The picturesque town formally known as Potgietersrus and now renamed to Mokopane, nestles at the foothills of the Waterberg and is an easy two hour drive from Louis Trichardt south on the N1.
Arriving at the Comanche Spur we were warmly greeted by the manager who assisted in moving a customer’s vehicle that was parked exactly where I wanted to setup the telescope. Shortly after 17:00 we were ready and an hour later Saturn had cleared the treeline and we had views of the planet up on the screen. A switch problem meant we could not utilise some of the features that the camera was capable of but after a little fiddling we were able to show the patrons splendid videos of the giant ringed planet before entering the popular eatery. By 21:00 with temperatures dropping rapidly we decided to call it a night.
The following morning found us outside one of the entrances to Mokopane Mall. Proceedings started slowly but certainly picked up during the course of the morning. It was well after 13:00 when we started packing up the telescope and shoppers were still stopping for hand-out material that was on offer.
A warm thank you to the friendly staff and manager at Comanche Spur, the Mokopane Mall and the Kameeldoring Guest House, who deservedly had just won this year’s award for the best guest house in Mokopane.
The road show continues with visits to Thohoyandou and Giyani next, watch the press for details.