Aus

The drive to Aus included some limited pavement, a luxury, but also more of the same...

Again, we got an early start (you do this a lot in Africa, partly to get to the
watering hole, partly to avoid the mid-day heat, partly to get the best light,
and partly because after getting to Aus you want to drive on to Luderitz,
on the sea)

Duwisib Castle: a sad, sad story of a German baron and his
American wife, who never lived there; we skipped it

The roads approached, skirted, climbed monstrous escarpments
all day

Pano

Much interesting geology

At the coffee shop in Helmeringhausen

The desert beginning to moderate a bit

Still plenty of croppies around

And now also some curiously polished domes

Not many critters

Finally we reach the campground, Klein-Aus Vista, aka "Eagles Nest"

We had another braai that evening, not directly under this giant nest/colony; the
little birds, sparrows or swallows or whatever, nest in colonies here

Klein-Aus Vista vista

Artsy moon shot

Our encampment there, next morning

Everything's Betta In Betta

Betta is a ranch at a crossroads in the Namib, with a small store and restaurant, a gas station, and campground. We were glad to get there and to end the day's driving. The electricity was insufficient for powering the ACs of nine motorhomes, but the heat was bearable, and as the sun set, the temps fell. I found the "off the grid" nature of the place of interest, and later we had another memorable braai.

Washboard road; "corrugated" as our friends said

Betta is a livestock operation with a gas station, a small store/ restaurant, and a
campground; all off the grid, so to speak; well, on its own grid

Nicely landscaped for this part of the world; there was a small orchard out back

Ablution block

One of the few pix of all nine of us

Ablution block water heating

Desert landcaping

Livestock

More of the spread; note windmill, solar panels

Spare antlers, horns

Battery block

Generator

Devices for mixing cattle feed

Spare tires

Another African sunset coming

And another memorable braai: Dave, Howard, Kate, Kaye. James, Vicki, Christine

Chris' digital meat thermometer

Dave, Howard, James, Kaye, Hilary, Vicki, Christine, Chris

Bob displays a road find

Marian pictures Dave, Don, Hilary, Kaye, and Donnie; James is a blur of activity

On The Road To Betta

Off we were again, on more miserable washboard sand and gravel roads, past stark but occasionally interesting scenery, to Betta. Things would be betta in Betta, it was said.

Mountains and dunes

Almost glacial-like, no?

A resort in the dunes; seriously

There is no disputing matters of taste; some say

Dunes burying the inselbergs

Desert fox

Seriously lost zebras

Didn't see any giraffes

Croppies still all over this part of the continent; the termite
mounds have mostly petered-out, however

Bird nest

Yeah, sure, every millenium or so...

The road goes ever on and on...to Betta