we hit the road!

I  am really excited that we have hit the road; after being in Cape Town for two months, I felt like I was settling in too much. 2010 is to be my year on the road, traveling with Roddy, Rachel, and the girls: tagging along with their adventure.

It has almost been two years since I met Roddy and Rachel, when they first told me about this  'Great Guides' project they were thinking about. I was traveling as a student in a study abroad program, and Roddy was our guide. As he took our class around Cape Town, Durban, and Jo'burg, Roddy would tell me more and more about what he was thinking, and I would pitch him more and more of my resume. I was enthusiastic about it then, and today is no different: I see 'Great Guides' having a lot of potential and I want to do whatever I can to help spark curiosity and passion into people's lives!

Last Friday we did our last packing and sorting of things in Cape Town, turned towards the N2 to George, and floored it (maybe not floored, but we all were excited to be on our way). Traveling through the farms and grassy hills surrounded by mountains on the N2, we listened to 'Winnie the Pooh' and watched the shadow of the Fortuna get longer and longer. Looking through the side mirrors of the car, we could see the sun fade away in the clouded sky. We reached 'Reflections' after dark, absolutely exhausted but with the excitement that tomorrow we would be able to see the landscapes that were currently cloaked in darkness. It was a darkness only possible when you are far out from any city, and we could smell the freshness of the countryside in the air.

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At just half past five in the morning, I popped awake. My internal clock knew that it was the perfect time to watch the sunrise, and I just had to sit up out of my bed to see it. What was hidden from us the night before was thrown at me in all it's brilliance. A lake sits just a hundred meters from our cottage, and we are surrounded by fynbos and hills covered in stunted trees. The mist was coming off the lake, birds swooped around the grasses, looking for some early food, and cows munched on grasses just behind our cottage.  The mooing from the cows and calling from the birds took over from the constant cicada chirping, and I couldn't think of a better way to start the day.



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After working with Tim Carr to do his 'Great Guide' recordings during the day, the family and I packed up some snacks and joined Tim's family on a hike through the forests. Just at the parking lot, there was a giant OuteniquaYellowwood tree, dwarfing everything else around it. We took a pause to appreciate it, but headed deeper into the woods to explore what hid within them.



What we found inside the woods was a whole new world from the fynbos that we were used to. The forest was heavily shaded from the last hours of sun for the day, and we found millipedes crawling through the downed leaves and moss reclaiming anything that sat still for too long.

The children and adults alike enjoyed reaching out into the ferns and mosses, and just listening to the sounds of birds and life around us.

Below is an embedded audio file to listen to about a minute of sound taken from the forest. Click play to listen. Download it here.

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more about where i am and what exactly am i doing to come, but i thought it would check in. being on the road has brought a nice change of pace, some new scenery, and some time to hide away and cook on the fire.

i hope all of you are well, and cheers to barefoot forest hikes.

tbk