SUMMER HOLIDAY ... The trip!

Friday 31 October ... We set off from home at 8 with an early lunch at Harrismith in mind.  On the way there was an electronic sign board which said that there was a truck accident at Van Reenen's and that the road was closed.  I read it out loud and then never thought any more about it.

We chose Mugg & Bean for lunch ... As usual the top of Connor's head is what we see when he has a book in his hands ...

Here Dad is being lectured about "damaging the spine of a book"!

We got back on the road and when the traffic slowed down I remembered about the truck accident ... This is what the traffic looked like ...

 We were directed off the highway onto a little road alongside the highway ... and at one stage could not see the highway at all for the clouds ...

Just after we got back on the highway we stopped at a garage to go to the loo and Richard chatted to a Policeman who said that the accident included 13 trucks and 6 cars!  I just went onto Google and found this report ...

BLOEMFONTEIN - Four people died and 14 others were injured after two accidents brought traffic on Van Reenen's Pass to a standstill along the N3 , paramedics said on Friday.
"When ER24 paramedics arrived at the first incident, they found that a truck had jack-knifed across the road, colliding with a number of other vehicles," spokesman Russel Meiring said.
Seven people from a number of vehicles had various injuries, ranging from minor to moderate.
As paramedics took them to hospital, they came across a second accident.

"A large truck had apparently lost control and collided with several other vehicles."

Four people were declared dead on the scene.
"Seven other patients from various vehicles had sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate," Meiring said of the second incident.
Earlier, Free State police spokesman Sergeant Mmako Mophiring said it was believed reduced visibility, due to morning mist, could have caused the accidents.

We usually leave very early when we travel to Durban and have breakfast at Harrismith and then continue on with our journey ... I am grateful that we only left home at 8 and were not in the vicinity when these accidents happened.  We heard that the road stayed closed for 9 hours.  I really felt sorry for all the truck drivers as they could not take the shortcut we were able to take and would have had to wait out the 9 hours.

When we arrived in Durban we had an altercation with a local lady ... who took the time to stop next to us in the driveway of the flat and shout and scream at Richard about his driving ... we were puttering along looking for the entrance to the flats when she came speeding up behind us ... What a welcome!!!!  We checked in to the flat, unpacked and then took a drive to Gateway to do some grocery shopping.  We were all in bed early.