During my long weekend I traveled to a place in the mountains called Bainskloof. It is beautiful area with lovely hiking routes. But the history behind the area is just as amazing. The man who made the road through the mountain pass was named William Bains who had made some of the most famous roads in the Western Cape. Bains was from Scotland and was born in 1797. He was a keen geologist and fossil collector. He was most famous for his discovery of what became known as the Blinkwater monster. It was later described as  a Pareiasaurus serridens or a mammal-like reptile.

Road building is a good profession for an amateur geologist and fossil hunter because it will give you opportunities to find samples. The geology of the Bainskloofs pass is mainly very old eroded folded igneous rock.