Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

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University of Cape Town. Lovely drive. Lovely city in a lovely setting. The Portuguese were the
first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, looking for a route to India. The Dutch first settled here
in 1652. The British came in 1806. We continued, south to Muisenberg, and then drove down the
east side of the peninsula, that is, the western side of False Bay. Through Fish Hoek, Simon's
Town, and on down into the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Marvelous scenery down the
coast.
We reached the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve about 10.30. Bartholomeu Dias with three
small ships rounded the cape in 1487 and named it Cabo de Boa Esperanca. Ten years later, in
1497 Vasco da Gama came round the cape and made it all the way to India. This is fynbos, low
to waist high brush, pruned down by the wind, often many rocks. There are almost no native trees.
It is reminiscent in many respects of the Scottish coastal highlands.
We went first to the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point, which is low by the sea. 3-4
ostriches going in. There were impressive breakers coming in; we watched them in awe for a while.
Then we drove around to Cape Point, which is high. You park and walk up, 20 minutes climb, to
an observation point with an unused tower on it. Lots of people here.
We returned to the car, drove back around to the cape and had lunch, watching the breakers.
(various pix)
Returning, a nice group of bontebok, stopped and watched them a while. This antelope is restricted
to the Cape area, richly colored, grouped by some in the same species as blesbok. Neither had
all that much range; both are much reduced in numbers.
Continuing, drove up the west coast of the peninsula, i.e. the Atlantic Ocean side, with more
spectacular driving on a road cut into the coastline, especially the Chapman's Peak stretch. A
couple of baboons at one point along the roadside. Clouds continued to enhance the scenery.
Returned on M63 by the Kirstenbosch Gardens area, and picked up the M3 used earlier in the day.
Back at the flat by about 5.00 p.m. Quite a memorable and scenic day, at the bottom of Africa.
August 7. Monday, lecture at University of Cape Town
Cloudless day. We drove down with Ian Voges; met with Roy Siegfried, Fitzpatrick Institute of
Ornithology, University of Cape Town, at 11.30 a.m. Lunch with philosophy dept., and seminar with
them and graduate students afterward. Then drove by the waterfront shopping area. Cape Town
in all its beauty.
August 8, Tuesday. In the morning, met with Charlie Boucher, Department of Botany, and an
ecologist and conservationist here. Toured the herbarium. Their research herbarium is soon to be
moved to Kirstenbosch. The biggest herbarium in the country is at Pretoria, the National Botanical
Institute, a government agency. Kirstenbosch has now been made part of that also. Checklist of
the mosses was done by Bob McGill; I looked at a national flora that listed them.
Arnold, T. H., and B. C. de Wet, eds., Plants of Southern Africa: Names and Distribution. Pretoria:
National Botanical Institute, 1993. 825 pages. ISBN 1-874907-03-X. South Africa has the richest
temperate flora in the world, approximately 24,500 species (or infrageneric taxa), almost 10% of
the world's flowering plants. This list is from the National Herbarium system, a computer-based
flora. The first part of the list is bryophytes, some forty pages.