It is not really flyable anywhere else in Cape Town, so we are going for a drive,
Originally I thought that we will spend countless days in these parts of the Cape, ready to escape the howling southeaster winds, but it didn’t turn out to be. Today we are going to have a look at the “other” side of Cape Town flying.
Clint and I left Cape Town and checked out conditions as we drove north, watching how the winds ease back in strength. We started at Piketberg, driving up and walking the last few steps to the launching mats. Clint took a photo of me… taking the photos above. The haze from Cape Town was following us, and after a coin toss that we ignored, Clint got his kit ready and went for a flight. I caught his (well executed) launch in light conditions from Piketberg on camera here: Paragliding – Piketberg – 7 October 2024. We decided to push on to Kardoesie, after I collected Clint from landing and stopped in Piketberg for a well deserved cake and a “5-Star” chocolate. (sorry, I mean a healthy, nutritious, low carb, no calorie, oats and raisin, tasteless and gutless thing for Clint in case his wife is reading…)
After signing in at Kardoesie (and asking for directions in Afrikaans) Clint and I checked out both launch sites. We selected the SW takeoff and I got my kit ready and had and nice flight to bottom landing. I forgot to turn my camera on before launch and only recorded a small clip, making a turn or two close to landing here: Paragliding – Kardoesie – 7 October 2024. Clint got some airtime as well, after we got back to launch, but conditions changed and he found himself surrounded by the sink monster unfortunately. The photos above are what I took of Clint launching. Not quite understanding what was going on, we decided to “return to base” via Porterville and “a short cut” on an “unsealed” road that I knew. Lets just say that we took Monty on some “proper” gravel roads, with sand, water, mud and a couple of other things… LOL. At one point I must admit that I was concerned if I was going down the correct road, but it slowly got wider again and we made it to the bottom of Dasklip Pass. We drove up to go have a look at launch, since we were “in the vicinity” right?
The wind was very cross, so we didn’t launch and naturally then I had to point at something… in the far… for some action photos. We finished the day back in Cape Town at a semi-nice steak restaurant, happy that he made the effort to go and have a look at conditions towards “Porterville side of town” and getting some flights in as well. We also had time to discuss the fact that I still have not responded to my “letter from Denver” but I am figuring out my planned actions one at a time. There is so much there to think about and consider and so much heartbreak that could follow, again… to take the risk or not is the real question. Tonight I cannot help to think about Porterville and the golden-green fields of wheat and canola and other grains. I miss the open… I miss the out and about… I miss the Te Araroa, and my home.
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43.5323 – 172.5567
7 October 2024
FP-270
2 responses to “Heading north, Piketberg & Porterville.”
Awesome shots – awesome action pointing – cool videos 😉
It was still a good day out, see a different part of the country and some BIG sky.