van stadens

Firefly the Travel Guy

I’m back… after a hiatus of 2 years

A magnificent King Protea in the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve It's been two years since I've stopped blogging. What I initially intended to be a three week break was extended to two months and then became an indefinite postponement. My mojo was gone. In fact I didn't even take photos anymore. My camera gathered dust and my writing skills became rusty. The last two years have been funny actually. I started losing concentration, thought I developed ADD and frankly, also…

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02/06/2020
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Pincushions at Van Stadens

I haven't been to the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve for a few months so I think it's time to swing by again to see what is in flower.  This is a picture from a little while ago with Pincushions in flower. 

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15/05/2017
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Underneath the bridge

A couple of years ago I got to walk underneath the Van Stadens Bridge for the first time while following one of the trails in the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve in search of a Geocache.  A couple of days ago I saw a friend post a similar picture and I decided to go and dig this photo out to post again.  Not the usual view of the bridge, is it? 

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01/05/2017
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Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve bridge view

When you're walking along the trails in the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve you get to see glimpses and different angles of the Van Stadens Bridge all the time.  The bridge, over which the N2 highway crosses, was opened on 11 November 1971.  The bridge used to be a notorious suicide spot until barriers were set up all along the side of the bridge a couple of years ago. 

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21/12/2016
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Searching for the oldest Geocache in Port Elizabeth

I've been Geocaching for four years and have found just short of 2000 caches, yet, and I should probably be ashamed to say it, I have never gone to look for the oldest cache in Port Elizabeth.  The cache, located in the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve, is called Van Stadens Flower Power and was originally placed on 18 May 2003.  Having cached in the reserve a couple of times before I just can't believe that I have never taken this…

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11/12/2016
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Van Stadens mountain bike trails

The Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve doesn't only have great hiking trails, it also has a few very nice mountain biking trails.

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27/11/2016
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Pincushion Proteas at Van Stadens

We stopped by the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve on Sunday afternoon for a quick walk.  I've always found that it doesn't matter what time of year I visit the reserve, there is always something in flower.  At the moment it's the Pincushion Proteas.

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23/11/2016
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The Van Stadens Gorge

Looking down the zig zagging Van Stadens River gorge towards the N2 Van Stadens Bridge while hiking in the Wildflower Reserve yesterday

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21/11/2016
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A quick hike at Van Stadens

This afternoon we headed out to the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve for a quick walk to go and find the oldest Geocache in Port Elizabeth.  While the Damselfly waited in the car, Drama Princess and I headed down one of the trails in search of this very significant cache.  The Pincushion Proteas are stunning at the moment so I kept on falling behind. 

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20/11/2016
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Van Stadens King Protea

The Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve must be one of the best places around to see Proteas and other Fynbos species growing in the wild.  Not just is it great to view wild flowers, but the reserve also has a number of excellent trails for you to go and stretch you legs along.  The trails range from short easy walks along the plateau to longer ones that require a bit more effort down into the surrounding gorge and valleys. 

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29/10/2016