Thanks to everyone for popping in and commenting, we arrived back in the land of high-speed internet (as far as that goes in SA) late yesterday and I've managed to process the first few images out of the 6,000 I took.
So here's the real start of my TT.
BluTuna goes West
Re: BluTuna goes West
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
Re: BluTuna goes West
Day minus 1, Saturday June 1, Johannesburg -> Kalahari Guest House.
Amazingly, we were on the road at 07:30 for the 850Km trek to our overnight stop just north of Upington but about 10 minutes later the SO realised that she hadn't put her medications in the car. We were lucky we had only been going for 10 minutes!
Amazingly, we were on the road at 08:00 for the 850Km trek to our overnight stop just north of Upington - with the medications. It was a long journey but the BluTuna never missed a beat, eating up the kilometres with ease on single carriageway but well maintained roads. We were loaded to the gunnels, I had to sit on the trailer lid to get it closed and the tent was strapped to the top it. The back of the car was full up with a valley down the middle so we could see the trailer in the rear-view mirror.
We stopped at Ventersdorp for some brunch which took about an hour and there were some road works outside Delareyville and more on the approach to Kuruman which cost another hour or so. Between Olifantshoek and Upington was a 160Km stretch of open road where we upped the speed a bit and flew along but I had to stop and get the camera out for these scenic views.
We arrived at the Kalahari Guest House at about 19:30 to find the place seemingly deserted and we stumbled around the place for a while before we found someone. I had been trying to phone them but kept getting errors and I later found that they only have MTN service and not Vodacom that we both use.
The guest house was very comfortable and we got settled in and scoffed down some home made soup we'd brought along before I went outside to try some night photography.
This was the first time I'd tried this with a digital camera and I didn't quite get the settings right. This was the best I managed, the exposure time is too long (2 mins) which makes the stars into lines and not points. I tried some more of this later in the trip with much better results.
Amazingly, we were on the road at 07:30 for the 850Km trek to our overnight stop just north of Upington but about 10 minutes later the SO realised that she hadn't put her medications in the car. We were lucky we had only been going for 10 minutes!
Amazingly, we were on the road at 08:00 for the 850Km trek to our overnight stop just north of Upington - with the medications. It was a long journey but the BluTuna never missed a beat, eating up the kilometres with ease on single carriageway but well maintained roads. We were loaded to the gunnels, I had to sit on the trailer lid to get it closed and the tent was strapped to the top it. The back of the car was full up with a valley down the middle so we could see the trailer in the rear-view mirror.
We stopped at Ventersdorp for some brunch which took about an hour and there were some road works outside Delareyville and more on the approach to Kuruman which cost another hour or so. Between Olifantshoek and Upington was a 160Km stretch of open road where we upped the speed a bit and flew along but I had to stop and get the camera out for these scenic views.
We arrived at the Kalahari Guest House at about 19:30 to find the place seemingly deserted and we stumbled around the place for a while before we found someone. I had been trying to phone them but kept getting errors and I later found that they only have MTN service and not Vodacom that we both use.
The guest house was very comfortable and we got settled in and scoffed down some home made soup we'd brought along before I went outside to try some night photography.
This was the first time I'd tried this with a digital camera and I didn't quite get the settings right. This was the best I managed, the exposure time is too long (2 mins) which makes the stars into lines and not points. I tried some more of this later in the trip with much better results.
Last edited by BluTuna on Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
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Bushveld Jock
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Re: BluTuna goes West
Hi BluTuna welcome back home. Great to get feedback on the road to Kuruman and beyond from Joburg. We will tackle this trip in 5 months time and was thinking of Kimberley as an alternative.
Great start and can't wait to see those 6000 pics from Day 1 taken in KTP.
Great start and can't wait to see those 6000 pics from Day 1 taken in KTP.
Kgalagadi: Dec 2015
KNP Maroela, Shingwedzi & Pretoriuskop: March 2016
KNP Maroela, Shingwedzi & Pretoriuskop: March 2016
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Lisbeth
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Re: BluTuna goes West
It is just as if you have just left home and not just returned 
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The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Richprins
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Re: BluTuna goes West
Extremely feeble pics, Bulltuner! 
But good narrative!
I also wonder what I've forgotten at home...about until the end of the trip!
But good narrative!
I also wonder what I've forgotten at home...about until the end of the trip!
Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
Re: BluTuna goes West
Thanks BJ, I was having nightmares about the possible state of the road before we left but the roads were much better than I anticipated and our average speed for the journey while the engine was running was 95km/h (the computer only works when the ignition is on), which was much faster than I'd expected.Bushveld Jock wrote:Hi BluTuna welcome back home. Great to get feedback on the road to Kuruman and beyond from Joburg. We will tackle this trip in 5 months time and was thinking of Kimberley as an alternative.
Great start and can't wait to see those 6000 pics from Day 1 taken in KTP.
You only get to see the pictures I want you to see
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
Re: BluTuna goes West
TTs are great, you get to relive the experience all over again!Lisbeth wrote:It is just as if you have just left home and not just returned
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
Re: BluTuna goes West
Thanks Peachy!Richprins wrote:Extremely feeble pics, Bulltuner!
I'll take that as a compliment from our resident iPhone snapperI'll also take that as a compliment from our resident PE teacherRichprins wrote:But good narrative!
Usually we just carry on if we forget something but in this case there were some meds that the SO couldn't miss out on.Richprins wrote:I also wonder what I've forgotten at home...about until the end of the trip!
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!
Re: BluTuna goes West
Woo-hoo, I can see the pics now (they would not load earlier). Seems that some have been missing on a few TT's recently?
Great start BT. Love the scenery.
Great start BT. Love the scenery.
Dewi
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
Re: BluTuna goes West
Hi Dewi, thanks for popping by! The scenery was outstanding but the camera doesn't quite convey its true splendour. My SO's father used to say "It's an eyeful, not a camera full".Dewi wrote:Woo-hoo, I can see the pics now (they would not load earlier). Seems that some have been missing on a few TT's recently?
Great start BT. Love the scenery.
Hunting cannot be considered a sport as all contestants in a sport should know they are playing the game!