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We set off early from Gauteng and went the Lindley route to Zastron in Dave's 4x4. Luckily we had John the historian with us and he filled us in on Blockhouses and supplied the tapes of the Battle of Isandhlwana and Rourke's Drift. Our efforts at Lindley to find a battle site were feeble as Yeomanry Kop is just NW of the town on the Kroonstad Road, where there is a monument. Senekal has petrified trees. We passed Kiba Drift over the Orange River where Jan Smut's commando crossed into the NE Cape when the British were inadvertently not on guard that night, 3rd September 1091. There is a War Memorial Site here which we missed.
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After a hospitable tea at Tony's in-laws home in Lady Grey, we set off up the Joubert Pass. This servitude was engineered by the farmers in the high valley above Lady Grey and completed in 1914. The pass is fine with a freshly scraped surface and suitable for a sedan car. The 1936 Ordinance Map shows the mountains Helvelyn at 8156 ft and Peleon ( Ben Nevis ) at 8804 ft. "The hills are lovely beyond any singing of it" to quote Alan Paton. The view looking back over the pass stretched from Bloemfontein and includes the tangle of mountains of the S.E. Cape. Once in the valley, you have to pinch yourself that it is for real as it is so remote, secluded and peaceful (there is no phone connection) and so cold the waterfalls and streams are near frozen. We saw cows, horses, sheep and lammergeiers. At last we pulled up at OSSA ( the farm ). If you read Pilsner's "Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance" you will know the house. A pergola over the stable door entrance and inside a large dining room with anthracite heater. The kitchen is huge with an Agfa Stove, and vast table, pretty floral curtains at all windows and photos of Grey's College Rugby Team 1929 and 1930. Here we talked for long hours about where the AST Club should be going, politics, theology, astrophotography ( this took at least 2 hours ), what we must see that night ( this took all day, and comprised a list of at least 2 pages); how to promote Astronomy. I wish I could remember the wit, it was so quick. John was the sharpest, being a genius in any field ( I can remember, but you must come next time and add your contribution. Some of it is unprintable ).
There was much ribaldry about not cooking your digital computer in the dark with 12 volts when only 6 volts are required. Luckily Tony had armed himself with Plan B ( a refractor ), and Plan C ( another refractor ). He managed to fix the Go To 'scope next day by daylight. After a delicious curry from the culinary art of Chris Middleton, we set out to do serious science. Tony knew the best time of the year as the Galaxy was nearly overhead and tipped towards us @ about 30°. The night was starlit and the Star discs hardly twinkled. Sagittarius cloud looked floodlit and pressed in by the dark matter. We were aware of the Magellanic clouds dipping under the Hill in the South and re-appearing not much later.
The Milky Way does not stay at Zenith long before it tips towards the setting quadrant. Mars appeared like a red lantern and we saw at least one Polar cap if not two in the Scopes. We looked for Galaxies in Queen Berenices, little smidgeons of whisps of white that came and went from your lateral vision. I remember the "Hourglass" in Vulpecula ( most peculiar ), globbies in SMC & M47, globbies in Sagittarius as per Robert Burnham's guidance, Coathanger in Sagitta, Cats' Paw nebula, the Carina Arm, such a crusty section ( in Pavo? ) where we saw Dave's new named "Star City", "The Bronx", and "The Treasure Chest" ( not in Virgo ). Chris showed us superb doubles which were easily found on his Go To Scope and varied so in colours ( which is really due to optical contrast only ) rather than huge colour ranges. Dave pointed out constellations with his laser pointer and what a boon this device is. Capricornus is like a Boomerang and Aries is like a Lecturn. This was South of the Antarctic endurance and we went in to warm up, with Port, and about 11 pm, with grim resurgence went back to our posts at the Scopes. Although hands and feet were cold, our humour was warm.
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The following evening was a feat of endurance as a mean wind blew but after a warm up inside, the wind died and we had superb viewing. The only way to endure -6° was to wrap a wool blanket around one and hitch it with a pin, also cardboard in the shoes and rubber gloves under the wool ones. By the third night at -6° one became acclimatised and by midnight, it was a shame to pack up.
On our journey home, we made a serendipitous turn at Aliwal North, because, although it was not the road we wished, we were taken into the Stormberg Mountains which as everyone knows, was where Major General Gatacre lead the Irish & Northumberland Fusiliers on the 10th of December 1899 into the fracas at Stormberg Junction. Unfortunately we had to turn back before reaching this spot, but we did at least visit the interesting Boer War Monument and blockhouse in Aliwal North.
We came through Bloemfontein which is rich with history but we were short of time and it was a long journey home. The memorial there to the 22000 British Soldiers can be saved for another time.
In conclusion I must mention the first class meat that we had from the farm. It was just delicious and very nutreous - we had beef steak with roast potatoes. We had just watched ISS in the evening sky and came in cold, to this feast.
So thanks to Tony for a superb venue, the weather could not have been better, the Stars, the best we could get and short of catching a falling one, we couldn't have had better luck.
Mary C. MacKinnon
