Mostly about the Humongous Gariep Dam

31 OCTOBER – 5 NOVEMBER 2020

After three quick days in Southern Gauteng (https://www.silversurfer-sws.com/?p=549), we crossed the Vaal River into the Free State. During his army days and as a masters student, Andre spent four years in this central province of South Africa. We used this short visit to spend more time with our good friend, Philip, and reconnected with Andre’s favourite lecturer, Prof. Das Steyn. But, this blog is mostly about the humongous Gariep Dam.

PRETTY PARYS

From Vanderbijlpark, it is just a hop, skip and a jump on the R59 to Parys. It was getting dark, and we could see another storm brewing in the distance. We decided to play it safe and rather phone ahead to make a booking at one of the many caravan parks or campsites near Parys. Boy, were we in for a shock! With all the chopping and changing of the school terms due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, we had totally lost track of when the school holidays were. Well, it turned out that this was the last weekend before schools started for the fourth term. And Parys was packed! Family reunions, Caravan Association block bookings and families making the most of their last weekend of freedom.

We had no alternative but to book a room somewhere. Luckily, the Purple Pillow (https://the-purple-pillow-parys.booked.net/) had an open spot for us; importantly, with enough parking space for Miss Daisy. It was a neat, modern room with all the basics – and of course a purple pillow as part of the décor! We barely carried in our toiletries and a change of clothing before the first, fat raindrops started pelting down.

We immediately headed out again, because our friend, Philip, was visiting his parents in Parys and he invited us to have a braai with them. I think the last time that we saw them, was at his wedding. It was wonderful to spend some time with Oom Frikkie and Tannie Joey, but also with Philip. Although we visited him in Fochville on our way to Buffelspoort (https://www.silversurfer-sws.com/?p=374), that was just a quick coffee break.

Shame, the two guys really had their work cut out for them to barbeque the meat with the rain coming down! Tannie Joey served a delicious spread of salads (and, of course, braaibroodjies) with the meat. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company!

Parys is a pretty town with an artistic soul. It has so many quaint little shops to browse through, but alas, when we woke up the next morning, the rain was pouring down in buckets! We could hardly see the road as we drove on towards Vredefort, let alone do any shopping.

ONWARDS TO BLOEMFONTEIN

With schools starting the next day, the oncoming traffic was heavy on the R720 and on the N1 as we headed south to Kroonstad. We made a brief detour through the streets of Kroonstad so that Andre could show me some of his hangout spots during his army days. The potholes on the road towards the army base at Bossiespruit were so bad though, that we rather turned around.

Our overnight spot was in Reyneke Park (https://reynekepark.co.za/) on the N8 just outside Bloemfontein. And this is really all it was. It had private ablution facilities, and everything was neat and clean with good security, but I cannot imagine spending too much time here.

Luckily, we did not have to, because we had an appointment for tea with Andre’s lecturer from Kovsies, Prof. Das Steyn. Andre thoroughly enjoyed catching up with his mentor who played such an enormous role in his vision as a town planner. He always encouraged his students to be critical thinkers and Andre has such a high regard for him.

After a quick meal from Burger King, we went to bed early. We left Reyneke Park early the next morning, just after 8 o’clock – and by then we were the only campers left on the campground. This really is just an overnight spot!

I did some quick grocery shopping while Andre filled up the bakkie, and then we were off.

THE WIDE-OPEN PLAINS OF THE FREE STATE

The Free State has a unique, almost simplistic, beauty. Nothing says “road trip” better than a long stretch of road between wide open plains of yellow grass. On this specific day, the small, fluffy, white cotton balls floating in the sky above, enhanced this beauty. They don’t make these Cumulus clouds in the Western Cape. What could be more perfect on a road trip than a short stop at a roadside picnic spot for coffee and a muffin?

GARIEP: A FOREVER RESORT

About 200km south from Bloemfontein on the N1, just before Colesberg, we pulled into the Forever Resort at the Gariep Dam (https://www.forevergariep.co.za/).

Once again, this Forever Resort did not disappoint. They have a few camping spots with private ablutions, but it was further away from the water. We chose a lovely spot close to the water. All the campsites are situated on beautiful, lush lawns with many trees for shade. We also had a brick-built braai and a basin for washing up. The bathroom was a three-day horse ride away, but it was luxurious and frequently cleaned and sanitised. Some campers actually drove to the bathroom from their camping spots!

The resort offers something for the whole family: jungle gyms, trampolines, putt-putt, tennis and volleyball courts, bowls, and a recreation hall. The swimming pool area is beautifully designed and landscaped with the kiddies’ pools feeding into the larger pool. Unfortunately, the large swimming pool was closed for maintenance during our stay, but it did look inviting.

The Bistro at the reception area serves good food and they have friendly staff. To my shame, I went over to the dark side and joined Andre for a tasty hamburger with a fantastic view over the dam.

MOSTLY ABOUT THE HUMONGOUS GARIEP DAM

Of course, the main attraction here, is the giant Gariep Dam. In the early mornings and late afternoons, Andre enjoyed fishing on the dam with his kayak. He did some serious rowing, but his reward was catching some good-sized bass. Our quick one-night stopover turned into two nights, but I did not complain. I enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of reading or writing with a view of the dam.

From the campground, situated in the harbour area, you do not really get an idea of the enormity of this dam. We drove up to the self-catering units higher above the campground. From their little stoepies you had a view over the main dam. What an impressive sight!

SOME DAM INTERESTING FACTS

With a surface area of 370m² and a storage capacity of 5 340 000 megalitres (5 340hm³), this is South Africa’s largest storage reservoir. It truly is larger than the eye can see.

We drove out to the dam wall which was completed in 1969 and officially opened in 1971. It is a hybrid gravity-arch structure with a height of 88m and a crest length of 914m. The gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Valley was too wide for a complete arch so flanking walls form gravity abutments to the central arch.

Andre dropped me in the middle of the bridge running along the crest of the dam. With his fear of heights, he could not face walking out onto the viewing platforms with me. He parked on the Eastern Cape side of the bridge for a while to give me enough time to take photos.

Whilst he was waiting there, Andre spotted a massive barbel – apparently at least 6 feet long. After he picked me up, we drove back to that spot, but the fish had disappeared, so I am not sure if that was just a fisherman’s tale?

We drove a bit further downstream from where we had an excellent view of the impressive dam wall – a real feat of South African engineering. Water from the Gariep Dam is also used to generate hydro-electricity with four 90MW turbines.

GARIEP DAM NATURE RESERVE

We also drove out to the Gariep Dam Nature Reserve (https://gariepdam.com/nature/) on the other side of the dam, but unfortunately it was being used as a Covid Quarantine Facility and we could not drive on. The gentleman at the gate spoke to us from a great distance – not sure whether he feared infecting us, or that we would infect him… We could see the chalets on the water’s edge, and at least we had an excellent view from there back over the dam to our campsite.

A REALLY LÓÓÓÓÓÓNG STRETCH AHEAD

On the morning of 4 November, we sadly said goodbye to the African Pied Starling (Witgatspreeu) with his with his brazen, cheeky confidence that had been our constant companion in the Forever Resort. He did not politely ask for food – he loudly demanded it!

We had a long stretch ahead of us because by nightfall we wanted to reach the Berg River Resort in Paarl where Andre’s parents were camping.

NORVALSPONT

Since we had already crossed the Gariep Dam Wall, we decided to drive the R701 to Norvalspont. The name is Afrikaans for Norval’s Ferry. The small town is named after the enterprising Scotsman who constructed a ferry here in 1848.

The first railway bridge across the Orange River was later built here in 1889 where it played a strategic role in the Boer Wars. It was blasted with explosives by the Boer Army and partially destroyed. After the war, the original railway bridge was transformed into a road bridge, with a new railway bridge alongside it. It still is a magnificent steel bridge which filled us with wonder as we drove over it.

From there, we turned west onto the R58 until we reached the N1-highway in Colesberg.

A HIGHWAY ROBBERY IN RICHMOND

From Colesberg we made steady progress till we reached Hanover where we wanted to refuel. Unfortunately, the service station had run out of diesel. We continued on to Richmond. Andre refuelled at the Caltex Star Stop while I went to order toasted sandwiches from the little café.

Our sandwiches took FOREVER! At one stage, I walked out onto the little stoepie, just to let Andre know that I was still waiting. When he spotted me, he started shouting at me, “Come! Come immediately!”

I was quite miffed because he does not usually speak to me like that. I shouted back that I was still waiting for the food.

He yelled, “Leave the food and just come!”

I could hear the urgency in his voice and realised that something had to be wrong. I ran to the bakkie. As I got in, Andre pulled away immediately. We then saw the cashier coming out of the café with our food. Andre made a quick circle past the café so that I could grab our food.

As we turned back onto the N1, Andre apologised for shouting at me and started explaining what was going on.

Whilst he had been waiting for me, he spotted a guy jumping up at a big long-haul truck parked next to the N1. His arm was stretched high above his head. As he was jumping, Andre saw something glint in the sunlight. He realised that the guy had a knife in his hand, which he slammed into the top of the navy tarpaulin on the side of the truck. As he came back down, he split the tarpaulin open from top to bottom. Andre realised that he wanted to rob the truck.

He ran to alert the driver, who was busy checking the engine. Andre ran around the side of the truck to scare off the thief, thinking that the driver would follow him. To his amazement, the driver shut the hood of the truck, jumped in, and drove off. Andre was left exposed. The thief jumped back over the fence and, as he disappeared amongst the houses, threatened Andre. He promised to come back with more guys to beat Andre up and gestured that he would slit Andre’s throat.

I was furious because I thought that Andre had foolishly endangered himself. But I was also proud of him for standing up for what is right. My anger was born out of my fear of losing him, but perhaps we need more men like him who are willing to help and protect others.

I was also livid with the truckdriver for not backing Andre up. Initially, we suspected that the driver reacted so strangely because he might have been in on the crime. As we drove further south, we kept our eyes peeled for that navy truck, but we never passed it. We speculated that the driver had perhaps followed a specific protocol which guides them to get the truck away from a dangerous situation as quickly as possible. It could also be that he drove straight to the police station.

A RESTLESS NIGHT IN LAINGSBURG

We arrived in Laingsburg late in the afternoon. Our initial plan, to join my parents-in-law at the Berg River Resort, was thwarted. Unfortunately, we had the date wrong – they would only arrive there the next day. We could not go home either, because both our kids were writing exams the next day and we did not want to disrupt their preparation.

Over a hamburger in the Wimpy, we decided to stay over in Laingsburg. The Sit & Rus Caravan Park (https://www.facebook.com/sitenruscaravanpark) was our only camping option. The grass was green with some trees for shade, and the ablutions looked neat and clean. I could overlook the litter along the perimeter fence because their rate was not too expensive (R280 per night). They also had a security guard on duty at the gate.

But, boy, were we in for a restless night! The caravan park is just off the main road through Laingsburg with the truck stop right opposite. It also is right next to the train tracks and the industrial area. Between the locals walking by noisily spouting extremely colourful language, non-stop traffic even after curfew, the trains rambling through and noise from the factories, sleep was only a far-off dream! Not a place where I would ever want to camp again!

HOME SWEET HOME

We could hardly wait for the sun to rise before we high-tailed it out of Laingsburg the next morning.

We surprised the outlaws at the Berg River Resort in Paarl (https://bergriverresort.co.za/) while they were still setting up camp. It was so good to see them. We spent a few relaxing hours there to catch up over a braai and tell them all about our adventures. The facilities at the Berg River Resort impressed us and we would love to spend a weekend there at some stage.

Just before four o’clock, we could finally complete the last leg of our journey home. We timed our drive perfectly to arrive home at five o’clock, just as our daughter finished her online exam. This was the longest that we had ever been separated from our kids and we could not stop hugging them!

After nearly six weeks on the road, and loving every minute of it, this was home sweet home!