September 2022 brought our biggest flower trip yet. More vehicles joined, more people came along, and Rondeberg Resort had more campers than in previous years. We usually book out the private camping section with a number of chalets; this time we also needed space in the public camping area. We camped too, making the whole weekend a proper base-camp trip rather than just a long day on the road.
Friday — Gathering for the flowers
The day started early. By 8am, most of the group had met at the Engen on the N7 and the convoy was ready to move out. From there the road opened up and, once we reached the first gravel section closer to Biedouw Valley, we stopped to deflate before carrying on.
The stops were familiar to many of us, including Louis Leipoldt’s grave, but the excitement still felt like a first visit. That is the thing about flower season out here: every year presents the route differently.
Wupperthal and camp at Rondeberg
We continued to Wupperthal, following the same routine as the previous years. This time, though, we arrived while the brass band was rehearsing. Hearing it around the village was incredible and made the usual stop feel entirely new.
Late that afternoon we drove back to Rondeberg and settled into camp. Vehicles, tents, trailers and rooftop tents filled both camping sections, and the evening gave everyone time to relax before the longer route ahead.
Saturday — A bigger convoy and a full itinerary
Saturday began bright and early. We left Rondeberg at 7am with a full day ahead, and the vehicles joining us for the day had already met with us. The convoy was bigger again.
Baghdad Cafe, Gifberg Pass, Van Rhyn’s Pass, the Loriesfontein wind farm and museum were added to the itinerary. The group stopped to take in the route, the passes and the open country beyond them.
On the way back, we did the usual stops at the quiver tree forest and the waterfall, then went to see the rest of the flowers in Nieuwoudtville. The colour was everywhere, with whole fields bright against the overcast sky.
Roosterkoek, music and a slow Sunday
Ralton had arranged with Aunty Nora and her friends, as before, and they made a lot of roosterkoek for us. It was a treat. Then, just when we thought the day could not get any better, members of the community began singing and dancing. We joined in before heading back to Rondeberg for a relaxed evening.
Sunday was deliberately slower: time to pack up camp, say goodbye to everyone and head home after a full weekend.
Help when it mattered
The trip did have casualties. Two vehicles suffered tyre bursts, with one losing two tyres. It was a reminder of why travelling in a group matters. Nobody was left to deal with it alone; the assistance and help needed were there.
A local tyre shop in Vanrhynsdorp even opened on Sunday, while they were closed, to assist us. That kind of help is not something you forget.
This was a larger trip than before, but it still had the same feeling: flowers, gravel roads, familiar stops and people making room for one another. Exactly the reason we keep coming back.