More Junk Art and a Fig Tree Spook

More Tsauchab River Junk Art - and the Fig Tree Shower mentioned in that post:


An alert Kudu beside a tree.


A snapshot of the entrance road and Reception area.

Johan has used tons of scrap metal objects and natural things like rocks, dead trees and plants to create an attractive open-air art exhibition.


A fearsome Crocodile grasps an antelope in it's jaws.


Birds of Paradise?


A Scorpion scuttles defensively around it's pedestal.


I wonder what this gaggle of Ostriches are discussing?


Camera 'round the neck and binoculars in hand, visitors on a hike - the smaller figure doesn't look too happy ...


The Fig Tree Shower I mentioned.

The tree is probably a few hundred years old and the centre, where the shower is, is hollow.

The smoke is coming from the "Donkey" - a wood-fired water heater.


When I first went to check-out the shower near Dusk, my peripheral vision told my mind that the mirror inside the tree was a Window ...

... I was startled when I looked at it and saw someone staring at me ... :)


Sadly, I didn't get any good pics of inside the tree and the shower but, this should give you an idea of what it looked like.

There's nothing quite like the sensation of standing in the open under a hot shower with a coolish breeze blowing over your body.

Related Post: Tsauchab River Junk Art

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Tsauchab River Junk Art

On my previous trips past Büllsport I'd seen signboards for the Tsauchab River Campsite.

It was off my normal route but, on my way North a few weeks ago, I decided to detour and check it out ...



... I'm glad I did because, starting at the gate and all the way up the 300 meter driveway to the Reception Area, were hundreds of pieces of "Iron Art" created by the owner, Johan Steyn.

Above is a small display advertising one of the amenities of the Campsite, complete with Sunbather.


Rusty Aardvark - Johan has a knack of capturing animal peculiarities which make his creations instantly recognizable.



Come linger awhile with me, under the Old Boot Tree ...



A determined Cyclist heads for the Hills.



One Blue Bottle - part of a display of dozens of similarly-colored Glass and Enamel items on an old dead tree.

What shade of blue would you say this is?

Bottle Blue?



A tufted Secretary Bird holds a Lizard in it's beak.



A Gas Bottle Couple lie basking in the Sunshine.

I wonder what the Bucket's for? ...

... junk dentures probably ...



I was informed by Johan that due to space restrictions he could only construct a half-Fokker - a proper one is two barrels long ...

... a local joke I guess ... :)



I enjoyed the private Bush Camp too, including a hot shower in the centre of a massive, ancient Wild Fig Tree.

... and surprises like this, a wooden Face in the Grass on one of the four-wheel drive tracks on the farm.


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How 'Alien Gap' Got It's Name

Well, because of the interest shown in 'Alien Gap' mentioned in my previous post, I'll tell the story:

As you can make out from the pic above, the area is very rocky and at this spot the road inclines steeply to the top of a hill which has a narrow cutting through which only one car can safely pass at a time.

Late one moonless night I was traveling this Orange River road, my daughter Megan in the passenger seat and a Fox Terrier named 'Boo' sitting on the backseat.

The Corolla was functioning normally but Megan and I were both feeling tired after a day-long journey.

As we approached Alien Gap and were about to drive up the incline, the car suddenly lost power and stopped dead in the middle of the road. The engine was still running but I couldn't get the car to move, it was as if there was no connection between the wheels and the engine.

All of a sudden Boo jumped up and started snarling and barking furiously at 'something' outside the window behind me - I've never in my life seen a dog so terrified, he was in a state of total panic - the whole 'atmosphere' was highly charged and the hair on the back of my neck was probably standing straight up.

It was pitch-dark outside and the whole episode felt like one of those dreams where you're trying to escape from something but, despite all your efforts, you just can't move or make progress ... it was as if a 'force' was holding us there.

After what seemed like ages but was probably only about minute and a half, I finally got the car to edge forward slowly up the hill and, having passed through the cutting we continued on our journey without further incident.

Both Megan and I were baffled by the incident and the way the dog had gone completely crazy. Having no rational answer we jokingly speculated that we'd had an "Alien Encounter" ...

... but that's not the end of the story ...

A few weeks later I was traveling with three passengers in a DIFFERENT car, (a four-wheel drive vehicle), on a flat stretch of the same road in broad daylight. All of a sudden the same thing happened - with the engine still running, the car suddenly lost power and started slowing down ... this lasted about 20 seconds before the wheels seemed to 'engage' again and we continued driving.

The funny side of this second incident is that everyone was aware of the 'Alien Gap' story and, when the vehicle lost power, we all looked out the windows and up at the skies as if in search of 'flying saucers' - and then looked sheepishly at each other when we realized what we'd just done ...

As for Boo, he was never the same after Alien Gap ... one day, at my home in the north, he disappeared and, after a search, I found him standing in a patch of long grass, stiff-legged and staring blankly straight ahead. He was unresponsive to my calls and appeared to be looking right through me. Far from any vet and afraid that he had rabies, I had no choice but to put him down - the test results showed that he didn't have the dreaded disease ... so what made him lose his mind?

So there you have it, the story of Alien Gap ... do you have a possible explanation for these incidents, was it just a coincidence of two mechanical failures?


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ET Phone Home

This is probably one of the most surreal structures I've seen. I pass it often on my trips between north and south Namibia.


It stands near a farmhouse on the Aus - Helmeringhausen road. In this image you can just make it out on the bend in the road ... on the edge of a 40km stretch of desolate desert flatness.The whole setting is so weird, it could be from a Mad Max movie.


It's fairly old and looks like it supports two water tanks.

The wires on top? Well, that looks like an antennae of sorts but for what purpose?

I like to imagine that the farm owner is a UFO freak hoping to make contact with ETs - I've often been tempted to stop and ask what it is but the truth would probably ruin my fantasy - there's probably a simple explanation ... any bright ideas?

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Flowerpot Car

It's amazing what you see when you have a camera in your hand and you're looking for images to capture - I must have passed this old pick-up more than a dozen times before I noticed it. It stands slightly off the road and, together with the metal figurines, is used as signpost at the entrance to a farm.

Can you guess what make of vehicle it is?

Yup, you were right, it's an old:

... I have no idea in what year it was made though ...

Related Post: If Dead Cars Could Speak

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If Dead Cars Could Speak

As with derelict buildings, there's something about old abandoned cars that attracts me to them, especially when they're in unusual settings.

Perhaps it's their unknown history that intrigues me, how proud their new owners must have been at a time when animal-powered transport was probably more common than motorized.

What stories could they tell? Which roads did they travel and what sights did they see? What adventures did they take part in?

... and the obvious question, how many humans were conceived in these wrecks during moments of stolen passion?

If only they could be coaxed to speak ...

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The Goat Tower

Photo Credit: Taxi81
Wiki says that 'The Goat Tower at Fairview Wine and Cheese estate is a landmark in the Paarl winelands of South Africa. It is the first of three documented structures of this kind.

The Goat Tower was built in 1981 by Fairview owner Charles Back and has become the farm's most identifiable symbol and aspect of their brand.'

There are also Goat Towers in Norway and Illinois in the USA - I've never seen the South African structure but I'll be sure to seek it out the next time I'm in the area ...


Image Credit: Unknown
Moo ...
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American Stonehenge - Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse

Photo: Dan Winters
American Stonehenge:
Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse
From the article in Wired Magazine:

The strangest monument in America looms over a barren knoll in northeastern Georgia. Five massive slabs of polished granite rise out of the earth in a star pattern.

Built in 1980, these pale gray rocks are quietly awaiting the end of the world as we know it.

Called the Georgia Guidestones, the monument is a mystery - nobody knows exactly who commissioned it or why.

What's most widely agreed upon - based on the evidence available - is that the Guidestones are meant to instruct the dazed survivors of some impending apocalypse as they attempt to reconstitute civilization.

Not everyone is comfortable with this notion. Opponents have attacked them as the Ten Commandments of the Antichrist.

The message on the Stones includes references to certain themes such as:

"maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature",

"guide reproduction wisely", "improving fitness and diversity",

"prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite",

concluding with

"Be not a cancer on the Earth - leave room for nature - leave room for nature"

Credit: Wikipedia AuthorAmazing story and structure - I must confess that I am pessimistic about the future of mankind; we are overwhelming the Earth through uncontrolled breeding and overexploitation of natural resources.

As in the concluding message on the stones, I see humanity as a cancer on the face of the planet, consuming everything in it's path.

All our collective knowledge, religious beliefs and scientific advances cannot change the basic nature of man; avarice and hatred reign supreme.

A dark view I know, but can you see any way out of the mess we've created?

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Spectacular Crystal Cave

Image Credit: Unknown
Cueva de los Cristales
Wiki says that the Cueva de los Cristales is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 metres (980 ft) deep in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found.

Image Credit: UnknownThe cave's largest crystal found to date is 11 m (36 ft) in length, 4 m (13 ft) in diameter and 55 tons in weight.

The cave is relatively unexplored due to the extreme temperatures and high humidity. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.


Image Credit: National GeographicHaving worked for twelve years as a miner in one of the world's most famous mineral localities, I find this truly spectacular ...

... I've seen vugs of bright, shiny jewels and stood in caves completely surrounded by crystals but, I've never seen anything like this.

And those extreme temperatures, I know exactly what they mean.

Here's a link to an excellent photo set which will give you a better idea of the scale.

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Garas Park Revisited

Some time ago I did a post on Garas Park

A few months later, in passing, I noticed that the figurines closest to the highway had disappeared so I stopped in, intending to sleep-over under the stars and find out what had happened to them.

The figurines had been moved closer to the campsite with a few new additions - I got my pics but was also washed-out by the only thunderstorm for miles around and was forced to continue on my journey, which turned out to be a drive from hell, but that's another story ...

I don't know exactly what it is about the whole scene that is so weird - it's as if the mind momentarily tries to convert them into real people before reality kicks-in and you see them for what they are ... piles of junk stuck together.

Here's the link again to pics from my first post on Garas Park

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Drive My Car

At last week's Desert Dash we were waiting for the riders to arrive at a checkpoint - Suddenly this dude appeared from nowhere, 'driving' his home-made wire car ...


I barely had time to snap a shot as he passed me and disappeared off down the road. I looked around and it seemed that nobody else had even noticed him. I've seen kids pushing these kind of cars around but never a grown man - here's a closer view of his vehicle:


The whole scene seemed so surreal - here we were in the middle of nowhere, not a farmhouse or village in sight - a group of well equipped high-tech four-wheel drive vehicles - and this guy casually strolling in the heat ... I wonder what was on his mind, where did he come from and where was he heading?

When I look at the pic, that old Beatles song runs through my head:

"Baby, you can drive my car, yes I'm gonna be a star,
Baby, you can drive my car, and maybe I'll love you.
Beep beep mm, beep beep yeh!"
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Baboon Handprint

OneStonedCrow Pic
Baboon Handprint In Dried Mud
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Floating Bar

OneStonedCrow PicsImages of a floating bar at the Zambezi Lodge Hotel on the Zambezi River, Katima Mulilo, northern Namibia.

Notice the 'Beware Of Crocodiles' sign in the top pic.

I wonder how many drunks have ended up in the drink here - even when I crossed this floating bridge stoned cold sober I felt weird from the bobbing and swaying - maybe when you're pissed it kind of compensates and feels like you're walking on solid ground ... I dunno ...

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