We don’t do holidays, we do adventures! And the next adventure was long overdue! So we threw the whole family into the car and headed for the closest thing South Africa has to the desert! The Northern Cape is a magical place, with friendly people and dirt roads that carry on from horizon to horizon. I never truly understood how many of our country’s roads are dirt roads, it was a welcome surprise!
This trip was for Orange River minerals, smoky ‘Herkimer Diamonds’, Fluorite, Bright red Orange River quartz, and illusive Riemvasmaak Fluorite; as well as rough stone like Sodalite, Aventurine, African Turquoise, Red Jasper, Picture Jasper, Agates, Clear Quartz, Tiger’s Eye etc. Many of them sell soon after arrival, as having a big chunk of Rose quartz in the garden is so uplifting and pretty and Red Jasper makes for stunning bedding edges, especially when they turn blood red in the rain!
The desert is an amazing place; some find the domed expanse of sky, the immense distances, the strange never-ending quiet a bit disconcerting! We find it hollows out the space in our minds filled with the white noise of everyday life and replaces it with deep breaths and the renewed ability to take happy steps! We came home with a trailer full of stones and smiles!