KEEPING IT REAL

While the World Cup is going on right now in South Africa and tourists are pouring in to places like Capetown to watch the matches and spend their tourist dollars, spare a thought for the majority of citizens that live there not ten minutes drive from the city centre in the Townships. Townships were created as living areas for non-whites under the old political system of Apartheid.
Most of Cape Town's townships are concentrated in the area known as the Cape Flats which lie to the East of Table Mountain.
When I was there in 2008 for the Volvo Ocean Race I spent a couple of days out there with the kids and taking them pens and cardboard so they could write on for school. These families I met were so warm and welcomed me and always seemed to have a smile on their face despite what very little they had. I shared a great moment about international rugby with a man that I was introduced in his late seventies that had lived through the horrific apartheid and showed me his identity book that he had to have on him at all times other wise he received a terrible beating.

More than half of Cape Town's population lives in the townships! It's not all palm trees and five star hotels. Township life offers an insight into South African history like no other experience.

In my eyes the beauty of Cape Town extends past Table Mountain and the wealthy suburbs, and into the townships themselves.
If you are visiting Capetown make a very small effort and gets some pens and cardboard and make the trip out of town and meet some beautiful people.

Road Tripin With Bobby G on US Route 395

Bobby has just come back from a spring photo expedition in California on US Route 395.
This time of the year can see some spectacular light with clear blue days.
U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a 557-mile (896 km) route which traverses from Interstate 15 near the southern city limits of Hesperia, north to the Oregon state line in Modoc County near Goose Lake. The route clips into Nevada, serving the cities Carson City and Reno, before returning to California.
Prior to truncation, US 395 served the metropolitan areas of San Diego and San Bernardino. The highway serves as a connection to the Los Angeles area for the communities of the Owens Valley, Mammoth Mountain and Mono Lake. The highway is used as an access for both the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, and the lowest point in North America, Death Valley.
The corridor has been used since the California gold rush, and before numbering was known by several names including El Camino Sierra. This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the Scenic Highway system.

John Muir's longest walk

On my way back from New Zealand I stopped off in Atlanta to stay with a friend and we went on a great hike in the Tallulah Gorge State Park It was one of the best walks I have been on in a long time and it is believed that well know American explorer John Muir walked through here.
On the way home we stumbled upon a very big junk yard full of old school buses and prison buses.
Tallulah Gorge State Park is located on the eastern edge of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The gorge inside the park is approximately two miles long and 1,000 feet deep. When beginning the exploration, one should first visit the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center. The center is setup to educate visitors about historical facts surrounding Tallulah Gorge, and the animals found in the park.
Once outside, take the North Rim Trail to scenic view one. The trail is an easy one, as there are steps which take you down hill. The trail will wind up and then to the left, leading into a spectacular overlook of the gorge and falls.
The view can be overwhelming because the depth of the gorge at this point is 750 feet. Railings are in place to aid in safety, yet one must use caution when locating the waterfall below. Oceana Falls can be seen from here. The gorge encloses a total of six waterfalls.

The trail will eventually turn into a rubber surface when walking towards scenic view two. Amazingly this walking surface is made up of recycled tire rubber.

Once to scenic view two, one can either walk out onto a man made platform or walk down a staircase of 700 steps to a lower portion of the gorge. Either walk will allow a view of Tempesta Falls.
Further on the same trail, one can see scenic views three thru five. Notably scenic view four has the best view of the Tallulah Falls Dam.

Altogether there are ten scenic views which can be accessed by the walking trails. This exploration will take at least two hours to complete, but is well worth the experience.

Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland 2010

I know it has been a while since I have updated the blog, but I have been traveling half way around the world and now finally in my new home in Spain the internet has been turned on and I can upload images.
Auckland, New Zealand was yet another fantastic even with some outstanding sailing. The wind direction basically stayed the same, which allowed sailing almost inside the top part of the harbor. The next event in La Maddalena, Italy is not that far away and looking forward to a lot with the new scenery and turquoise blue water of the Med.