The Drakenstein mountain named after ex Dutch soldier Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein is part of the Cape Fold Belt and are in the Western Cape province of South Africa; they were named in honour of Hendrik van Rheede who visited the Cape as Commissioner-General in 1685;[1] Drakenstein (modern spelling usually Drakestein) was the name of his estate in the Netherlands.[2] They actually comprise two separate ranges, the Klein Drakenstein and Groot Drakenstein Mountains. The former located just to the east of Paarl being punctuated by the Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 highway and Du Toitskloof Pass (820 m (2,690 ft)) as the R101 route. The latter is much taller and is located south of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, with Victoria Peak (1,590 m (5,220 ft)) as its highest point. It is traversed by no mountain passes, but contains the Hottentots-Holland Nature Reserve and also holds title of the wettest place in South Africa in the upper reaches of the Jonkershoek Valley, with over 2,000 millimetres (79 in) of precipitation per annum (precise measurement unverified), the reason for the Wemmershoek dam to be built in this mountain.

Most vegetation is of the Cape Floristic Kingdom biome, and the primary rocks are of the Table Mountain Sandstone group of the Cape Supergroup. The region falls within the Mediterranean climatic zone, with cool, wet winters, with snow on the higher elevations and warm, dry summers. The one peak facing Boschendal wine farm is named devils tooth for its big tooth look.  The mountain is mainly untouched yet there is foothpaths crossing the baboon infested mountain, with an apex predator the Cape Leopard roaming the mountains and surrounding farms. For the hiking enthusiasts a trail with camping cabins runs all the way to Grabouw.

Hello there Droffarc. Good day and thank you for sharing this wonderful video that you have filmed and created. Great work and keep flying. .

Our dragons are more obvious.  I will have to grab and post an example.

Great scenery Droff, with a rather Gaelic sountrack.  If you want dragons, I can't help, but I did come across this monster in Buxton yesterday

DAFlys Posted at 6-1 00:56
Our dragons are more obvious.  I will have to grab and post an example.

?? Is this the REAL DAFlys?
I like the new avatar.
Hope she does not live too close to you - the dragon I mean.

Out dragons like to hide, and they drink WATAH! Like Bruce Lee  

Blériot53 Posted at 6-1 02:20
Great scenery Droff, with a rather Gaelic sountrack.  If you want dragons, I can't help, but I did come across this monster in Buxton yesterday
[view_image]

Yikes! T Rex was kind of a Big Buxton, I mean bugger

DJI Stephen Posted at 6-1 00:07
Hello there Droffarc. Good day and thank you for sharing this wonderful video that you have filmed and created. Great work and keep flying.  .

My pleasure Stephen

Droffarc Posted at 6-1 02:39
Yikes! T Rex was kind of a Big Buxton, I mean bugger

Yes he was.  The whole park has been themed out for the kids during the school break.

Droffarc Posted at 6-1 02:37
?? Is this the REAL DAFlys?
I like the new avatar.
Hope she does not live too close to you - the dragon I mean.

Yes this is the real DAFlys.  Trying something new today.  

Lovely area, great for flying. Didn't see a dragon though.

Depp Posted at 6-1 04:35
Lovely area, great for flying. Didn't see a dragon though.

Crouching tiger, hidden dragon!

An award winning movie by director Ang Lee - well worth seeing.
I tried to entice the dragon out but hey! it was it's day off - my luck!

Beautiful views Droffarc.    That background music added an eerie feeling and went along well with the footage.

Quite the history of that location.  Sorry, eyes failing as I didn't see a dragon.  

Blériot53 Posted at 6-1 02:20
Great scenery Droff, with a rather Gaelic sountrack.  If you want dragons, I can't help, but I did come across this monster in Buxton yesterday
[view_image]

Very cool capture Mr. B.    Bet the kids like that park even better now.

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-1 05:58
Very cool capture Mr. B.    Bet the kids like that park even better now.

Not sure how long the features will remain. Probably just for the holidays.

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-1 05:54
Beautiful views Droffarc.    That background added an eerie feeling and went along well with the footage.

Quite the history of that location.  Sorry, eyes failing as I didn't see a dragon.

Hence the question mark


Dragons?

I was brought up to believe that the early Dutch settlers (Holland being flat and they were not accustomed to mountains) thought there were dragons here.

Blériot53 Posted at 6-1 06:03
Not sure how long the features will remain. Probably just for the holidays.

Oh, so not a permanent fixture.  

Which holidays?  Maybe you are referring to the summer school break?

Droffarc Posted at 6-1 07:30
Hence the question mark

Okay, that makes sense.    Guess I should have had a few cups of coffee before I logged into the forum to make sure I was wide awake.

I sure don't miss that old Navy coffee.  I remember one day remarking that it tasted a bit like diesel and one of the junior engineers said they had been flushing out the fresh water lines and they used diesel because it kills all bacteria and germs that might have accumulated in them.  I'm like, guess we better not light a match around the coffee then for a day or two.  Funny thing is the showers didn't have a diesel smell to them.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-1 09:01
Oh, so not a permanent fixture.  

Which holidays?  Maybe you are referring to the summer school break?

It's half term here, before end-of-year exams. And it coincides with the festivities for the Queen's platinum Jubilee.

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-1 09:11
Okay, that makes sense.    Guess I should have had a few cups of coffee before I logged into the forum to make sure I was wide awake.

I sure don't miss that old Navy coffee.  I remember one day remarking that it tasted a bit like diesel and one of the junior engineers said they had been flushing out the fresh water lines and they used diesel because it kills all bacteria and germs that might have accumulated in them.  I'm like, guess we better not light a match around the coffee then for a day or two.  Funny thing is the showers didn't have a diesel smell to them.

Our entire fleet had a diesel (or maybe grease) odour.

We called that stuff they gave us at standeasy coteafu  - coffee tea f.....in the direction of up

Droffarc Posted at 6-1 02:40
My pleasure Stephen

Hi there Droffarc. You are very much welcome and thank you for the reply. Have a safe and a happy flying always. .

I could imagine a dragon taking a hideout for itself there :-)

Blériot53 Posted at 6-1 09:41
It's half term here, before end-of-year exams. And it coincides with the festivities for the Queen's platinum Jubilee.

All good reasons for adding the T-Rex.

I posted on your thread that I thought I had seen this image before.  Forgot about seeing it here.  I'm so foggy headed this AM.  

Droffarc Posted at 6-1 09:42
Our entire fleet had a diesel (or maybe grease) odour.

We called that stuff they gave us at standeasy coteafu  - coffee tea f.....in the direction of up

  

One thing about that old Navy coffee I drank it surely kept you from getting constipated.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-2 03:27
All good reasons for adding the T-Rex.

I posted on your thread that I thought I had seen this image before.  Forgot about seeing it here.  I'm so foggy headed this AM.

More coffee required

Blériot53 Posted at 6-2 03:31
More coffee required

Nope, coffee'd up.  Anymore and I'll be making too many bathroom runs.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-2 04:31
Nope, coffee'd up.  Anymore and I'll be making too many bathroom runs.

It's a tricky balance, isn't it?  

Blériot53 Posted at 6-2 05:10
It's a tricky balance, isn't it?

Imagin if T Rex had too much      coffee I mean

HGDC84 Posted at 6-2 02:52
I could imagine a dragon taking a hideout for itself there :-)

Well a very small one of the kind that Lady Sybil looks after, I guess. I will ask Sam Vimes about that next time he is on watch  

Droffarc Posted at 6-2 05:34
Imagin if T Rex had too much      coffee I mean

By the bucketful?

Droffarc Posted at 6-2 05:36
Well a very small one of the kind that Lady Sybil looks after, I guess. I will ask Sam Vimes about that next time he is on watch

Yeah, you do that

Blériot53 Posted at 6-2 06:26
By the bucketful?

Good thing it was biodegradable

Droffarc Posted at 6-2 08:17
Good thing it was biodegradable

Yeah. It certainly wouldn't fit in the freezer

Blériot53 Posted at 6-2 05:10
It's a tricky balance, isn't it?

Without a doubt.    Hanging around the boat it isn't a problem but if I head out on my eBike it could be an issue.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 6-3 04:41
Without a doubt.    Hanging around the boat it isn't a problem but if I head out on my eBike it could be an issue.

I can imagine.

Very nice footage!

Montfrooij Posted at 6-3 10:40
Very nice footage!

Thank you Peter

Droffarc Posted at 6-4 07:51
Thank you Peter

My pleasure!

Great area for flying!

Dominik__W Posted at 7-13 08:21
Great area for flying!

Droffarc Posted at 7-14 06:48