We went for a walk on Saturday in our shopping town, Vryheid. The jacarandas are losing their blossoms but they are still glorious. Somehow the jacarandas seem more purple here than in LA.
Vryheid is a prosperous agricultural Afrikaaner community of about 30,000. Susan is admiring the landscaping in this upscale neighborhood. Turning the corner from this bit of suburbia we return to Africa.
Vryheid was the site of some major action in the Anglo-Boer Wars. The city set aside the area of the battles as a park and now as a nature preserve. Susan is on the road leading to the nature preserve. The hill you see is very steep and about 500 to 700 feet altitude gain from this point. There is a road through thick forest to the top. At the top is a plateau with grassland.
The forest going up the hill is filled with birds and clearings with wild flowers. Unfortunately I am not an expert birdwatcher and so have not done a good job of taking pictures of birds. This is a picture of a weaver-bird nest. The nest is delicately constructed, hangs from a branch with an entrance at the bottom.
Taking a photograph is an acceptable excuse for stopping to catch ones breath so more road pictures. We spent 3 hours on this hike and were the only people in the nature preserve.
Then you turn down slope to a large grassland plateau with animals. Here we have the Africa of the American imagination but you can still see Vryheid two km away. South Africa is a very complex country.
There are zebras, eland and other assorted antelope. They watch you carefully and run when you get within about 30 yards.
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