There are a few things more
exciting than driving along the countryside, marveling about the geological
wonders that surround us. Maybe I’m getting old and as my sister always jokes…I’ll
soon start looking forward to weekend visits to the garden centre. But age or
not, geology is simply put "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"!!!
We
drove up to Harare from Johannesburg this past festive period and I must say,…I
really feasted my eyes. The landscape was breathtaking despite 40 degree heat
rolling off the distant tarmac. My husband was baffled by my long periods of
silence as I gazed wistfully out the window. The poor chap couldn’t get it. I
was lost in a world of wonder as I undressed the rolling hills to uncover the
geological mysteries beneath. Pity I didn’t have a map and hammer, I would have made him stop at the over a dozen rock-collection-worthy outcrops I saw along the way. He is used to it... he suffers through these stops like a gentleman bless him. And he carried the rocks for me...mind you I can do that myself..as the Shona saying goes "nzou hairemerwi nenyanga dzayo" translated to 'an elephant does not feel the weight of its own tusks'. Send me out rock collecting and my Christmas present is sorted.
The
kids were excited about driving through the Hendrik Verwoerd Tunnels in the
city of Louis Trichardt and as they hollered excitedly, I was thinking to myself “you
poor mere mortals…never been to the belly of the earth eh” as I recalled working in
the underground mines.
I am glad I think like a geologist (oh I am one) because I get to stop and wonder and be in awe of the marvels which mere mortals (excuse the repeated pun) do not have the priviledge to visualize, see and experience. They just see hills, hill, and more hills. One would need to be in the grand canyon (http://www.thecanyon.com/) for geology to be good enough to catch their breath. Not like me, not like us.... we rock.
Source ( http://www.thecanyon.com/)
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