Day 2 (Sun, 19/10/14): Zandkraal to Darling, Darling!

Our departure from Zandkraal Private Nature Reserve was a greatly delayed one, thanks to the overbearing heat. So after a spot of brekkie, a bit of target shooting, a splash in the pool, and much heat-induced zombie-like behaviour, The Goose and I finally managed to get Big Red loaded up and ourselves suited & booted around 2pm, eventually leaving our friends Steph 'Who's Your Granny' Elysee, Gordon 'Don't Touch My Porkies' Gloyne, and Alfie 'The Cow-Whisperer' Horton at 14h30

This time we left to the right, following the gravel road through the red rocky hills and down to the Bulshoek Dam Resort. This was a very unexpected feature, as the surrounding landscape is exceptionally dry, arid and rocky, interspersed with deep magenta flowers, mustard yellow flowers, and Desert Melons.

As we had left so late, we felt it best to get to our next destination in the quickest, most direct route, so we popped through Clanwilliam again and back on to the N7. We trundled down long straight roads with slight bends, passing Piketberg until we got to a very quiet Moorreesburg. We rode through the town and up to the rear, until we came to that wonderful sign that would direct us to our next destination - Darling, darling.

This stretch of dirt road really tested our focus, with it's sharp rippling and sandy stretches, making for a very slippery and jittery jaunt.
Big Red, as usual, took this all in its stride, staying upright and maintaining forward motion with the greatest of ease.

At the end of this road lay Darling, welcoming us in with a lush vineyard to the left, and a bizarre cemetery, sporting a peppering of upturned plastic bottles across the graves, to the right.
We rode straight up through the town and to the back end, where our hosts, Mac and Renate McKenzie, welcomed us in to their palatial church home for an evening of cooking, dining, drinking, laughing, story-telling and kukpraat.

Our host insisted that I throw together a little stir-fry, so I went about the kitchen like a seasoned pro - flash frying the steak cuts in a little olive oil, garlic and cinnamon, dumping in the fresh, crispy vegetables, and then letting the whole lot simmer in a sauce of cream, whiskey and brown sugar. 

It wasn't half bad either...

Luckily, this bottle of Mampoer was already empty by the time we got there, but it certainly was a vicious looking drink...

Tomorrow we will venture out in to the town of Darling and see what delights await us. I spotted an intriguing butchery on the way in, so I am sure that The Goose and I will investigate this, as well as the variety of wines and beers of this area...