Mist in Belfast
An interesting morning at the old Smuts farm. At 0500 it was bright outside but a bitterly cold mist was arseing about. I couldn't believe it - the middle of summer and it was below 10°C outside in the day time. I can't imagine how miserably cold this spot - one of the highest plateaus in Southern Africa - is in midwinter with a breeze sweeping through. Twas a pleasant though not overly challenging drive on the wet and clayey dirt track back to Belfast town.
Hitting tar, I pulled into the first garage at 0600 (still bitter out) in order to fill up on LRP and also to check why she was running a little hot so early in the day. Popped the bonnet to find yellow coolant literally pissing out of the thermostat housing, for want of a better metaphor (see pic). Not a biggie, thankfully. The hoseclip had cut a nick through the waterhose to the cabin heater. Luckily the hose was just about long enough to cut the culpable length off and re-clamp it. Perfect job. Oil was fine too, but lucky I nipped the leak in the bud.
Hands were frozen after the job, though me bare toes were fine and toasty after a welcome splash of hot antifreeze all over me flip flops. After Belfast I belted on along the N4 towards Jo'Burg - a fairly event free trip amongst plenty of trucks. I hit Jozi traffic at 0900, though I thought I had missed the rush, foolishly. Mega congestion was in store for me due to some of Jo'burg's perennial roadworks. We spent a cursed 40 mins somewhere between 1st and 2nd gear. I could sense Betty's temper rising and her clutch wearing. Thank goodness the morning was still cool - again very bizarre for Jozi in the summer. I really don't know how she'd've coped in the heat.
After somehow navigating myself onto the correct N1 turnoff (to Bloemfontein) without error or killing a biker, I pulled into the first N1 Engen 1Stop for a spot of grub. Wimpy brekkieburger (egg + 2 rashers) and Wimpy coffee. No fancy farmers markets round these parts. Before setting off on the N1 proper I decided to check the oil and water as today would be Betty's longest day (ever, I imagine) on the road. Water was way below LOW so I topped up a healthy 2 litres.
And the oil sump? Dry as a moth sandwich. I had to throw in 3 litres of its 3.5itre capacity to fill the thing. Yikes! I imagine twas all that high revving and first gear nonsense earlier that caused her to dry up.
Ah, Gauteng, you beauty!
Anyway, we belted on down Eastalong on the N1 for 200 odd km. Lunch was a decent mutton curry pie, an egg and cheese sandwich and a fantastic coffee whose chain's name I now forget (Brasilica or Amazonia or Acapulcos or something). The oil and water was tip-top. Astute readers will have noted that I pull the old doll in every 200km or so nowadays for a quick checkup, particularly so in the heat. After our quick lunch munch we horsed on the remaining 250km to the Bloem Shell Ultra City - the needle never budging from 80km/h - where I filled up. Could only manage to find Unleaded however as Shell have apparently stopped selling Lead Replacement Petrol and the other large stations are due to follow suit. Ozone schmozone, that's what I say. So I had to pick up some irreputable Valve-Ease® to help ease the valves now that the fuel was no longer doing it.
I had decided to belt on to Colesburg for the night as the going was fairly good (600km today without too much heartache...). Leaving Bloem the oil and water was still good (though I had to add a litre of coolant as it had boiled out when I checked it, hot. Stupid). As I pulled off the forecourt a blinding thunderstorm impeded my vision and progress as well as speed had to drop from B80* (see footnote) to B60 for quite a spell.
Wipers struggling in a Bloem storm. Note the indispensable towel on the shoulder to soak up any rainwater penetrating the door-frame.
The storm cleared and eventually revealed a gloroius and golden-hued green tinged Karoo, with clear blue skies complimented by a swarm of curious silver lined clouds. A beautiful desert scene, the tar parting the set. All seen through variegated sepia-toned faux-Aviators. Majestic.
Karoo roads
We arrived in Colesburg timeously at sunset and pulled into the local backpackers/hostel. After unravelling I had a few beers at the local pub, the Horse and Mill, along with a small but satisfying lamb curry. I set my eyes on the tv set - something I hadn't done in a long long time. Motorsport special on SuperSport2. The Australasian Rally, the Le Mans and the inimitable Dakar. Couldn't hear most of it though due to the incessant bleatings of an unashamedly materialistic, image-centric and money hungry Jo'burg family to my left. Nothing new there.
Rolling into Colesburg.
In bed by 2300 after a tough but rewarding day behind the wheel. No wash yet mind - no water on tap here in the Karoo after the watershed. Dry times.
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Footnotes
* "B80": i.e. "80km/h Bettyspeed". This is the speed the vehicle travels at when the needle points at 80km/h on Betty's dial. This velocity is somewhere between 90km/h and 95km/h, as ascertained using a low-end Garmin SatNav in Swaziland that time. "B60" is thus 70-75 km/h, "Bn" is (n+10) to (n+15) km/h. I think the discrepancy is constant. It has led to 3 speeding fines in the last year.
