The Ox Wagon Route

.

"It is, perhaps, not just the journey that counts, but also the road that is travelled. And it's not necessarily the high road or the low road that matters, but rather the story behind the road that's important."

From early days a need for a link between the coast and the interior existed. With the arrival of white settlers at the Cape, the need for a route between the Cape and the interior enjoyed a high priority. But it was a time before great road builders like Bain came along and traveling over the mountains of the Southern Cape was all but impossible. It took a special kind of person, a pioneer, explorer and adventurer all in one, to look for and navigate new routes over these treacherous mountains.

Today when we travel on the routes these remarkable individuals opened up, we do so in luxury with little effort and in a fraction of time. They did it with great danger to themselves. We do it as a pastime or a holiday. But lets never forget the remarkable achievements of those that has gone before. We honour them by keeping the history alive.


The Ox wagon Route in the Southern Cape is a modern day route, connecting various historic passes and routes that the ox wagons of old had to conquer.

The route travels over various mountain ranges and 4x4 tracks following in the footsteps of the first Pioneer Trekkers. The area is blessed with amazing natural beauty and that in itself makes it worth traveling, but if you do not travel informed you miss out on so much as it's rich history truly makes this a route to remember.

I have done portions of this route before on my motorbike, but some areas on this route is off-limits to motorbikes for various reasons. Having access to vehicles of all kinds I decided to tackle this route again on four wheels, like the ox wagons of old did.

This report will be divided up in sections and will be updated as I go along. Hopefully it will be of some use to 4x4 enthusiasts visiting our wonderful area.


(Click on Map to enlarge)

Map from Katot Meyer's website here.

Gysmanshoek Pass


Attaquaskloof


Attaquaskloof Pass


Duiwelskop Pass


Kaaimansgat and the Seven Passes
(Coming Soon...)


Searching for the Big Feet
(Coming Soon...)


Burchell route
(Coming Soon...)

.

Duiwelskop Pass

.

When Attaquas pass was first crossed in 1689 it was the only route linking the coastal belt to the Klein Karoo. The likes of Gysmanshoek pass (1740) was still half a century in the future. The mountain ranges was not the only natural barrier isolating the coastal area though. It was often divided into further sections by rivers running into the ocean. One such barrier, perhaps the most fearsome of all, was Kaaimansgat. Getting a wheeled vehicle through Kaaimansgat was close to impossible. This meant that the timber and fish-rich lakes area was not only cut off from George and the harbour in Mossel bay, but also from the Klein Karoo. Another pass was needed.

Duiwelskop Pass could have been a relative “tame” pass considering what some of the other passes are like, but due to the means of travel at the time this pass ran over the summit of on of the peaks of the mountain range. This was because the tall wagons could not handle steep side slopes and would topple over, so straight up the one side and straight down the other was the only way to go. Those were the days of men.

The pass was aptly named Duiwelskop Pass, and this is the next section of our route. We start our journey on the Klein Karoo side on the farm Louvain, where we obtain our permits and keys for this section of our route from a very helpful Nico Bester. The permit cost is included in the route cost of R200 per vehicle and allows entry into the Bergplaas Forestry station area at the end of the trail.

The forestry section has a very definite and strict "No Bikes" policy and therefore I have never been on this pass before. I do not have that problem today though because today my set of wheels is this – an Arctic Amarok!



There's a lot to be said for travelling where you have not been before. First-time experiences, new things to see. I am running out of places like that in the Southern Cape, so I could hardly contain my excitement.

The route is well marked and soon we were on our way.



The maintained roads of the first sections is now a distant memory as the start of this route promisses more of the same conditions we encountered on Attaquas Pass.









No problem for the Arctic Amarok though as it takes it in it's stride.

The first section runs straight up the mountain as can be seen with the erosion on the road. Might be a different kettle of fish traveling up here when it's raining...





As you start to gain some height the scenery and view gets better and better.



Sometimes you dip into an overgrown area...



only to emerge again and be treated to more spectacular views.



And we were not even halfway up yet! Some serious climbing still lay ahead...



As per usual you can not see the true gradient on the photos, and add to that an uneven road and any 4x4 vehicle has it's work cut out. Traction is the name of the game here.





This is a cross-axle situation. Going through it the front wheel lifts and when it comes down the back wheel lifts.



Check the amazing articulation of this Amarok:





When a truck hangs on three wheels the articulation pretty much goes as far as it can and the big wheels never touched the arches.

The Motor Journalist in me desperately wanted a standard Amarok here too to compare. The big wheels and upgraded suspension, coupled with VW's 4Motion system makes for one impressive vehicle.


The view back over the Langkloof from higher up:



And higher still – gaining some real altitude now.



And we're not on top yet!





And finally (but all to soon) we summit – on top of the world.



The view in all directions from here is simply amazing.



Along the mountain range looking East:





The view towards the ocean:





It is thought that local farmers, Jacobus van Beelen and Stephanus Terblanche, opened this route in 1772, but the public only started using this pass in 1776. It was the first pass opened over the Outeniqua mountains from North to South. The fact that people were prepared to travel West from George, over Attaquas Pass, down the Langkloof and over Duiwelskop Pass is a clear indication of what a big obstacle Kaaimansgat was considered to be.

Sir John Barrow, who passed this way in 1797, commented:

From the one end of the Lange kloof there is but one passage for wagons over the South chain of mountains and this is seldom made use of, being considered among the most formidable and difficult roads in the colony. It lies, in fact, over the very summit of one of the points in the chain called the Duivels Kop...

...the road was dreadfully steep and stony, and as it approached the summit, where the width of the ridge was not above fifteen paces, the ascent was from stratum to stratum of rock, like a flight of stairs, of which some stairs were not less than four feet high. Upon these it was necessary to lift the wagons by main strength... The descent of the Duyvil's Kop was much more gradual than the ascent, and the smooth grassy surface of the Northern side was now changed into an extensive shrubbery.

Four foot steps with an ox-wagon.


The road down the Southern side:



This section too has it's moments. I can not imagine how the people of the time negotiated these passes with wagons and oxen that had almost no suspension to speak of and needed wide turning circles.





Some more scenery shots on the way down:







Coming down onto the coastal plain the Flora changes totally from the Karoo fynbos to lush forest and ferns.





The end of the route deposits you right onto the George / Knysna 7 passes road near Hoekwil.

The great road builder Andrew Bain did have a look at this pass in 1857, as did his son Thomas Bain in 1862, but it was never improved. The construction of the 7 passes road between George and Knysna negated the need for this pass and it fell into disuse.

It never was busy route like Attaquas Pass, so there are no ghost towns of years gone by. I am surprised though that there is not even a Block house, as the Boers under Gideon Scheepers did make quite a nuisance of themselves in the Langkloof. It is spectacular to travel though, the scenery alone is breathtaking.

Like Attaquas Pass, this pass can also be found on the Tracks 4 Africa maps. Also have a look at the Louvain Website for more info.




 (Coming Soon...)



.

Fortuner vs Trailblazer

.

This is something different. Not a trip report, but rather an informal report on a comparison we recently did.

I include this on my blog because I believe that at least the South African readers of my blog will find this interesting.



OK. Let's get the basics out of the way first.

The comparison involved the Toyota Fortuner 2.5 D-4D 4x2 and the Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.5 LT 4x2. These are the base / budget models of their respective ranges.

The vehicles were made available by the respectivencompanies to the press fleet in Cape Town.

The Fortuner has been on fleet duty for most of the year and had 27 702km on the clock. The recently launched Trailblazer obviously is much newer and had 3 820km on the clock at the time of testing.

The comparison was done by myself and Steven de Vries. Photography was done by Kirsten of Shooting Spree photography.

This post was meant to be a casual post just to share some of my thoughts, but it turned into quite a lengthy post. The article will be in the Motor Burger (Garden Route area) on Thursday (15/11/12). Steven's article will appear on his website Left Lane soonest.

Neither of us own a Trailblazer or Fortuner and we have no incentive to be biased either way. That said, we chatted before we put this comparison together and I expected the Trailblazer to come out on top, while Steven expected the Fortuner to edge it. We both attended the Trailblazer launch so we both had previous experience with these vehicles. In the end we both were surprised by the comparison in various ways.


First things first. The spec comparison:

Fortuner vs Trailblazer

kW: 106 vs 110
Nm: 343 vs 350
GVM (kg): 2505 vs 2620
Approach Angle: 30 vs 30
Departure Angle: 25 vs 22
Towing capacity: 1715 vs 2450
Service intervals: 10 000km vs 15 000km
Service plan: 5yrs/90 000km vs 5yrs/90 000km
Warrantee: 3yrs/100 000km vs 5yrs/120 000km
Price: R 338 600-00 vs R 364 000-00

Specs on a screen does not however tell the whole story. And so the day started comparing every thing we could think of.




Interior:

Being the cheapest models in the range you'd expect these vehicles to be pretty basic. Both however had things like AC (front and rear), electric mirrors and windows, sound systems etc. The “feel” however is different. In the Fortuner it's clear that you are in the basic model. The sun-visor for instance does not have a mirror. The Trailblazer on the other hand not only has mirrors in the visors, it also has lights that come on when you open the mirror. It's a small thing, but when the vehicles are next to each other it seems like you really get the bare minimum if there's not even a vanity mirror. And the differences don't stop there. The Trailblazer interior feels more modern / fresh and even though this is the base model it comes with luxuries like park distance sensors, as well as Bluetooth connectivity for your phone and even Cruise Control, which you can control from your steering wheel. The Fortuner has neither of these, and only basic controls on the steering wheel.

The sound system in the Trailblazer performs marginally better and sports 6 speakers to the Fortuner's 4. Both sound systems has USB and Aux ports, but in the case of the Trailblazer it's a mini-USB, which means you need an adapter to charge your phone / camera / etc (I use USB ports extensively and definitely prefer the standard size). I've heard opinions that the Trailblazer's seats are more comfortable, but to me it was much of a muchness. Some other miscellaneous comparisons include 11 cup holders in the Trailblazer compared to the Fortuner's 4. Why 7 people would need 11 cup holders I don't know, but Chevrolet certainly didn't hold back on the basics. The basic Trailblazer offered more than expected from a base model and outshines the Fortuner in this regard.



Space-wise the Fortuner is slightly bigger. I'm a pretty big guy (not in the good sense) and I felt like I had a little more space in the Fortuner. With the front seats moved all the way back the Fortuner had more leg room in the rear.


Loading space:



Much has been said about the 7 seats and how they fold away. The Fortuner's 3rd row folds up to the sides and the second row forward, while the Trailblazer's rear seats folds neatly into the floor and the 2nd row flush with them. This creates a lovely level loading bay (enough space to sleep in).

The Fortuner's loading bay is uneven and probably less user friendly, although the actual volume of the loading areas are probably pretty even. In our test Fortuner the rear seat rattled while folded up.






Ride quality & performance:

While the Trailblazer has marginally better kW & Nm figures, it's also heavier which negates the difference. Driving the Trailblazer it feels more refined, while the Fortuner feels more rugged and the engine feels more responsive. That said in a 0-100km/h drag race the vehicles were dead even. In a rolling test, accelerating from 120km/h to 140km/h in fifth (mimicking overtaking) the vehicles were also dead even.

On gravel both are comfortable, but we specifically wanted to compare the vehicle behaviour on loose corrugated gravel in turns. There is a specific road I travel on often that really tests a vehicle with a “loose rear” (I can already see the anti-Toyota fraternity wringing their hands for this one...). This test was done in safe conditions with marshals (do not imitate this at home!). The Fortuner had no problem negotiating these conditions and took it in it's stride. Unruly Toyota behaviour in this regard is grossly overstated. Of course you can get out the rear if you want too (like with any RWD vehicle) but the Toyota was no worse than the Trailblazer in this regard. In fact, it was better. Why? Because the Fortuner has Traction Control while the Trailblazer does not. We turned the TC off during the test, but when you get really enthusiastic the TC would re-engage and correct the vehicle. In the Trailblazer we did not have this safety net. Before another undeserved rumour is born I have to stress that neither vehicle felt dangerous or unstable. Both have ABS/EBD/BAS and felt perfectly stable. We gave this one to the Fortuner, because in a situation of sudden loss of traction TC would be better to have than not.



On the open road the honours goes to the Trailblazer. Stephen drove the Trailblazer from Cape Town to George on Friday and the Fortuner from George to Cape Town today. In his opinion the Trailblazer is more comfortable long distance, easier to drive at maintained higher speeds, has slightly better fuel consumption and of course offers Cruise Control which the Fortuner does not. Couple that with a much better towing allowance and this might be the vehicle of choice to go on holiday with from Gauteng.


Off road capability:



The typical 4x2 is not built for serious 4x4 routes. Being Sport Utility Vehicles though we had to take them off-road a little bit. We have a section of road near Groot Brak that runs through a river and gets washed away often. It's a very cool spot to take photos so that's where we headed. But first:



We actually measured the ground clearance below the differential. The Fortuner came out tops with a ground clearance of 220mm while the Trailblazer had a clearance of 190mm. The Fortuner has 17” rims running 265/65 R17 tyres and the Trailblazer 16” rims with 245/70 R16 tyres. The Fortuner also has a Diff Lock, while the Trailblazer only has a Limited Slip Differential.

At the river we unloaded Kirsten and proceeded to the river for some nice set-up shots. I drove into the riverbed and slowed down to allow Stephen in the Fortuner to drive next to me. The rear wheel caught a hole and I instantly knew I was in trouble. I had almost no momentum and ended up stationary. I rocked it forwards and back, but the Trailblazer only dug in and could not get out. We cleared the area around the wheels, tried to insert stones for traction etc, but no matter what we tried the Trailblazer was stuck.



The one time we needed a diff lock... Eventually I took the Fortuner to fetch a rope from the nearby farm. By the time I got back some SA 4x4 forum members already happened on the scene and Jeanvn was busy recovering the Trailblazer. You can imagine the banter.



After we recovered the Trailblazer we continued with the photo shoot and both vehicles went through the riverbed several times. The Fortuner also dug in once, but the diff lock was engaged and the Fortuner drove out. The difference between having it and not cruelly illustrated.

We got some cool shots:








Conclusion:

The idea behind the comparison never was to determine a winner. We merely wanted to get the new Trailblazer next to a Fortuner to see if it was a worthy competitor to the vehicle that absolutely dominated the segment until now. And worthy it is. With a strong brand and a good dealer network the Trailblazer will give the Fortuner stiffer competition than previous competitors did. And competition is ALWAYS good for the consumer.

This comparison involved 4x2 vehicles. 90+% of these vehicles are likely to end up doing school runs and park on mall pavements, with the occasional long distance holiday trip. The Trailblazer has park distance control, cruise control, a more modern cabin with things like bluetooth, runs more economically and has longer distances between services. These are things the target marked is likely to use often. The Fortuner has Traction Control and a diff lock (available on the Trailblazer as an optional extra), but the typical city dwelling 4x2 owner is unlikely to drive into a river often.

In my opinion the 4x2 Trailblazer makes a very strong case if you're a city dweller. If you live on a farm and travel on gravel roads daily, or like to venture off the road on weekends, the Fortuner might be your choice. Whichever way you go, you're unlikely to be disappointed. Good vehicles both.





.