TALLY-HO TO THE TANKWA
Allied fighter pilots ofWorldWar I would have found their nemesis in Manfred von Richthofen, otherwise known as the “Red Baron”. His aircraft was a scarlet Fokker triplane, his signature move: to attack out of the sun as he swooped in for the kill. How else could he avoid being seen in a bright red triplane?
Therewere no victory marks on the side of the FX4 when I picked it up from the Ford agent, no Spandau machine guns mounted on the bonnet. But the colour elicited a feeling of menace: I wouldn’t want this thing onmy tail. Thankfully, I’d be behind the wheel, not in front of it.
Our destination was the western edge of the Swartruggens hills, the only exposed edge of the Witteberg Formation that lies beneath the Tankwa Karoo. The rocky heights are a complex chess game played by giants, towering
