It is time for sun, sea and sand and happy holidays again.  Vleesbaai 4×4 route is the perfect destination for those windy and cloudy days when the weather does not want to play along for a beach visit.   

Early morning when you are first on the route you will encounter many fresh spoor ­– some very cat-like (I was thinking in the direction of a vaalbos kat), small antelope, mice and birds.  As they say the early bird catches the worm or is it spoor in this case? 

The interesting thing about this route is that it changes according to the time of day that you visit.  Early morning the sand can be firm and easy to drive, but during the day it can become a different play field altogether when the dunes heat up and the sand gets progressively softer as the day develops.  It also depends a lot on who drove before ……

If you are a first timer, listen to the advice – deflate your tyres – although it might seem ridiculously low to you – just do it.  I can guarantee you that it will make a huge  difference on your driving ability of the dunes.    And lastly, listen to some more sound advice (and warning) from Riekie.  Do not use alcohol when you are on the dunes as he will not hesitate to banish you.  Not only will you spoil your own day, but you will also spoil the day for other members in the group.

The highlight of the day is always the last obstacle, the “long dune”.  Most of the time on the route is spent here,  attempting and accomplishing the “long dune”.  And it is great fun. In general it takes more than one attempt to conquer this infamous obstacle.  This is also where the men reckon boys and men are separated from each other …   So, ladies let men play as they will always be boys in their hearts and their toys are their toys.

The route is rather popular with holiday makers and numbers are limited during peak season to preserve the sensitive dunes.  So, remember to book with Riekie and his team in time for your Vleesbaai experience.  And no sorry, no dogs are allowed on the dunes.

Some golden rules:       

Do not veer off the route – the dunes are monitored by Nature Conservation

Do not litter – always apply the trash in, trash out attitude

No pets allowed – there are some smaller wildlife in the dunes

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So, why named Cape St Blaize?   It is so-named because Bartolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer, and his crew first landed in Mossel Bay on St. Blaizes Day (3 February) in 1488.  Originally the lamp was visible as a single red light for 15 nautical miles but after several upgrades and electrification on the 6^th of April 1931, today it can be seen at 22 nautical miles.  Then in 1914 the lighthouse received its first foghorn and  later a radio beacon with the call sign ZRF was added.

This manned lighthouse with a tower height of 14.9 metres is open to the public and is situated at E22 09 25 S34 11 10 or just follow your instinct if you do not have a GPS to the Point in town.

When out at sea it can be recognized as a group flashing of two every 15 seconds.  The lighthouse was commissioned as a result of the number of vessels using the bay as safe anchorage and also to replenish supplies.

 Visit our own piece of Greece with white washed buildings steeped in history, breath-taking views over the ocean and blue, blue skies right here in the Garden Route.

I think an appropriate way to end this post is with  the lyrics from a song by a local singer, Elvis Blue.

 LIGHTHOUSE — Elvis Blue

“Know where I am and where I’m going.
Lost at sea, I see you shine for me
You are my lighthouse,
You are my lighthouse”

Listen to Elvis Blue performing “Lighthouse” — click, click, click – you know what to do!

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The other day, while on a geocaching spree, I got my answer and this is the story of this piece of history that survived development:

The early farmers of the area used to rest their animals at the large drinking troughs called waterbakke and the stage coaches apparently stopped here to water their horses before taking on the long haul to the town of George or over the Outeniqua mountains into the Karoo.

Although rust is setting in, one of these big iron troughs are still to be seen at De Bakke and was used until 1949.

Check it out at:   S 34° 10.381 E 022° 07.770

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