat.

The answer is that Mabret and Roman were finding adventure on Grotto Beach just outside of Hermanus, South Africa.  Grotto Beach is a World Heritage Site as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. The World Heritage Fund provides more than $4 million each year to protect and preserve the World Heritage Sites.  Grotto beach is also a Blue Flag Beach which is a label given to Eco friendly beaches throughout the world. 

Grotto Beach stretches for almost 10 miles so there are vast areas to run and play.  Behind the beach are mountains which provide a stunning backdrop. As it is off season, we had the entire beach to ourselves.  

It did not take long for the adventurers to find sand dunes to explore. 

The Atlantic Ocean provided further adventure.

Do not be fooled. It was COLD on the beach and colder in the water. It did not seem to phase our young explorers. However, Dad took a selfie while "life guarding". 

Mom found some time for relaxation.

After several hours of beach and nature explorations, we ate lunch.

After lunch, Roman and Mabret changed into more appropriate clothing for the cool tempatures which were in the 50s with heavy winds.  And promptly decided that more swimming was in order.

To our classmates, we did have to earn the beach by doing our school work in the morning.  We also have a spelling test in the morning. Ugh.  

Tomorrow we depart Hermanus for Oudtshoorn which boasts ostrich farms and the Cango Caves.  We have a four and a half hour drive.  Plenty of time for Mom to really enjoy the ride.