Time to head back to Cape Town

No time for going anywhere before we start our last retreat day. Breakfast and then a full morning to put all of what has been discussed over the previous day and a half into a picture of where CREW wants to go in the coming years. It is very ambitious, with offices in more locations around the country and more activities being undertaken in each of these offices. Everybody seems pleased with the progress that has been made and with the good and the not so good things that have been identified. There has been real openness and willingness to deal with all issues. Everyone rates the retreat a success and feels this is a good foundation from which to build and move forward.

Though the discussion could have continued into the afternoon departure had to happen soon. Suvarna had a plane to catch in Cape Town around 6 PM and so lunch would have to be along the way. One change had to be made to the traveling grouops. Annelise and Caitlin swapped vehicles so that Annelise and Tilla could continue their discussions on the drive back. And once we rearranged the wheelchairs and luggage, my vehicle could stop along the way and not worry about meeting with Ismail in Cape Town. I would get the LRW from the back of the bakkie on Friday morning.

Caitlin, Wendy, Marcia, and I loaded outr things and departed from Nieuwoudtville. The passge over the pass was uneventful and our first stop was the succulent nursery (Kokerboom Kwekery) in Vanrhynsdorp. Easy to see why busloads of tourists stop. Bench after bench of plants, most small and very inexpensive. Makes it very easy to decide you want one of this one and one of that one and one of ...

Caitlin had great fun choosing the little beauties she wanted to take home. And one of her selections was a little kokerboom. Marcia even had to have one. It will be with us until we leave and then I will donate it to the CREW office.

Speaking of leaving, there has been another change in plans. This one was not of our doing. Marcia called KLM to see about our seats for the return flights. But there was a slight problem. Northwest had changed its flight schedules and so we really didn't have return flights at this time. The KLM representative said she would look into this and get back to Marcia with more information. It took about a day but we do now have flights to return home. Departure has been pushed back one day, to Dec. 4th, and we connect in Minneapolis not Detroit. No big deal just a short period of concern until things got sorted out.

After succulent shopping Wendy found a place to buy bread and we stopped at the local garage for another picnic lunch. Wendy, Caitlin, and I ate at the stand-up picnic table and Marcia had lunch in the car.

Then it was back on the N7 for the ride back to Cape Town. But first a brief stop to allow me to investigate this unusual area. The region of the Succulent Karoo around Vanrhynsdorp is known as the Knersvlakte. The name is Afrikaans and means grinding flats. But exactly why these terms came to be the name of this region is less clear. What is clear is the strange nature of this region. In addition to being very arid, rainfall being typically no more than 125 mm per year, the surface of the soil is covered with white quartz pebbles. The landscape appears blotchy white because of the presence of these pebbles. It is the grinding of these pebbles underfoot or by wagon wheels that may be the basis of the region's name. What is also clear is that this region is rich with succulents. Between those pebbles are numeorus species of small to very small succulents, some only a few leaves in size. And a species may be limited to a very small area, a patch or two of pebbles.

Here is a picture of the soil surface where we stopped. Can you find the succulent in this picture?

Now look at this picture. See what looks like a baby's bottom? That is one of the succulents, probably a species of Argyroderma. Note the structures at 3:00 and 6:00. These are fruits. The seeds would be splashed by raindrops, when it rained, and so dispersal is obviously very limited.

And look at all those pebbles!

Here are two different succulents, vygies, that were growing along the side of the road. Notice the bubbly surface of most parts of these plants, the glistening of the stems and leaves. The outer cells are swollen and filled with water. Another adaptation to deal with limited water. These are probably in the genus Mesembryanthemum.


Have to be impressed at all the ways plants have adapted to survive in these very arid environments. The fynbos has its beauty and specialness and so do all of different arid regions. Certainly makes me want to return in late winter/early spring to see these areas following the rains. But that will have to be in another visit.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful. Dropped Caitlin off at home and Wendy at her car at Kirstenbosch. Then home for us. Though too short this was a great trip. We got to see some very interesting areas of the Karoo and to share time with some terrific people. I hope they found my contributions useful and worth their efforts to bring me and Marcia along. My sincerest thanks to Tilla, Ismail, Caitlin, and Wendy for including us. And to Suvarna and Annelise for their warmth and wonderful friendliness. We really had a great time!

Edward