Francis made a liar out of me

The night before we set out on the last leg of our EPIC ROAD TRIP, we got out the Southern Africa, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Trans Kalahari Highway maps. I brought the border information I had printed out for the Trans Kalahari border crossings from Namibia into Botswana and from Botswana into South Africa and we tried to figure out the best time to leave in the morning to make maximum use of the available light on the unpaved and dark roads and allowing for city traffic around Windhoek, still make all the border crossings.

There are no fences on the TKH and the animals wander freely across the highways and roads, day and night. Ostrich, antelope, baboons, caracals, bat-eared foxes, sheep, goats, burros, horses, cows and rabbits. We almost hit them all even in broad daylight. We really wanted to minimize the amount of night driving we would do. Hitting an animal like an ostrich or a cow would be catastrophic.

Where should we fill up on gas? Can we trust that the gas stations will be open when they say? What if the gas truck didn't show up today? Do we have enough cash if the credit card machines do not work? In what country's currency? What are the road conditions like on the TKH? There had been miles and miles of construction on the N7 coming north from the Cederberg into Namaqualand. It had cost us at least an hour. (But we didn't complain because on the day before and the day after our drive, the N7 - the only highway north by the way - was completely closed for dynamite blasting! Now that would have been a serious problem.) Did we have to worry about similar construction on our projected route? How long should we allow for the border crossings? Traffic in Windhoek?

We tried to make the best guestimate we could based on the data we had available. Just then a gentlemen we had not even noticed sitting quietly working on his iPad on the couch behind us chirped up. "Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation ..."  It turns out he had just driven the exact same route the day before - except he had done it in reverse coming up from Joburg to Sesriem. Pleased to meet you, Francis!

He reported that the road is excellent. No construction. The gas stations we wondered about are all open 24 hours. He told us where the speed traps were. Do not speed! It is a cash cow for the TKH. Meeting Francis was so fortuitous! We could go to bed that night completely confident with our final assault plan.

Now just the day before I had said to Ric, "Ric, I will bet you anything that you will never ever meet a single other American who has ever driven the length of the Trans Kalahari Highway. I can pretty much guarantee that you will never even meet a South African who has done it either." Most of the South Africans I had told about the trip said the same thing - that it was on their bucket list, but they have yet to do it." And here was dear Francis, our Trans Kalahari oracle from South Africa, making a liar out of me. Good thing Ric didn't take that bet.