Karoo thunderstorms in the Great Karoo. The Swartberg Pass is not tarred and can be treacherously slippery after rain. It also becomes impassable after heavy snowfalls on the mountain, a not infrequent occurrence in winter. Poet Thomas Hardy wrote of the Karoo in his poem "Drummer Hodge". In "Bridge-Guard in the Karroo", Rudyard Kipling evoked the loneliness experienced by blockhouse soldiers at Ketting station on the Dwyka River while guarding the Karoo railway track, a lifeline during the South African War (excerpts). Karoo The Karoo ( ; from a Khoikhoi word, possibly "garo" "desert") is a semi desert natural region of
The Oregon Desert The Oregon Desert The Oregon Desert is a non-fiction book about the high desert region of eastern Oregon. It highlights both the people and natural history of Oregon's high desert country using serious science, first-hand narrative history, and humorous anecdotal stories. It was written by E. R. Jackman and R. A. Long. The book was first published in 1964 and has never been out of print since its initial release. Edwin Russell (E.R.) Jackman was an American agricultural expert from Oregon. He worked for Oregon State University as a rural extension agent and a farm crop specialist from 1929 until