Occultdale Road

There is a gravel road in the Durbanville district with the name of Occultdale Road. I've driven passed that road many times, and I've always wondered where the road got its name from, and what is at the end of that road. So Friday morning before work I decided to do a short trip to discover the mystery at the end of Occultdale Road.

I left my house at around 6.15. Occultdale Rd is not far from where I live, it is on the outskirts just behind Durbanville. It was rather cool when I left, around 12 degrees and very misty. I was wondering if the mist had anything to do with the fact that I was going to try and find out what lies at the end of that road. I didn't check any road maps or looked on GoogleEarth, what is the use of doing that when you want to discover something "mysterious"? And besides, I was itching to ride my bike again. By the time I reached the turnoff to Occultdale Rd I was already rather wet because of the mist. Everything looked eerie. I turned off onto the gravel and headed towards....I did't know what. I couldn't see much on the side of the road because of the mist. At some points the mist was so thick I had to slow down not knowing if there might be a sharp turn ahead. The only other traffic on the road was two cars that came from the front at a considerable speed for a gravel road. I couldn't help but wonder why somebody would be in such a hurry to leave "Occultdale". Did they know something that I was still going to discover?

I guess I am not a good mystery writer, so let's end the story without a huge climax because that is how my adventure ended. I was very disappointed that there was no end destination on the Occultdale Rd, neither a place called Occultdale and I very much doubts that there were anything closely related to the occults that gave the place its name. I basically reached another tarred road that goes from Phillidelphia towards Durbanville. I guess on a ordinary sunny day the area would look nothing much different than the rest of the farmlands in that area. I have to admit that doing it in the mist was a little bit more exciting. I still don't know where Occultdale Rd got its name from. If you have any idea, please let me know.

*****

PS. I am sure the guy who took this pic at Occultdale Rd won't mind me showing you to his photo on Flickr, but after I finished writing my post I tried to find information on the road and came across this picture. This shows how beautiful it can be on a sunny day and when someone takes a picture who knows what he is doing with his camera. Well done.