Hi Husky lovers! This is Des (aka The Fossil). Today, I’m taking over Jaxx’s blog to describe the Rooi Els to Gordon’s Bay section of his Walk 4 SOS Huskies journey.
Yesterday, we drove our Mahindra PIKUP from Rooi Els all the way along the R44 to see the conditions under which Jaxx would need to walk to get to Gordon’s Bay. The distance of this section is 23,2 km and would take about 4 hours, 43 minutes to walk. The distance is not a problem for Jaxx but I am concerned about the tarred road surface becoming too hot for his paws. And there’s a lot of hairpin bends, meaning that we’d need to cross over to the other side, with traffic approaching us from the rear, to safely walk around the bends.
Generally, I prefer to walk Jaxx along the roadside verge facing oncoming traffic. That way, I can see any approaching threats, like vehicles driving across the yellow line (that happens often) or big pantechnicon trucks that scare Jaxx with their loud noise and slipstream wind when they pass us. Blind bends are, therefore, a problem so we cross over to the other side for a better view of the road ahead. But that creates the risk of not seeing what’s approaching us from behind. And that could be too late to take evasive action.
So, for the sake of safety, I’ve decided to skip this section of Jaxx’s walk. But Clarence Drive is too beautiful not to feature in his blog as it provides magnificent views across False Bay to Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula. In my opinion, Clarence Drive rivals Cape Town’s Chapman’s Peak Drive between Noordhoek and Hout Bay in terms of scenic beauty (and without any toll fees!).
Clarence Drive leads through the Kogelberg Biosphere, the first and only Biosphere in South Africa to be proclaimed by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): a testament to the stunning diversity and large number of its flowering plants, many of which are found nowhere else in the fynbos biome. The reserve boasts more than 1,880 different plant species, of which seventy seven species occur nowhere else on earth (the next richest is the South American rainforest with just 420 species per 10,000 square kilometres).
From Rooi Els, the Drive leads to Kogel Bay – a surfers paradise with barrel breaks curling along an expansive stretch of white beach. This beach is apparently favoured by topless sunbathers for its sheltered cove and protection from occasional southeaster wind (not that we saw any, BTW :-).
Along the drive are viewing sites, which provide some of the best and finest land-based whale watching in the world; in places one can view these graceful giants from as close as 30 metres!
In conclusion, if you haven’t driven along Clarence Drive before, now is a good time to visit. If you’re driving from Cape Town (it’s an hour’s drive East of the International airport), take the N2 freeway through Somerset West towards Sir Lowry’s Pass and take the Gordon’s Bay off-ramp.
So, that concludes the Rooi Els to Gordon’s Bay section of Jaxx’s journey. Today and tomorrow (Sunday) we’re going to explore the hiking trails of Kleinmond and then walk the Gordon’s Bay to Strand section on Monday. Thanks for reading and sharing Husky loving folks!
Oh yes, I must mention that Jaxx received some great exposure in yesterdays edition of The Village News. Our thanks to Hedda Mittner for the well worded and concise feature!
BTW: if you happen to be in or near near Cape Town on Saturday 28 August 2021, why not join us? We’ll be walking the final leg of Jaxx’s journey from Hout Bay to Mouile Point at the V&A Waterfront. So, join us! Come say “Howzit Husky Boy!”
