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Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 3:58 pm
by okie
We spent a very evening having a braai on 22nd August with an old friend , Johan Pretorius and his wife . He has been procurement manager for KTP for the past 8 years , and he agreed that the roads were atrocious , but he did not know of , or even mention any possibility of tarring the roads , although they are indeed thinking of treating the road surface with some chemical or other- mainly to make the sandy strips firmer . The supply truck to Nossob and Mata Mata , gets stuck in sand at least two or three times each week
Now , in the USA , dirt roads are sprayed with a liquid solution of Salt( sodium chloride and Calcium Chloride ) . This soaks into the soil and stops roads from freezing , while in summer , the Sodium/calcium chloride " attracts " moisture , and as such keep deep the sand firmer .
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:22 pm
by Mel
Glad to hear that an official KTP person doesn't know anything of the tarring.
Like I said, it has been a rumour and a very persistent one at that.
I know about the delivery vehicles getting stuck - and not only them... Two or three trips ago, we even had a 4x4 being stuck
Certain stretches
of the roads will never be tamed by grading... The state of the roads a big news again at the moment on other platforms too, so I'm rather curious to
experience them for myself soon.
That chemical will have to be rather easy on the environment for them to be allowed to use it, I guess.
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:44 pm
by nan
for me the roads are ok... I'm never in a hurry to go to one place to another
can spend hours at the same place
and when the rain comes... we have to use a little bit the "head"
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:01 pm
by okie
Mel , of course it depends what chemicals they do use , but Salt and calcium chloride are bother totally natural chemicals actually occurring right there .
Nan , when we left Mata mata , we drove over the northern dune road , and I actually stopped at one place and measured the corrugations and , and at that point they were around 15 to 20 centimeters deep
Try driving a vehicle over that
Well , enough of that
Next year , we are going to Etosha
If I am forced to drive sand/dirt roads all the time , then at least I can go to a country where they know how to make beautiful roads
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:17 pm
by Mel
okie wrote:Mel , of course it depends what chemicals they do use , but Salt and calcium chloride are bother totally natural chemicals actually occurring right there .
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:39 pm
by okie
Coming up , a sequel of pics of a PCG ......
At first there was one
Another lot coming up
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:45 pm
by okie
Continuing ...
And again , there was only one
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:42 pm
by Richprins
Ag no sis man! In front of the children?
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:50 pm
by okie
Now how did that last pic suddenly get there
Re: Kgalagadi reflections
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:40 pm
by Lisbeth
All by itself