Cedarberg Camping Part 4: An Unexpected Adventure

Our friends had to head home Friday afternoon, but since we had nothing to get back for, Dan, the kids, and I decided to head over to our favorite ever ever ever camping/climbing spot, Montagu. Rather than back-tracking the way we came, we decided to take a more direct route south through the mountains. This meant we'd be on a dirt road going about 40 km/hr (24mph) or less for several hours without cell phone reception. Didn't seem like a big deal to us, so that's what we did. (Not without climbing at the Sandrif Crag first, which was spectacular with a wall full of 30m routes. The kids had a blast at the sandy riverbed with Andy and Esmé's nieces while we climbed.)

So off we went, headed to Montagu, with the Groot Winterhoek Mountains to our right and the Cedarberg behind us. The road wasn't filled with potholes or anything, but at times it had those tiny little ridges that you can't drive faster than 10mph over, so that's primarily what slowed us down. Halfway there Auggie informed us that he needed to go potty. No biggie--we were literally in the middle of nowhere, so there was plenty of privacy in simply pulling to the side of the road and letting him do his thing. When he was done, we loaded back up in the car, Dan turned the key, and nothing happened. Nothing. Happened.

You'd think we'd start panicing immediately, but I had an acute sense of peace--nothing changed for me. I don't think Dan was thrilled, but he took it really well, too. We figured out that the battery was fine--windows, doors, and all the lights on the dashboard still worked. So we tried to push-start the car. Dan pushed, I tried to put it in gear and go. That didn't work so well. As soon as I would get in gear everything would lock up causing the car to come to a quick halt. We kept at this a few times since it was the only thing we could do.

About five or ten minutes later a couple headed for camping in the Cedarberg drove by in their Land Rover Defender. (Think updated version of a Land Rover in India circa 1950, or something you'd take to Namibia. This is not one you'd see all blinged-up on a music video.) They were incredibly gracious and gave us several good attempts at getting our car running again: a failed attempt at a jump (battery worked anyway), and many tries at a push start--turns out you need to put it in second gear, not first. Good to know. Anyway, nothing worked, so they drove us down the road to a nearby farmhouse. They were incredibly kind, and the boys were thrilled to ride in a real Land Rover. (This is one of Eland's favorite cars and every time he sees one he says, "Look, Mama! A Land Rover!!")

At the farmhouse the couple spoke with the young owner, arranged to have a tow truck from Ceres come out, and then eventually headed off to camp. We stayed at the farmhouse for about an hour and a half waiting for the tow truck. The farmer had to work, but his wife was an incredibly gracious host. She brought us drinks, turned on Toy Story 2 for the kids and was great conversation. She had a 4-month-old daughter, so we had a lot to talk about. Honestly, it seems like she doesn't get many visitors and even enjoyed our company. We couldn't have been stuck in a better place. When it was clear that we weren't going to be getting the car fixed and/or back to Stellenbosch/Montagu that night, she even arranged for us to stay at a nearby guesthouse and drove us there after the tow truck picked up the Xerox car.

The tow truck with the Xerox car in front of the guesthouse.

This next phase of our "adventure" went equally as well. (Not to say that it wasn't stressful--it was and I was thankful that I still had a bottle of ibuprofen for my stress-induced headache. Still, God provided for us completely.) The guesthouse was full, so we stayed down the street at the owners' house--apparently they do this on a regular basis. We even had a separate room for the boys, had hot showers, and enjoyed a fabulous, fabulous South African meal. This woman could cook! I'd ask her for a cookbook recommendation, but I'm sure it'd be in Afrikaans. :) Anyway, we had an excellent dinner, a warm and cozy night's sleep, a bath for the boys in the morning, and another great hot meal for breakfast. In spite of the situation that we were in, we couldn't complain.

Saturday morning the guesthouse owners' daughter had to head into Ceres, so we hitched a ride with her to the tow truck garage. They weren't able to fix the car, and there was no open mechanic in Ceres. So instead, we paid for the most expensive transport in our lives (excluding plane flights)--a ride in the tow truck 1.5 hours to Stellenbosch. Our original plan was to take the boys for a tractor ride in Montagu on Saturday morning, so instead of a ride in a tractor, they got a ride in a tow truck. There was nothing "safe" about it--no car seats and we were in the cab with the driver--but such is South Africa. It wasn't ideal but there was nothing else to do. Eland actually told me all night that driving in the tow truck was "too scary," but he warmed up to it quickly and ended up quite excited about the ride.

Eland expected riding in the tow truck to be "too scarwy"

Auggie was very excited about getting to see the tow truck driver load up the Xerox car

Auggie riding on Dan's lap in the cab

The view was still gorgeous

We dropped the car off at a recommended repair shop, met friends who helped haul all our camping gear back to our flat, and left a note that Dan would drop off the keys Monday morning. ... So we thought all along that the car's starter was bad. Dan got a call from the mechanic this morning that the engine seized up. AKA, the engine is dead. Needs to be replaced... Oh my. This sounds very expensive, not to mention the fact that the car is not ours.

Our friends who own the car have been very gracious so far and don't seem upset. Considering how God clearly provided for us in every way possible when we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, I am doing my best to be confident that He won't leave us high and dry but will follow through in His awesome provision with regards to the car's engine. It reminds me of a friend who had wanted to ride in the Cape Argus this year. (The Argus is a world-famous mountain bike race held every year in the Cape Peninsula. There are typically about 35,000 riders.) It would have been his fifth year in a row, but he completely forgot to sign up. He tried several different routes but couldn't find a way to sign up. It turns out that he got really sick the night before, and had he been signed up, he likely would have ridden and consequently would have gotten much worse. He felt like God really provided in not letting him sign up. ... It'd kind of funny, because I find myself wondering why God let him get sick in the first place--and why did our borrowed Xerox car break down in the first place? And yet God provided so thoroughly after the break-down. Who knows? Not me. But I am still very thankful, even now--and I intend to stay that way.

EDIT: Edgar just called--relief! His mechanic says it's not the engine, but really just the starter! Heart attack averted! PHEW! God is good!

Auggie built a Lego tow truck after we got home on Saturday. :)