Windhoek to Rooisand

Last night I went to sleep thinking of Farley Mowat’s “Never Cry Wolf” and how he counted parasites in, I believe it was, caribou meat as part of a study on the declining population. Made me wonder if I should have ordered the wild-game kabob at diners “well done.” We’ll see was transpires…

Today’s stellar day started with a sleep-in, a cooked breakfast and real coffee!  Noticed the neighbourhood could be a stand-in for the Hollywood Hills..

At 10a we headed out for a quick stop at a local bike shop then a shopping mall where the crew stalked up on supplies for the next 9 days. Windhoek seemed to be neat & tidy - the glimpse we had of it anyway. I know there are townships which may not be so. Every property or neighbourhood is fenced, razor wired and electric wired - less against wildlife and, more against people. It’s no way to live for anyone.

A few km outside of town we turned off the motorway onto a gravel “highway.”  With stunning 360 degree mountain and desert views. Not a bad place to stop for lunch!

We pressed on to the Gamsberg pass, at 2347m, to start our ride for the day - the first part was a steep, white knuckle descent down a single track sandy, gravel road with steeply banked curves. It was along way down over the edge! I had been griping about the width of my handle bars - suitable for a gorilla - up until this leg - the extra width provided extra stability. . Its been ages since I’ve done any gravel riding so kept my speed under 20 kmp on this stretch. Thank goodness for good disc brakes!

What stopped me the most was my parched throat and well, pictures! Anya, one of the Germans also wanted to have picture stops so she kept me company for the rest of the ride.

Now the ride was listed as being 950m descent but also 500m ascent. This came in the form of undulating hills after the initial steep descent. After I got a feel for the gravel, I had a blast bombing down one side and using the momentum to speed up the other. Top speed: 43.78 kph not bad for an old broad.

Halfway through at a picture stop, I realized that I was absolutely filthy - dust stuck to all areas with sunscreen. Clothes were filthy too…

Sunset was coming so Sandila picked me up 5km short of our destination: Rooisand Desert Ranch Campsite - the ranch being an ostrich ranch by the looks of it. Appreciated the tents had concrete pads instead of pitching directly on the sand - we also had picnic tables instead of just sitting on chairs…on the other hand there was only one toilet and one shower for the women. 

Built in kitchen block at this camp - Rea was happy 

Fantastic clear sky full of stars!