overloaded

We woke up after a peaceful night's slumber, super excited to actually BE on our trip and not just talking and planning about it. Whatever was left unfinished (or forgotten, more like) back in Cape Town will just have to go unfinished - or forgotten.

When we climbed out of our tent this morning, we could see exactly how pretty the campsite was. Later on in the day during our drive we saw some spectacular sights of the Cederberg Wilderness Area and canyons and then the Clanwilliam dam.

After realizing Foxy was WAY too overloaded from yesterday's short drive, we spent the entire morning unpacking and laying everything out on the grassy campsite. All this was stuff we had packed just 24 hours ago into her!

We chucked out a good few kilos (books, utensils, Tupperware, heavy-duty chain and lock, thermos, towels, bedding, stuff I can't remember anymore and would rather not for fear of thinking I should've kept it).

As difficult as it was to part with certain "things", it was quite liberating in a way. A kind of "spring cleaning" if you will. In the middle of summer. The "oh my goodness" man was very grateful and at least the stuff will be used by others.

We finally hit the road when the sun was high and hot. We drove on and on, telling ourselves that Foxy was indeed that much lighter and more happy without all that unnecessary gear.

By 17:30, the sun was setting fast so we turned into the Namaqualand Game Lodge we spotted from the road, just a few kms from Springbok. There was nobody else but us at the bush campsite, about 5 kms inland. Just us, nice flush toilets, an outdoor sink and the stars. We were warned of baboons who steal everything from food to shower curtains so we made sure we put everything back in Foxy before climbing into bed (a good habit to have anyways) just in case.

Tonight we tried to cook using our new big gas canister and stove. We tried desperately to light it a dozen times at least but then realized it was EMPTY. Big oops. I had a hunch, seeing as it was quite light and I could hoist it above my head onto the roof. We suspect all the gas leaked out during the ride when the nozzle was accidentally knocked open. So "fill gas canister" was added to our list of things to do.

We ended up using our small camping stoves and had some noodles and veg and fish.

Start: halfway between Citrusdale and Clanwilliam, SA. 13:00
End: just south of Springbok, SA. 17:30
Distance Travelled: 377 km
Road Conditions: gravel and smooth tar roads
Temperature: We are loving Foxy's air vents, a LandRover Defender Trademark, which keep us cool even during the heat of the day. It feels like being on a motorcycle and having the wind blow on your face. Because we don't have A/C our tinted windows are a huge blessing as well. Good investment indeed.
Night was quite chilly. Had to wear fleece and socks. Even Matt needed an extra fleece blanket besides our duvet! It was that chilly.