Driving a Tacoma around the world

Prior to flying back to the states for my wife’s birthday, to have a vacation from our retirement (more on that in another post), and seeing our kids, we found a reputable shop to get the Total Chaos upper control arms and the OME BP-51 shocks rebuilt. After 3 years and 90,000 miles it was time. So we left the truck in good hands.

Six weeks later…

We have had a rather exciting week back in Africa so far. Got to hang around an unplanned weekend in Capetown, South Africa since the truck didn’t get finished on Friday as planned. So we decided to visit the heart of South Africa’s famous wine region, Stellenbosch and had fun sampling 16 different varieties. Luckily the truck was still in the shop, so made it to the hotel safely.

Picked up the truck Tuesday morning, after yet another delay and noticed immediately that there was some weird suspension noises and returned to the shop. After an hour of them rechecking everything, they said a antisway nut was a little loose so off we headed towards the famous Garden Route drive and made it 25 miles…

At first we noticed a shimmy, like the front end was out of alignment, then 15 seconds later we heard and felt a big clunk. I started to slow down and move to the road shoulder but a couple seconds later the drivers rear side started dragging on the ground. With a little bit of effort, I kept the steering under control and headed for the shoulder. Got to watch our rear tire wiz by us happily cruising down the roadside ditch. Had some more excitement after the brakes didn’t seem to want to work at first but eventually got everything stopped.

Luckily no-one was hurt. The shop forgot to tighten the lug nuts…

Luckily, it had been raining so the road was lubed up




Tire ran out of gas here, luckily nothing was in its way


Looks like three of the nuts were looser and had fallen off before the other three sheared


Back at the shop

Besides the wheels studs, they’re looking for a new drum…


and are having the inner rim resurfaced and the three bolt holes drilled out and refilled at a wheel specialist. Thankfully we bought five identical rims so this one will now be our dedicated spare

Right hole has damage from the stud as it sheared. Left one is ok

Well, another three day delay but we have time.

 

what a bummer. Better give it a good once-over when you get it back.

 

Definitely! Going to ask use marker paint on all of the bolts so i can watch if theres any further movement

 

As they say in aviation - any landing you can walk away from is a good one. (Great, if the plane is still in one piece.) Congratulations on some excellent driving to keep that beast right-side up! I hope the shop makes things right and gets you and Dawn back on your adventure soon.

 

Chilikadrotna River Expedition, Alaska



Time for Something Completely Different. Warning, our Tacoma is not involved in this post!

After six months of overland travel in West Africa, we were missing family and ready for a break. So we left the truck in Cape Town for some care and maintenance and returned to Bend, Oregon to be with family. And then, because we can never keep things simple, we wedged a remote river float in Alaska into our time at home. Luckily our awesome kids took on the planning so we just needed to get ourselves and our gear together.


The fantastic floaters: Nick, Claire, Trevor, Nathan, Dawn, Alex, Colin, Andy, Nicholas

Our group of nine people included the two of us, our three kids Nicholas, Trevor, and Claire, and their friends Nick, Alex, Nathan and Colin. It was a terrific group - strong in bringing a sense of humor through the hard times and all willing to pitch in at full force when needed. We couldn’t have hoped for a better crew to float with.


Yellow line shows our 85-mile route, which we floated over 8 days, 7 nights

Trip Preparation

The gear list was the most complicated that we have gathered for any excursion to date. We were being dropped by float planes into remote Lake Clark National Park, so not only would we not see any infrastructure or other people for a week, but we also had to abide by strict weight limits imposed by the capacity of the planes. We had to be prepared to be completely self sufficient and ready for angry grizzly bears, grumpy moose, cold rainy weather, persistent mosquitos, and anything else that we could imagine arising in the Alaskan wilderness.


Rafts, oars, and frames ready to go

Our son Nicholas contracted with Rust’s Flying Service out of Anchorage to take us to our launch point at Lower Twin Lake, and with Trail Ridge Air to pick us up eight days later at a pre-selected gravel bar on the Mulchatna River. It took three planes to transport our group and gear each way. He also arranged for gear rental (3 rafts with rowing frames and oars, 3 coolers, stove, life jackets, two roll up tables, and a kitchen box with dishes and pots) from Alaska Raft Connection. Our payload with gear, people, and food was capped at 2,810 lbs. After collecting personal body weights, Nicholas allotted us each 30 lbs of personal gear, including tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. Working with a weight budget of 140 lbs for food for the whole group, our daughter Claire planned meals and created a shopping spreadsheet complete with estimated weights for each ingredient. It was complex!

Gear List

Personal - Clothing

• Mosquito head net
  
  
• Wide brimmed hat
  
  
• Heavy-duty raincoat (Gore-Tex or equivalent)
  
  
• Rain pants
  
  
• Hiking pants (synthetic, permethrin treated)
  
  
• Hiking shirt (synthetic, permethrin treated)
  
  
• Heavy insulated jacket
  
  
• Light insulated jacket (synthetic)
  
  
• Long underwear top (synthetic– smartwool or capilene or eq)
  
  
• Long underwear bottom (synthetic– smartwool or capilene or eq)
  
  
• Warm hat and sun hat
  
  
• Sunglasses (with retention strap)
  
  
• Gloves (recommended to get wet and with grip like NRS Hydroskin gloves, or cheaper model)
  
  
• Waterproof boots (ideally knee-high) or waders

Personal - Camp Gear

• Sleeping bag (good for 20 degrees F or colder)
  
  
• Sleeping pad
  
  
• Sleeping mask (it won’t be very dark)
  
  
• Small camp chair (keep it light and small)
  
  
• Tent - 2-3 person lightweight, can be shared
  
  
• Water bottle

Personal - Storage

• Expedition dry bag - each person to pack personal and camp gear into a Bill’s Bag style bag (provided by Dawn and Andy but also could have been rented)

Dry bags offloaded from the first plane onto the beach where we were putting in. Nathan and Colin feeling the start of the adventure.

Group Gear

Misc

• Fishing gear (rods, reels, tackle)
  
  
• 12-gauge with slugs and buckshot
  
  
• 44 magnum pistol with chest harness
  
  
• Bear spray
  
  
• Phone-size dry box (if you want your phone/electronics on the boat)

Navigation/Communication

• Maps
  
  
• Garmin inReach

In addition to cell phones with maps of the area downloaded, we carried two dedicated navigation devices - Dawn and Andy’s Garmin inReach which had GPS tracking and an emergency SOS feature, and Alex’s newer model which worked with his phone. Disturbingly, they often did not agree when asked to provide our current GPS coordinates.


And of course, the backup, six USGS topo maps sealed in gallon ziploc bags

Group - Camp

• Lighters
  
  
• Toilet Paper and trowel
  
  
• Canopy for rain cover
  
  
• Trash bags
  
  
• Filet knife
  
  
• Folding wire grill for cooking fish
  
  
• Water Filtration system - gravity-fed
  
  
• Folding saw
  
  
• hachet

Gravity-fed Platypus water filtration system - invaluable time saver for keeping 9 personal water bottles filled

Group - Kitchen - Part of Rental package

• Place settings for everyone (cups + silverware + plates)
  
  
• Large pot
  
  
• Medium pot
  
  
• Large size cast-iron skillet
  
  
• Spatula
  
  
• Serving spoon
  
  
• 3-burner propane stove
  
  
• All-purpose biodegradable soap
  
  
• Plastic cutting board
  
  
• Sponge
  
  
• Roll-a-table (2)

Emergency

• First aid kit
  
  
• Emergency GPS beacon - part of Garmin inReach
  
  
• Matches - several waterproof cases

We had a little rocky time at the start. The airline to Anchorage lost Nicholas’ and Alex’s luggage, so they had no gear or clothing except for suits for the wedding they were headed off to after the rafting trip. Completely useless. But a quick trip to Sportsman’s Warehouse in Anchorage got them set up with the waders and long johns they ended up wearing the whole trip. Luckily Alex also bought some extra thick wool socks which quickly became our cooking potholders.

Although we did take firearms (a Sig 40 cal, a Desert Eagle 44 mag, and a Beretta 12 gauge shotgun), we never needed them. We saw grizzly tracks and scat but no bears. We floated by several mother-calf pairs of moose, but none of them acted aggressively toward us. As the first party to float the river in 2023, we were extremely grateful that we brought a folding saw. On several occasions we used it to cut through trees that had fallen across the river, saving us an arduous portage.

Our only true gear failure was the rented three-burner stove, which only worked the first night. Despite repeated attempts to fix it and a side trip on the second day to a ranger station to see if they had parts, it was dead in the water. Luckily, firewood was abundant along the river and we were able to cook over campfires instead.


Rust’s float plane (a Cessna 206) dock at Lake Hood Airport in Anchorage - the busiest seaplane airport in the world


Packing all the food from the early morning Costco run into three coolers - including dry ice in one


And then - after the final weigh-in, we are under weight! Nicholas (our trip renegade and licensed pilot) takes care of that by going on a last minute additional alcohol run


Colin, Nathan and Trevor. Three Cal Poly college friends, reunited and celebrating Nathan’s upcoming wedding.


Our daughter Claire and her boyfriend, Nick. Ready for takeoff.


Alex and Andy wedged in the back of a de Havilland Otter behind all the rafts

With everyone on board the three planes, we took off for one of the most scenic flights of our lives. We wound through Lake Clark Pass, soaring past glaciers and bumping our way through stomach-clenching turbulence just under a low cloud layer. Two of the pilots turned back for a longer, calmer route, and one just stuck it out. But we all made it.


Lake Clark Pass from the air


The magnificent Alaska Range


Looking down on the river we would be rafting


Twin Lakes dead ahead!


Approaching our first night’s camp on the beach at Lower Twin Lake


Arrival at the beach where we launched the rafts

Day One - Camp at Lower Twin Lake


First step - inflate the rafts


Time for a quick dip - note Trevor’s facial expression in the frigid water


Colin (our deep-thinking philosopher) appreciating the sun. A worthy endeavor as it only appeared for very long on the first and last days.


The first fish of the trip are caught





Everyone tucked in for the night - photo at 11pm, it doesn’t get dark in June in Alaska


Packing everything back into the drybags in the morning

Day Two - Crossing the Lake, Hiking, Camping at the River Mouth

Despite the gorgeous scenery, we were trying to travel a daily average of about 15 river miles so we launched the boats with a sense of adventure and anticipation. Knowing that we were in the best hiking area of the trip, we committed to what we thought would be a short day on the water, simply rowing across the lake to the Chilikadrotna River mouth and including a hike along the way.

The short rowing day turned into a long slog across Lower Twin Lake (fortunately aided by constant strong winds), but everyone maintained their cheerfulness. Even the rowers.


Alex and Nicholas (sporting rented one-size-fits-all ponchos), boats loaded, first launch from the beach


A long flat (at first) paddle across the lake to get to the river mouth


Andy in his happy place (when he is not driving a truck across Africa)


Dawn likes to row the slow bits


Taking a break to hike up a nearby peak


Claire and Nick, still so clean! (There were no showers for 8 days)


The hardcore hikers setting off up the peak. Some of us rested in the bush with our Kindles.


The intrepid hikers who made it to the top. Everyone doubting Nick’s sanity hiking a mountain in Chacos. But then, chivalry is not dead. He had given Claire his boots since her brand new boots failed the first day.


We started off worried about bears, but due to a freakishly late spring, the salmon were not present and so neither were the bears. Never fired a gun except for some evening target practice.


Dawn and Andy, the old guard. Trying hard to back off and let the younger generation lead. Sometimes we succeeded.


Long hard row across an increasingly choppy lake (about 4 hours)


Made it across the lake, setting up camp at the river mouth

Overall, finding spots to camp was relatively easy. But we were really glad we stopped at this particular location at the mouth of the river as the next morning we noticed there were not any places for the next few hours. But for the rest of the trip, it seemed that there were suitable places about every 30-45 minutes.

We looked for relatively flat, small gravel, places for 6 tents and firewood. We also prioritized greenery that provided private spaces for private business and visibility so that nothing scary could sneak up on us. We quickly realized that the best gravel bars were usually on large islands in the river. This gave us a false sense of security for bears and moose- it was evident that they used the islands but somehow we felt safer being surrounded by water.


Grizzly paw print on one of our river island camp sites


Our spot at the river mouth had a great fishing hole! Nathan, our trip wildlife biologist and talented photographer, here with his first fish, an Arctic grayling.

Day Three - Entering the Chilikadrotna River

We needed to make up some miles from our short distance float and hike the previous day and the river cooperated. Splashy and fast, the river moved us along at top speeds of 5-6 miles per hour with a strong downriver wind. The Class I-II water was easy to navigate.


Claire and Nick, ready to launch


Sweepers (overhead trees and bushes) and strainers (underwater logs and brambles) were ever-present but nothing we couldn’t navigate.


We couldn’t find a gravel bar for lunch so everyone just laid down in the soft muskeg, ate and took a nap.

Alaska is a land of natural contrasts and this was evident in the trip. With so many photographers and naturalists on board, we took the time to appreciate the intricate natural beauties alongside the vast mountainous expanses.


Photo credit: Claire Elsbree


Photo Credit: Alex Huang


Photo credit: Nathan Tallman


Trevor capturing the scenery


Beer time! We were, after all, on vacation.

It was a great day zipping along the upper stretch of the river, good spirits abounded and the scenery was spectacular. We were slowly pulling away from our mountain views but we still felt their majestic presence.








The water was clear the entire trip.


Claire, also known as the trip comptroller and chef. She made sure we all had equal numbers of Snickers bars (daily rations of one each) and took the lead on every meal. Pictured here, an enormous pan of bean dip with cheese and salsa, ready for the fire.

Day Four - Moving Along the River, More Fish


Checking the maps over breakfast. We are all wearing our heaviest layers. Temperatures averaged in the 50’s during the days but persistent clouds, wind, and occasional rain made it feel colder.


Alex with his first fish, a rainbow trout. By far our most cheerful trip member, our eternal optimist and voted most photogenic by the group.





Trevor, iconic rolling stone - always planning the next adventure and the instigator of the annual Alaska water trip.

The fishing was a minor disappointment for us. In planning the trip we were trying to balance weather, mosquitos and fishing season. We hit the right balance with reasonable weather and a lack of mosquitos. But we missed on the salmon run. Due to a late season, the salmon were not running. So the fish we caught were more scarce than we expected and hard fought for.


An all too common scenario, rescuing the lure. Many were lost.


Breaking out the kitchen rain canopy for the first time. Learning the intricacies of cooking over an open fire.


Morning at camp

Day Five - More Splashy Water, First Mosquitos and First Moose


Nicholas making good use of those last minute waders


Claire and Dawn not so much into fishing (although happy to eat the catch), hanging in the soft boat with Kindles ready


Nick, avid Alaska outdoorsman, gives Alex a run for his money for most cheerful, especially when fishing.





Bachelor boat, living it up





First mosquitos, head net, no problem, activities continued as usual.





Cow and calf in the water! Photo credit: Nathan Tallman


First evening chore, collecting firewood.


Evening comes at camp

Day Six - Sweepers and River Debris

The river was still splashy but slowing down somewhat. The big snowy peaks had disappeared and were replaced with forests and green rounded hills. We had not encountered any technical rapids or difficulties despite there being rumors of some Class III. The water felt high so we assumed they were washed out.

But as we headed downriver, there were more instances of the river splitting into multiple channels and last minute judgment calls required to choose the way. There was also more debris blocking some routes. Sweepers and log jams were common.


The channel we did not take


Typical log jam

Then we hit our first major road block. A cottonwood had fallen across the main channel. Nicholas’s boat was swept right into it, and the force of the river pressing the raft against the tree almost flipped it (the “high side” alert definitely worked as 450 lbs of human beings jumped on the high side to right the boat). We pulled over and began the rescue, which culminated in Nicholas cutting away the tree with a saw so we could all pass by.


One of the first time for us as rafters that moving quickly to the raft’s high side prevented a potential flipping.











Success - brotherly high five.

But the river challenges were not over for the day. Next obstacle: a larger spruce blocking the main channel with logs and debris blocking a secondary, shallow channel. Inspection of the spruce led to the conclusion that our saw was not up to the task so we cleared the debris in the secondary channel and dragged the boats through the shallow water.


Downed spruce blocking the main channel


Pulling over to evaluate


Clearing the debris








Dragging the boats through





Back on the float again

Successful teamwork! There is a beautiful sense of camaraderie that comes with knowing you are the only people for 100’s of miles and are relying on each other to overcome an obstacle.


Time for river lunch


Cleaning up the last of the food, Alex opted for a peanut butter and trail mix burrito


Beautiful eagle sightings on the river - photo credit Nathan Tallman


How cute are those matching hats . . .


Semi-Palmated Plover chick - Photo Credit: Nathan Tallman


Rain tarp up, and the sun comes out as another successful day ends


Night fall (sort of) on camp

Day Seven

Our last full day on the river! Some of us are feeling melancholy, some are looking forward to that hot shower. But activities continued, never a dull moment on the river.


Time old river tradtion, rock skipping





Nathan, the ever cheerful biologist, just enjoying life


Neck rubs anyone?


More fishing!


Sometimes the introverts just needed a quiet moment. We still took photos of them though.


Who needs a sleeping pad and a pillow?


More group bachelor smiles, friends for life


Semi-Palmated Plover adult - Photo Credit: Nathan Tallman


Back on the river, last full day!





Some last sweepers tried to get us

Tracking our GPS location carefully, we opted to camp about a mile before our pick up spot. We were not sure what the camping would be like at the take out. (We were told “sometimes there is a gravel bar.”)


Last camp on the river

Day Eight - Take Out and return to Anchorage

A quick 20 minute mile on the river and we arrived at the point that all of our devices agreed was the right place to meet our planes at 2pm. Turns out it was a reasonably large gravel island. We deflated rafts, re-packed all our stuff, used up the rest of our ammo with a shooting competition, and breathed big collective sighs of relief when we saw the planes overhead.


The best way to deflate a raft


The targets . . . Yes, we used a Target bag


The game (Nicholas won)


The plane, the plane


Time to load up the Cessna 206s


Last bucket brigade of gear loading a de Havilland Beaver


And off we go, looking back along the Chilikadrotna. It treated us well.


Views from the plane on the way out


Flying over beautiful Lake Clark









And back to Lake Hood

It was one of those adventures of a lifetime that we will hold in our hearts. The combination of the stunning scenery, the remoteness, the wildlife and the company was unmatched. We are grateful to our travel companions for literally taking some of the weight from our 60-something-year-old bodies, and for the joyful spirit everyone brought. This blog is different from our overland journey ones but we hope this writeup may be helpful to any others contemplating a similar trip. Happy to answer any follow up questions and thank you for reading!

 

After moving to the PNW I’ve wanted to drive my Tacoma to Anchorage, AK. It would not be as arduous as your trip through Africa, but it is a long trip if you want to make some stops along the way.

 

Thanks! Give us a few years to drive back to the States. After that we'll be heading back there hopefully for at least a couple of summers.

 

So awesome seeing people actually live their life! Keep it going.

 

Fantastic stuff. I was waiting for this post - it brought back a lot of memories. My night in Pungo Adongo was a little different. We were set up to camp up in the rocks, the police found us and made us relocate to that little village in the middle of the formation. We spent the night in the village square, but everyone seemed friendly enough.

Cant wait to see whats next though. Great Journey!

 

Wow - just discovered this thread. Thank you for sharing this adventure with the world. Inspirational!

 

Holy expedition! I've never seen a more documented and photographed trip like this...............except in books. LOL.
Outstanding post and thank you for the story. Just amazing.
Zim

 

South Africa - part 1


Cape Agulhas - very southern tip of Africa

Arriving in South Africa was a continuation of the journey we started in Namibia of re-entering into travel with easily accessible modern conveniences after six months in West Africa. We continued to experience both a sense of wonder at how easy it was to find resources and information, and a sense of loss, missing the heartbeat of West Africa.


Our 3,200 mile, four week route

The economic leader on the continent, South Africa is a microcosm of everything Africa has to offer. Cape Town is a gorgeous cosmopolitan city set on the ocean surrounded by mountains and a world class wine industry. The enormous Kruger National Park boasts one of the largest populations of African wildlife, and traditional tribal arts and culture are represented nationally, from the San to the Xhosa to the Zulu. The country’s basic infrastructure - roads, power, water, cell coverage, shopping - is more developed than other African country’s despite inadequate electricity resources causing load shedding right now (scheduled daily power outages).


View of Cape Town waterfront with Table Mountain as a backdrop. As locals say, it was wearing it’s tablecloth.

Our first real destination in South Africa was Cape Town where we had a lot of business to take care of. The plan was to deep clean the truck inside and out, drop it off at an offroad shop for much needed maintenance, then fly home to Oregon to visit family. So we opted for an Airbnb.


We had carefully communicated our height to our Airbnb host to make sure we could fit in the garage. There was one spot we fit in.


Our Airbnb had a washer but no dryer so we covered it in drying laundry - seat covers, sheets, duvet . . .


But we still found time to have fun. Climbing Table Mountain on a clear day.


Made it to the top!

In general, we thought Cape Town was one of the most beautiful and interesting big cities we have been to. The setting on the coast, surrounded by mountains and beaches is stunning. The city itself feels alive and vibrant.


Visiting Muizenberg Beach with its cheerful changing houses


Finding penguins in Simon’s Town


We checked, there weren’t


Visiting Boa-Kaap, the historically Muslim neighborhood in Cape Town with its brightly colored homes and the oldest mosque in the country.

We have not really addressed race in our prior African blogs. Throughout West Africa we were often the only tourists and only white people we saw for days. It did not factor into our experience other than the fact that we were always really obvious. As we learned the history of the countries we visited, we appreciated peoples’ honesty in describing the effect of white colonialism and the slave trade. We felt like we could have real conversations. It is really sobering to think deeply about all these young 40-60 year old nations struggling to figure out a path to prosperity after centuries of colonialism.

Although South Africa technically obtained independence from its most recent European colonizer, the British, in 1960, it did not follow the path of neighboring countries which followed upon independence by seating a government representative of the majority black population. Instead the white minority, Afrikaners culturally descended from the Dutch colonisers, retained control and continued to enact progressively more restrictive rules to control the majority black population. Apartheid was born - a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 which legalised state oppression of black and “colored” people by a white minority.

For us, being white in South Africa held an additional layer of awareness than in West Africa. The country’s very recent eradication of the apartheid system weighed heavily on us. We continued to be surprised and encouraged by the warmth of the welcome from people, but it was not the same as in West Africa.

South Africa was our first African country with a significant white population and the income disparities were clear and disbturbing. Despite the political power and decision making being held by black people, the economic power still seems to be held by white South Africans. We are very aware of our own country’s past treatment of African Americans (including the Jim Crow laws enforcing separation in the South that were only abolished in the 1960’s).

Topics of race, power, and politics are way outside the realm of this blog or our deep understanding. All we know is as we travel and learn we do not seek to lay blame but to learn and understand. Hopefully with more people seeking to learn from history past mistakes and atrocities will not be repeated.

In our conversations with South Africans, both black and white, it was clear the the discussion around race is constant and honest, people are working to find a way. People we spoke to wish for a corruption free democracy. We took some time to visit important sites related to the work of Nelson Mandela (his home, location of his first speech, Robben Island) and were impressed and amazed by the wisdom and generosity of spirit he brought to his reconciliation work as the first president of a free South Africa after apartheid.


Painting of Nelson Mandela on building in District Six, an area where 60,000 residents were forcibly removed to outside the city during the apartheid regime.

Realizing that our Airbnb was in a predominantly white area, we decided to visit a black township to broaden our cultural understanding and experience. Dawn had been to Khayulitsha on a previous visit to Cape Town with our daughter who had spent time as a volunteer there. The idea of the tour can be bizarre - if thought of as wealthy tourists engaging in poverty voyeurism. But in fact the tours are strategically organized by savvy residents who make sure to highlight the important work being done by community activitists, entrepreneurs and non-profits to improve the infrastructure and lives of the residents.


The tours begin with a contribution, adding to the community garden


Despite the majority of people living in converted shipping containers with minimal resources, art and individuality shine through in addition to a strong sense of supportive community.

Our guide was an artist and photographer. He described the difficulties of getting from the township into Cape Town to go to work or further his education. He would take a bus into college classes but transportation could be haphazard, making him late and giving teachers and fellow students the excuse to look down on him for being from Khayelitsha. The train that used to operate into the city had broken down years ago and the tracks had been taken over and blocked by informal settlement housing.





Township mural depicting a wife during the apartheid years, looking to the horizon and hoping her husband will return safely


Colorful murals along the main walkways





Visiting Storyroom Creatives, young artists providing afterschool programming for school chidren.


Images of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela


And as a contrast, the predominantly white town of Stellenbosch

After a week, we left Cape Town and returned six weeks later. We had a fabulous time with our family, returned to stationary house life and were surprised at how far away and unreal our truck life in Africa seemed. We quickly got over our amazement at the abundance of goods in the grocery stores, the size of the streets, the utter familiarity of every moment, the ease of doing laundry and staying cool or warm depending on the weather. But eventually it was time to return. We stocked up on our favorite supplies, spare parts and gadgets and boarded the plane.

We returned to find that our truck was not quite ready so headed off to Stellenbosch to taste some South African wines.


Red wine and dark chocolate pairing - Dawn’s two favorites


Our tour group at the end of the day - many glasses of wine and laughs later


Vineyards for miles


And then - reunited with the truck!

We were thrilled to move back in to our cozy home on wheels and hit the road again. But all was not rosy. Heading toward the Garden Route, we started hearing strange noises. Andy dropped Dawn off at Dylan Lewis’s sculpture garden (thank you cousin Helen for that recommendation) and returned to the shop.


Despite the rain, Dawn had a great time exploring Dylan Lewis’s amazing gardens filled with his sculptures





For Dawn it was a highlight and she took many more pictures but we will not subject you to them all


This quote in the garden struck home

Andy returned from the shop with no clear diagnosis but some more things tightened up and checked. So we hit the road again. Unfortunately, 30 miles out of Cape Town we heard a huge clunk, a shudder and next thing we know our rear tire was rolling out ahead of us on the highway.


oops


Apparently after re-building the suspension and re-mounting the tires, the shop neglected to adequately tighten the lug nuts


Andy saw that three of the studs had sheared, he found two of them alongside the road with the nuts only hand tight


We called the shop and they sent a tow truck to pick us up and promised to make it right

On the upside, more time to explore Cape Town, more walking tours, museums and excellent food.

And then back on the road!! All bolts tightened, marked and double checked.


We made it to the southern most tip of the continent


Where two oceans meet


Heading out to the Garden Route - fields in bloom


Beautiful coastal walk at Mossel Bay

We started along the coastal Garden Route but took a detour to head over the Oudtshoorn mountain pass to Prince Albert.


Heading into the Outdshoorn Mountain pass


Beautiful campsite in the Karoo desert







Although not technically part of the Garden Route, this mountain drive was our favorite. In general, we found the main Garden Route to be more separated from the coast than we thought. The area was lush and green, filled with farms but it felt like the kind of trip you do to stop and eat and visit small towns along the way rather than a purely scenic drive. Since we prefer remote beauty to small towns and farm stands, the Garden Route was not a South African highlight for us - which surprised us as we had been looking forward to it. We may have just still been feeling grumpy about our false start.


Nature’s Valley Rest Camp

Another thing that surprised us, especially in the areas of South Africa that we drove, was the lack of wild camping spaces. In general, much of the country along the main roads is fenced off in private farms and game reserves (this may be different in the interior areas where we did not venture much). But on the flip side, there is a wide range of types of camping accommodations, farms which let you stay on site, rest camps that are part of the National Park System, and private campgrounds and guesthouses that allow you to camp. We were never far from options. We also enjoyed more hot showers in three weeks than we ever had in our six months in West Africa.

One recommendation we would have for travelers is to count up the number of national park days you plan to have and if it is more than ten, purchase a Wild Card. This card allows you free entrance to all parks in South Africa and Eswatini. By the time we found out about it, we were too far into the trip but it definitely would have saved us money, even at the foreign national rate.


Nature’s Valley was a great camping spot - we were the only campers and there were great hikes right from camp - from the beach


To the woods


Beautifully maintained campground at Camdeboo NP


Hike at Camdeboo NP


Enjoying the rock formations at Camdeboo NP


Desolation Valley, Camdeboo NP


Mountain Zebra National Park


Farm stay camping - complete with farm dog

Stay tuned for more!

 

Thanks Zim! We hope to do more when we’re back

 

Lesotho, South Africa-part 2, and Eswatina



LESOTHO

Nestled inside of South Africa is the high mountain tiny country of Lesotho. The king of the country, King Moshoeshoe had looked at what was happening with the Dutch Boers moving into South Africa and aligned himself with the English in 1868, becoming a protectorate to keep the the Dutch out. The country became independent in 1966 and is run by a parliament and Prime Minister with the monarchy continuing a primarily ceremonial role. We were not quite sure what to expect but we had heard about the Sani Pass drive into the country being spectacular. It definitely was.


Starting the Sani Pass drive into Lesotho


Looking down on the valley we just drove




Road is getting steeper and rougher (now we know why they require 4x4)


Almost at the top!


Top of the pass

We spent 5 minutes at customs and immigration at the top of the pass, were stamped in, paid $3 for the road tax and entered a whole new world.

Never have we seen such a stark contrast between two neighboring countries. The high mountain plateaus of Lesotho were dotted with traditional round houses made of stone. Shepherds walked the roads with sheep and cows. Villagers dressed in colorful blanket wraps to protect against the cold smiled and waved as we passed. Although an official language, English was not widely spoken by the people in rural areas. The primary tribe of the country, the Basotho speak Sesotho, which is the other official language.


Livestock share the road


Our first night - camping at in the yard of a traditional home


Our welcoming hosts


Traditional stone round houses with thatch rooves


Our first snow in Africa!




We would go for long walks, admiring the homes and how they were built and decorated


It was Sunday so this bar was closed but it would have been an interesting place to hang out




Another camping spot at a traditional home site - grateful to iOverlander or we never would have found these places




Exploring the hills

We were falling in love with the country when disaster struck again. Driving through a rocky construction zone, another clunk and weird noise. Andy did his best to pull over and clearly the wheel was off.


Another oops from our Cape Town offroad shop - forgot to tighten the bolt on one of the upper control arms

We were in a bind. We had no cell service as we entered the country on a Friday afternoon and offices to register a sim card were only open on week days. It was getting dark and we were partially blocking the road. Enter Lenka, our good samaritan. An off duty police officer, she stopped and asked us what we needed. She then pulled out her cell phone and called us a tow truck. She translated for us with people who stopped to help and when the tow truck driver arrived and realized we were too heavy for him to tow. Luckily, in true Africa style, a car full of off duty mechanics stopped and had a look. They had a bolt that would get us to the next town. A quick road side fix then advice to drive slowly, slowly. Lenka led us to a place to stay for the night.


Our good samaritan helper, Lenka

We had a restful night in a guest house (with the most blissful heated mattress pad, we had been freezing).


SOUTH AFRICA- PART 2

And then we made our way back across the border to get fixed up again in Johannesburg. Luckily we found a shop that were willing to take us on and got us right again.


The crew at our Johannesburg shop - fixed us up and didn’t want to take any money - Andy brought them hamburgers and fries.

With some time to explore Johannesburg we took advantage of another walking tour - this time in Soweto.


Mathapelo, our Soweto tour guide. A resident of the township, she is training to become a primary school teacher. She speaks at least four languages, maybe more.

Touring Soweto was very different from touring Khayelitsha. Soweto had a thriving tourism hub centered along the street where both Nelson Mandela and and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived. People were selling souveneirs, performers were out and restaurants and bars lined the street. But our tour guide managed to separate us from all that and did an excellent job in grounding us in the gravity of the place and history.


Memorial to Hector Peterson, one of the youngest school children to be shot by the police and die on June 16, 1976 in the Soweto uprising. In the photo he is being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubu. On that day 15,000 school children marched to protest the new law that they be taught in Afrikaans. At least 600 children died that day.


Nelson Mandela’s bedroom in his Soweto house.


Small side door into Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Soweto home


Men from the San tribe performing on the street


Soweto Tours - former cooling tanks for a coal power station, now the site of bungee jumping, paint ball and a bar and restaurant.

Finally, we felt that the truck was fully travel worthy and we were ready to leave the urban centers of South Africa and make our way to Kruger National Park.


Along the way we found more interesting places to camp


Maybe not dangerous but still fun to see around camp


Another beautiful sunset in the bush


Campsite with a mountain view


And then finally, made it to Kruger National Park!

After being in Etosha National Park in Namibia, we were not as surprised this time round to learn that Kruger employed the same safety fencing system - campgrounds in the park are surrounded by electric fence. You must enter before sunset and cannot leave until after sunrise.

We were surprised that Kruger has a lot more water and it is a lot more spread out. Although there are water holes, most of the water is in a complex river system throughout the park. When we were there, some of the rivers were full of water and others had a trickle or pools and muddy spots.

Because of this, we had to cover more ground to find the animals, but they were there and we definitely found them. We spent a week in the park, generallly we made our way from the north down to the southern tip. Our first two nights were at Shingwedzi and it was probably our favorite camp. Camping was typical large national park style, a large field with trees. At Shingwedzi, you can pay more to camp along the fence but those sites were taken when we arrived.

It could have been our favorite because we saw a couple of leopards and lions on our game drives there. The animals were relatively close to camp and we heard lions roaring all night. But it also felt more relaxed and less chaotic than some of our later, bigger camps.

It is not an inexpensive park. Fees for foreigners run $25 per person per day. Campgrounds start at about $20 a night. We made our bookings several months in advance but still could not get into some of the smaller, more intimate camping-only rest camps that we probably would have really enjoyed. But staying in the big sites meant we had access to laundry, restaurants with great views, lots of information sharing about animal sightings and we always got woken up in the mornings as fellow campers set out on their early morning game drives.


Elephants along the Pafuri River, our first animal sighting






Our first leopard!


Set up at Shingwedzi camp

After Shingwedzi we stayed at Olifants (we had to book a bungalow there as they don’t have camping and nearby campgrounds were full). We would rather sleep in our truck, but Olifants had a nice setting with hippos nearby. Our next camp was Satara, a big grassy field for camping. Fence spots were free there but they were full. However we still managed to sit so that we could watch the hyenas and elephants outside the fence. It definitely felt like a reverse zoo. We also stayed at Letaba which had a restaurant with a beautiful view over the nearby river and the same large field camping situation. Crocodile Bridge was our least favorite spot - people were crammed in next to each other in the smallest campground we saw. It was also right next to an entrance gate so your view was more a valley of farmland than national park. We had stopped by nearby Lower Sabie for lunch and it was overall a much more pleasant camp - we wish we had stayed there. Our final stop was Skukuza which is the biggest camp and a huge jumping off point for guided tours. Camping there was actually more private, with many sites tucked into bushes and trees along curvy roads.

There is a rhythm to wildlife viewing in large African national parks. It is sometimes exhausting, but always worth it. You get up early, set off (Dawn with coffee in hand) to drive for a couple of hours with the morning light, then return to camp for breakfast and relaxation. Late afternoon, you set off again for a few hours to watch the nightlife start to emerge. Every single drive we did in Kruger we found something new or interesting to entertain us. There is a magic to the search, driving along never knowing what is going to pop out of the bushes. We also had an exciting encounter with a very angry elephant who trumpeted out of the bush and charged at us. Luckily Andy punched the gas and we came away unscathed.


A challenge for Dawn being fenced in was getting her daily 5 mile walk in, sometimes she just looped the fence like a caged lion


Andy’s favorite - campground Baobab Tree


Restaurant view from Letaba camp


Cape Buffalo


Paid for a night drive so that we could be out after sunset - it paid off


One of our favorite experiences - watching the African wild dogs. Here they are ready to take off on a hunt.


Resting after an unsuccessful attempt at a zebra


It is not always easy to spot the wildlife - leopard napping


Eventually it woke up. Sometimes we would spot something and just park and wait to see if it would do something more exciting than sleep. Usually it paid off.






We fell in love with hyenas in this park - we hadn’t seen any in past national park visits and Kruger definitely made up for this.




And on our last day - rhinos! Kruger makes the decision to cut off their horns to help discourage poaching.


ESWATINI

Another land locked country within the borders of South Africa, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) charmed us. We started off by seeking information on the Swazi tribal traditions. Mantenga Village is a well thought out cultural attraction designed for tourists, but also highly educational. It was a fascinating afternoon spent touring the village with a guide and watching traditional performances.


Waterfall at Mantenga Village


Male Swazi dancers


Beautiful women’s chorus


Traditional “bee-hive” style thatch homes. Men and women live very separate lives and traditionally men take the leadership role, often having multiple wives. But the grandma retains a critical authority role in the family.

Our next stop was Sibebe rock, one of the world’s largest granite dome, second only to Uluru in Australia in being the world’s largest rock.


Male emu getting disturbingly friendly with our front tire. That is a new level of desperation.


It was a lovely place to walk. Dawn’s peak rock climb.


Whereas Andy made it to the tip of Sibebe itself


Having a great day at Sibebe

Similar to South Africa, Eswatini had many pleasant developed camp sites, with a wide variety of options.


And similar to South Africa, we were often the only campers. Mlilwane Wildlife reserve campground.


Andy getting ready for Mozambique - applying the recommended reflective tape around the camper. Rules were unclear so we went with the Eswatini auto shop recommendation and just ringed the whole truck with it.


Walking in Mlilwane Wildlife Reserve we spotted a crocodile in the trail. Dawn turned around and Andy got closer to take a selfie.

Our final stop in Eswatini was Hlane National Park. We did our first walking safari there and it was incredible. It is different to see large animals on foot than from a car. Our two awesome guides were knowledgeable and interesting. And armed with sticks.


Walking safari at dusk at Hlane National Park


It was absolutely the best place to see rhinos that we have been. We would walk the scant wire fence around the campground (Dawn getting her walking in again) and see rhinos almost disturbingly close by. The water hole at the campground was also active with hippos, rhinos, giraffes . .


Andy just can’t help goading an enormous horned animal


Unlike in Kruger National Park, the rhinos still have their horns. Our guide told us that in Eswatini they are committed to eradicating poachers to the point that they patrol every day and actually shoot them when they find them.




Hlane National Park campground - another solo camping experience (where is everyone???)

Well, we are happy to be back to what for us now feels like “real life,” living on the road. Every day is a new experience, we are still learning constantly and we are still grateful.

We like Nelson Mandela’s words of wisdom “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Thank you for reading!

 

Sounds like an exciting time. We try avoid wild camping within site of the road or near villages. Too many friendly but very curious eyes

 

Awesome again! Stay safe!

 

Such a great thread

 

"The money" is pretty much always the answer; "The thrill" is usually the second ingredient in the combo. Have a few friends who have worked "for hire" in more recent conflicts, and even though they've hung up their spurs for some time now, you can tell they're always chasing the feeling it gave them.

Edit: forgot the Portuguese can colonized Angola for quite some time, perhaps the story was different for your partner.

 

Great post!

 

Mozambique


Driving the sandy beach roads of Mozambique. (Note the tilt in the camper down to the left, this will become a later issue)

We entered Mozambique from Eswatini with some trepidation. We knew there was ongoing civil unrest in the north of the country and heard of travelers struggling with police corruption. But after traveling the coast of West Africa, we had learned to take many of these stories with a grain of salt. People are still living, working, raising families and going to school in countries which are rumored to be “unsafe” for travelers. We had a great time in Mozambique and, once again, it made us question our information sources and the inherent bias that goes into outsiders making these evaluations.

Despite our complete lack of Portuguese (back to our limited obrigado and bom dia) we were warmly welcomed everywhere we went, received friendly waves at police stops and enjoyed exploring endless miles of white sandy beaches and rugged forest and mountain scenery.

Overall we saw scores of police speed checks (more than we have ever seen in any country) and general police check points. We were scrupulous about sticking to posted speed limits and were only actually stopped five times. Four of those were highly professional, asking where we were going, sometimes a passport check. One time we accidentally were going 68kph in a 60 zone (looking ahead to that nearby 100kph sign), but were let off without a ticket and well wishes to enjoy our time in Mozambique. The only place we were asked for a bribe was the military stop at Save River Bridge. They were pretty persistent but so were we (lots of smiles and us saying sorry, no gift today) and eventually we were waved on with a smile .

Especially at the southern end of the country, infrastructure has been developed to accommodate holiday makers from South Africa. Roads are good and restaurants, campsites and tourist attractions abound. We easily received our visas on arrival at the border by providing proof of a booking (the immigration officer was kind enough to give us a hotspot so that we could screenshot him a copy of our campground reservation since we had not been around a printer in a while). Customs also issued a Temporary Import Permit for our truck on the spot for a $28. Total time at the Goba border, less than an hour. (It would have been only a few minutes but we got behind a busload of Eswatini soccer fans on their way to support their team in Maputo).


First roads over the border, good gravel.

Our first stop was Ponta do Ouro where we happily planned a layover day in a campground on the outside of town. We took long walks on the beach, explored the sleepy town and rested.


Whimsically decorated lunch spot in Ponta do Ouro


Downtown Ponta do Ouro


Miles of beautiful beach to walk


We were off season for South African holidays so no one around


Fully refreshed from a few days of showers and relaxing walks we made our way to the capital city Maputo to learn more about the history and culture of the country.


It is no surprise that Mozambique’s history is similar to most of colonialized Africa. In the early days, nomadic tribes populated the area. Gradually other tribes made their way from the west and a variety of small kingdoms reigned. In the 8th century the Arabian traders arrived. Relations went well, people intermarried and the local Swahili language started to blend in Arabic words and terms. In the late 15th century, the Portuguese arrived and began setting up trading posts and forts along the coast. In the 1880’s when the European colonizers sat down to carve up control of Africa, Portuguese formalized their rule of the region.

In the early 1900’s Portuguese rulers insitututed their own version of apartheid with the population being divided into the “Portuguese” with full citizenship rights and the “indigenous” who were forced to work, pay taxes and had daily restrictions put on their lives. A gradual sense of unhappiness and increased nationalism led to the fight for independence which launched in 1962 under the leadership of the Frelimo party. In 1975, after years of a scorched earth policy, Portugal finally handed over independence and the Frelimo party leaders came into control. Samora Machel was appointed the first president. (in an interesting fact, there is one woman who was married to two African presidents, Graca Machel, who was first married to Nelson Mandela and then to Samora Machel).


Casa de Ferro (Iron House) in Maputo, reportedly designed by Gustave Eiffel, built in Belgium and brought by the Portuguese to serve as a Governor’s Mansion. But the iron proved to be too hot to be habitable.

Frelimo came into power and embarked on a program of radical reform based on socialism which unfortunately failed. By the 1980’s the country was bankrupt and struggling. An opposition party, Renamo was formed with support from South Africa and Rhodesia to combat the Soviet backed Frelimo. The country fell into civil war which like many regional conflicts in Africa in the late 20th century was exacerbated by the ongoing Cold War and competing east-west idealogies. After one million Mozambiquens were killed in the war and five million more people were displaced, the war finally ended in 1992 with the official end of the South African support of Frelimo and Soviet support for Renamo.


Our two week route through Mozambique - this map only shows the southern half of the long, skinny country.

Although the civil war is officially over, Renamo insurgents continue to fight in the far northern section of the country and have a reputation for violence, kidnapping and extortion. Some of the Mozambiquens we spoke with said it was really a war over control of the lucrative gold and gas resourcs in the north.


Maputo Cathedral - Catholic church built by the Portuguese in the 1930’s. A Rome-based Catholic lay community played a key role in brokering the peace agreement ending the civil war in Mozambique.


Downtown park in Maputo

In general, Maputo felt prosperous. Infrstructure appeared to be in good shape. The downtown area was walkable with cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. Although 2/3 of the population of the country live in rural areas and depend on subsistence agriculture, Maputo is an international and economic driver. With neighboring countries being landlocked, Mozambique ports play a key role in importing and exploring to the region.


Walking history tour with local guide, Hendy. Highly recommend!


Central market in downtown Maputo, filled with spices and grains

As fascinating as Maputo was, we still don’t love cities, so made our way back to the coast. We found more remote white sandy beach at Chidenguele where we camped for the night.


Walking the beach at Chidenguele, camped at Sunset Beach Resort


We will never get over our amazement and respect for African women carrying loads balanced on their heads

Not being highly social or party people, we skipped the famous Tofo beach area and headed out to Barra at the tip of the peninsula. More camping and beach walks!


Andy always has to catch the wildlife. Then he puts it back.

Driving throughout Africa, we are always fascinated by what people are selling by the side of the road. And by the beautiful designs the vendors create out of what they are selling.


Plastic bag tree donating the sale of cashews. They dot the roadways of Mozambique, with extra bags always tied up high in a cheerful design.


Thatch for sale, organized into sleek pyramids.


There was some strong branding at play, every village had a store or bar painted to match the logo and design of the national beer.


It had been a few months but we got to cross the Tropic of Capricorn again, this time heading north.


These beautiful young girls wanted us to take their picture, we were happy to.

On our next beachside stop we got to meet up with fellow overlanders, share a meal, stories and recommendations - always a good time to be with like minded travelers.


Ocean Pearl camp in Vilankulos


We have been on the road with Maarten and Renske for months, switching off who is ahead and who is behind. They drove an electric car from the Netherlands down to South Africa and up to Kenya. They are shipping home soon, we will miss seeing them!

Another lay over day - how did we get so relaxed? Had a super time walking around Vilankulos - and more youth requested photos!









Bridge connecting the community across a swamp


Beautiful traditional homes of thatch


And a beautiful Boabab tree along the way

We finally and reluctantly left the coast (it is going to be a long time, maybe Kenya, before we see the ocean again). We decided to visit the Gorongosa National Park, a great Africa restoration story. With significant international and local investment, the park is being re-populated and re-invigorated with the hopes of once again being a tourism destination.


Along the way we stayed in a local community campground -Ndzou.

The park and wildlife was decimated during the civil war (similar story to Quicama National Park in Angola). But park management is turning it around. Unfortunately, self driving is not possible due to the elephant’s aggressiveness as a result of their experiences during the civil war. So we paid for a guided drive, and it was well worth it.


We were the only ones on the tour, it felt like a remote adventure


Morning coffee break - as part of the investment in the park we were driven in a brand new safari truck


So much biodiversity in the park!


And our astute guides Stanley and Clement saw vultures, went searching and found a lion on a kill that we were able to watch.


Brutal but real


Sacred tree in the park, ceremonies still carried out annually


And our final night! Camped at Gorongosa Adventures, enjoying an evening fire.

We really appreciate the emails, messages and encouragement from those of you out there reading our blog. We have fun writing it so that we have a record of our travels, but also want to be useful to others. We would love feedback on what is helpful. We have tried a “highlights” section (which somehow went by the wayside) and an “adventures with the truck” section (same story). Below we are trying something new - a “trip report” which is common on overlander forums to give other’s basic logistics guidance. Any feedback is appreciated and above all else, thank you for reading and coming along with us.

Trip Report - Logistics Mozambique: 13 days

Route: Eswatini/ Goba border, Ponta do Ouro, Maputo, Barra, Vilankulos, Gorongosa National Park, exit to Zimbabwe at Machipanda.

Traveling in an obvious tourist car- pickup with camper and US plates. We have 4x4 and only needed it to get out to the tip of Barra.

Entry at Goba was easy and fast, no visa needed for US or EU citizens now. Paid cash rands 240 each immigration fee and 100 rand road tax, receipts for both.

We were never searched and treated with warmth and welcome by everyone we met. Only once asked for a bribe which we did not pay.

The section of N1 north of Vilankulos had some of the worst pot holes we have seen in Africa. Slow going! Plus playing dodge car with local buses and container trucks.

Trip times:

• Goba to Ponta do Ouro (camped at Gala Gala)2.5 hrs decent roads, one gravel section
  
  
• Ponta do Ouro to Chidenguele (camped at Sunset Beach Lodge) 4 hours
  
  
• Chidenguele to Barra (camped at Barra Dica) 4 hours
  
  
• Barra to Vilankulos (camped at Ocean Pearl)4 hours
  
  
• Vilankulos to Buffalo Camp on N1 5 hours (worst road condition day)
  
  
• Buffalo Camp to Ndzou Camp south of Sussendenga 4.5 hours (still pretty bad at first and then we chose a longer route on a corrugated dirt road - the cut off from Chimbalo to avoid some of the N1)
  
  
• Ndzou Camp to Gorongosa (camped at Gorongosa Adventures) 3 hours, again really rough on the N1
  

We would recommend all the places we camped, lovely beaches, forests and mountains. It's been a great experience.