If I could relive my life, I would have travelled more and cherished the great outdoors to a much greater extent.
Alas, even if I had all the money in the world and another lifetime, I do not think I would see all the beauty of our country.
Every time I climb aboard the Guru Mobile and hit the road I discover another gem in the most unexpected place.
My wife treated me to a belated surprise birthday gift, taking me to a lodge 40km north of Adelaide, at the foot of the Winterberg Mountains.
A bonus was an outdoor wood-fired hot tub, overlooking a trout-stocked farm dam, with no other people in an 8km radius.
What more could you ask for? An endless supply of braai wood (doringhout) for the fire and the hot tub was available per kind favour of our host.
A bonus for Mrs Guru was limited reception and no Wi-Fi, so there was no temptation to whip out the laptop and catch up on some work.
Upon looking at the awesome scenery, it reminded me of the ’70s hit song by Bread with the lyrics, “If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t I paint you.”
To take that a step further, not even my photos could capture the absolute beauty of the surroundings.
Most especially with all the welcome rain the region has had of late, the whole countryside is lush green and reminiscent of the Serengeti during rainy season.
The absolute highlight of the weekend for our party was not only the drive, but experiencing all three stages of a thunderstorm, namely developing, mature and dissipating.
That is not often experienced in the Bay.
As we approached Adelaide, we could see how the fluffy cumulus clouds started gaining height, growing and forming into massive cottonwool balls (cumulonimbus clouds).
Then as we got closer, we saw lightning in the distance over the Winterberg.
When we reached the ridge, we caught a good glimpse of the massive downpour moving over the area to our right.
By the time we got to the lodge, we had to dash out the vehicle to get to shelter from the heavy downpour.
All the while I was thinking how wonderful if this could happen at home, as my tanks would be overflowing.
After unpacking and lighting the fire, lying in the hot tub — which our gracious host had fired up for us a few hours before arriving — with a good scotch watching the thunderstorm dissipate was an absolute bonus, especially with the smell of the recent rain and the “steam” lifting off the dam, caused by the cooled air.
I could imagine sitting in the tub if the countryside was covered in snow, as it sometimes is in winter.
Mrs Guru was a bit alarmed the next morning, as she thought there was smoke rising from the valleys around us.
I calmed her quickly by explaining it was valley fog.
As the day progressed, it started creeping up the mountain and completely engulfed us.
What a sight for a keen weatherman.
Valley fog incidentally occurs when cold air descends into valleys, causing water vapour to condense into fog.
It’s a type of radiation fog and is most common in spring and autumn (which we are at the start of).
By late afternoon it cleared just enough for us to be able to take a drive further up the Winterberg and enjoy its beauty.
Thunderstorms in the area love the path along the border of the Winterberg following the R63 from Cookhouse to Bhisho, with the Automatic Weather Station at Fort Beaufort having in the past been ripped from its moorings by a suspected tornado or microburst.
Not to mention the photographs of hail damage that I have been privy to of other towns along the route.
Even though not as severe, experiencing a thunderstorm like this, coupled with the eerie valley fog was a bonus present for this weatherman’s birthday.
I now fully understand the concept of thinner air at higher altitudes.
This, coupled with the complete peacefulness and cleanliness of the country air, made us all lethargic and relaxed.
No Wi-Fi, TV or the like was a great switch off.
We must do a business/holiday trip midyear to the Big Smoke (Johannesburg), but on the way back plan to pop in at Clarence and visit Golden Gate.
If lucky enough we might even hit some real snow.
This week in history:
2008: Reports received of a tornado in both Cradock and Butterworth on the same day.
Dam levels
74.55% down from 76.02% the previous week. Impofu was down slightly at 56.09%
Weather safety tips:
This week I heard about a fatal motor vehicle accident involving fog.
The first prize is to delay your journey. If you are caught on the road, make sure your lights are on — not on bright — or use fog lights, if you have them.
On the West Coast where there is a lot of fog, motorists put their hazards on when it is dense.
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