Flying Adventure: Indian Ocean Coast – Day 14 (FABL – FAPY):
We wake up to a beautiful morning with clear skies and fantastic visibility. It makes us not really feel like flying all the way back to base yet. We therefore decide to add a stop on the Vaal river in the Vredefort Dome. It is a short flight and on route back to Pretoria.
After breakfast we make a few phone calls to organize a place to stay and transport in Parys and are then on our way to the airport. With only one Airlink flight on the apron, it is not very busy this morning and we smoothly pass through Security and the gates.
As it started to rain when we arrived, we did not fill up then. We therefore get the aircraft refueled whilst we are loading and getting ready. Once that is done we ready to start up and obtain our clearances.
Bloemfontein to Parys
It is a swift departure process and we can take off right after the aforementioned Airlink flight.
We then route in a north easterly direction over the Free State. The Free State is mainly farming land. It’s a flat and usually pretty dry landscape. But after the unusual rains of this summer, it is lush and green. It looks really beautiful. He just hopes it was not too much rainfall for the farmers’ harvests and yields.
We pass the towns of Welkom and Kroonstad and onwards to Vredefort and Parys. The town of Vredefort is located around the center of the Vredefort Dome and gave it its name.
The hills to the north and north west of Parys are remnants of the impact crater’s edges.
After landing we park and secure the aircraft and head over to the Montgolfier restaurant, which is situated on the airfield. It is a laid back place in a beautiful setting and great service.
Parys and the Vredefort Dome
Parys is a very laid back and picturesque little town situated on the Vaal river in the Vredefort Dome. It is a great destination for a short getaway away from the hustle of the city.
The Vredefort Dome is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just like the Barberton Mountains where we passed by a few days back.
The dome or crater is one of the oldest and largest meteorite impact structures on earth. The crater has a diameter or nearly 300km. The asteroid itself had an estimated diameter of around 10-15km. These dimensions give an indication of the massive impact force. But no worries, nobody was hurt.
The impact occurred some 2023 million years ago. The human species did not exist at that time yet. In fact, not even animals or plant life, may be some bacteria. However, the dome is the world’s greatest known single energy release event. This impact caused massive global effects and probably major evolutionary changes.
And thanks to a couple more evolutionary changes, we can today, 2023 million years later, sit here and enjoy this beautiful and eventful creature of nature.
After our light lunch and a couple drinks at Montgolfier, we head out to the Willow Banks Lodge. The lodge is situated right on the banks of the Vaal river.
He thinks a bit of upkeep and a few touches of maintenance would make a positive difference. But the beer is cold, and the food is very tasty. More than enough to relax and enjoy the beautiful sunset on the river bank.
