Enter at own risk

The entrance to one of the mines at Sleepy Hollow

Reflextion of blue

I have posted a lot of sunrise and sunset pictures for Skywatch Friday lately, so today I decided to look down to look up. I got this reflection in one of the river pools at Sleepy Hollow just outside Port Elizabeth on our last camping trip. The water was perfectly still and gave me the opportunity to get the perfect sky reflection.

For more looking up (or down) sky pictures, visit Skywatch.

Plumbago

I walked down this trail earlier in the morning and thought that the plumbago bush next to the road would make a nice feature in a picture of the path Unfortunately I had no subject to put in it until I walked it again a little later with the family.

Sulphur Tuft mushrooms

When you see a scene like this you tend to want to sit down and just watch quietly to see when the pixies and fairies arrive.

These are Sulphur Tuft mushrooms. They normally grow on dead hardwood trees and can be up to 70 millimetres in diameter. The stems are 50 - 200 x 2 - 10 millimetres and join to other stems at the base. These I also photographed at Sleepy Hollow.

Sleepy Hollow

Driving out to Sleepy Hollow just outside Port Elizabeth on a drizzling Thursday, my mind wandered to the tale of Ichabod Crane. I wondered if at some stage during the weekend I would encounter a headless horseman who would hurl his head (or some shape of pumpkin) at me making me throw myself into a bush or a stream. Or even worse, disappear forever. But luck was on my side. Three days of absolute natural bliss and not a wandering spirit in sight. Except maybe the apparition in the nightdress heading for the ablution block one evening, but she may have been staying in one of the caravans.

Sleepy Hollow is situated just off the Blue Horizon Bay road west of Port Elizabeth (but still within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole) and is a fully functioning caravan park and camping area hidden away in a beautiful valley. Its so hidden, there isn't even a sign on the road, and having been there I know why. I would keep it a secret as well if it was mine. The property has it all. A meandering stream, swimming holes, abandoned mines, a birdwatchers paradise AND very little cellular phone reception. What more would you want for the perfect weekend getaway?

The main activity at Sleepy Hollow is being close to nature and you practise that by either walking or just sitting in you camp chair listening to the birds. The property has several trails criss-crossing the valley taking you to all kinds of interesting spots to explore. Some of the trails are a bit steep going up (or down, depending which way you go) the side of the valley, but they are all fairly family friendly. Most of the trails take you either to a view point overlooking the valley or just somewhere interesting. Does it really matter what the destination is if its only part of the journey? Ok, that just sounded corny, but its true after all.

We spent the weekend there with the Rugrats (Chaos Boy 7 and Drama Princess 4) in tow and they went everywhere we did. Actually, we had to keep up with Chaos Boy who is a bit of an explorer at heart. Pity there is no new places for him to discover anymore. Or is there? Every time he saw one of the signboards pointing out the trails and attractions he ran ahead and knew exactly where to go even before we got there. Everything is well sign posted and paths are well laid out while the picnic spots along the way is well maintained and the grass kept short.

The main trail from the camping area is the Ouma Coffee Trail (don't ask me why the name is called that, cause Ouma never brought us any coffee or other refreshments while walking the trail) which follows the Maitland River up the valley. Most of the other trails as well as the attractions are accessible from this trail. About 600 meters up the trail you get to see the first of three swimming holes in the river. Olienhout swimming hole is the place to be in summer. Its not too deep and relatively close to the camping ground. A hundred meters further upstream is Naboom swimming hole while the big Sleepy Hollow swimming hole is another 500 meters or so along. At Sleepy Hollow swimming hole there is a foofy slide across the water and according to Aunty Bettie its a good 30 feet deep. Personally the water in the river was a bit fresh for me to take a dip. If I get to come back in summer I may just take a plunge, but that brave I wasn't this weekend.

The highlight of Chaos Boy's weekend was exploring the old abandoned mines on the property. There are three old silver and lead mines which date back to the late 1700s. We were informed about these in advance so as soon as we got to the mines, I produced a couple of torches and in we went. Mine 3 is the best one to go down in as I could just about walk up straight, but a guy like Bakkies Botha (Springbok rugby lock) may have some problems. At one stage the passage makes a kink and this means that the light at the end (or in this case the start) of the tunnel disappears. This also meant that whatever just brushed past my ear was more at home in the dark than we were, but soon we got to the end of the tunnel. It was here that I noticed some kind of winged mouse hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel and knew what had just whispered in my ear. Oh well, back to the entrance we go. Quickly.

Another one of the paths will take you, somewhat scrambling over rocks most of the way, all the way up a small gorge to Sleepy Hollow's waterfall. Although not recommendable to anybody pushing a pram, its not too difficult getting to the top. The prize at the top of the gorge may not be the Niagra or Victoria Waterfalls (actually due to the current drought you will probably have more water spilling out of the bath when the Rugrats are cleaning up) but its beautiful. There was a trickle of water flowing over the lip at the top making its way down the side across the moss covered rocks and down the little stream. Heading back down I allowed the family to get a bit ahead of me cause all along the path there are little waterfalls making for the ideal long exposure waterfall shot.

Although we were there with the family and had an awesome time, I would love to spend a weekend at Sleepy Hollow without the Rugrats. You know, the type of weekend where you plonk yourself down in your camp chair with a book and just soak in the surroundings. Even with kids running around the ko-ko-ko-ko sound of the Knysna Loerie, the chwop kewoook kewook call of the nightjar, the fast doo-doo-doo-doo-doo Burchell's coucal, the koi-koi-koi-tjatajatja of the guinea fowl and the occasional call of the fish eagle, and is always present. So it may be an even better idea just to go and find a rock or spot somewhere and suck in as much nature as possible. Plus don't forget your birding guide.

All in all Sleepy Hollow truly is one of Port Elizabeth's best kept secrets. Whether you go there to picnic, to hike or for a overnight stay, its a wonderful "close to nature" experience. Taking down the tent and heading for the gate, I was already going through my dairy in my mind checking when the next long weekend is. Its definitively one of those spots where I would go back to for repeat visits. In my bag my camera sat with loads of pictures about streams, ponds, birds, flowers, insects, mushrooms and so much more.

I wonder if the headless horseman will make an appearance next time round.

Unfortunately they don't have a website, but for locals wanting more information, contact Anton at afbotha@csir.co.za or 0846751348. Also try Bettie at 083 6600817.

Bark Spider

During our stay at Sleepy Hollow we went on a couple of the trails they have around the valley. The one morning we ventured up to the lookout point and took the new Rooikat Trail down into the valley. As it was only marked the day before, we were the first visitors to take it on and it was still very rough going. But still it was worth it. On the way down I noticed these tiny (the biggest ones were no more than 10 millimeters in diameter) little mushrooms (fungi) growing on a tree and while the family walked on I sat down to get a couple of close-up shots of them.

After two or three photos I noticed the slightest bit of movement between the mushrooms and found this little guy. According to my The Wildlife of Southern Africa guide it's a Bark Spider. They are mostly nocturnal and remove their web at dawn. During the day they rest perfectly camouflaged against the bark of a tree. Their colouring imitates bark and lichen and due to their size (8 - 22 millimeters) and camouflage are very rarely seen.

Flower bugs

I'm still searching for nice wild flowers to photograph for the wild flower photo competition so at Sleepy Hollow last weekend I was attracted to any and all flowers I could find. The light wasn't too great for flowers in general, but I did find lots of little bugs and goggas on the flowers worth taking pics of.

Cape Weaver

The breeding male Cape Weaver bird has pale eyes, a orange wash over the face and a black line from the bill to the eye. The females and non-breeding males are paler and look very dull compared to the breeding males. This last weekend we went camping at Sleepy Hollow and I spent some time by one of the pools in the river watching these guys building their nests. Its hard and arduous work. They would fly off and come back with on piece of grass or reed leave in his beak. This he will weave into the nest before flying off again to do it over and over.

Once the nest is completed, the female would come and have a look. If she isn't happy she would rip the nest apart and the male will come back and rebuilt it for her next inspection.

The Cape Weavers are normally found singly, in pairs or in small flocks amongst trees, usually near water. In this case this colony of weavers had their nests overhanging a waterhole in the river. Specially in the early mornings and late afternoons the noise of the chattering birds by the river was something else to hear along with all the other bird sounds in the valley.

This is the first of the photos I took this last weekend on our camping trip to Sleepy Hollow. I will do a more detailed write-up on the place on another day.