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| Home Again |
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
May 28- Cape Town
Today was a relaxed day of visiting the local shops and restaurants.
Tomorrow we start our 32 hour trek, door to door, from Cape Town to Mason.
Tomorrow we start our 32 hour trek, door to door, from Cape Town to Mason.
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| These guys were our early morning alarm clock outside our window |
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| Very active working harbor |
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| Couldn't resist another picture from our hotel window... |
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| ...and another.... |
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| ... and one more! |
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
May 27- Cape of Good Hope
Took a tour to the Cape of Good Hope. The ocean is a beautiful color. Our first stop was for a boat ride to "Seal Island." Unfortunately we are a month too early to see the whales.
Our next stop was a lighthouse that is between Table Bay and False Bay (so named because sailors mistook it for Table Bay). What a spectacular view!
We went to a great spot to see the African Penguins. They were a hoot... literally. They have been called the "Jack Ass" Penguin due to the sound they make... you would swear it was a donkey braying.
Our final stop was a botanical garden. This part of Africa is one of the top six floral sites in the world.
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| False Bay |
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| Pretty harbor. Our boat tour left from here. |
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| A popular hang out for seals |
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| View from our seal boat tour |
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| Many celebrity homes are on this beautiful beach |
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| View from the lighthouse |
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| A Long Way from Home |
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| The Cape of Good Hope |
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| African Penguin |
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| Coming home from an afternoon swim |
Monday, May 26, 2008
May 26- Cape Town
This was a travel day; Richard's Bay to Johannesburg to Cape Town.
We are staying at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel... great place right on the ocean.
We were amazed at the view from the plane. It looks much like the mountains in Colorado. They are over 10,000 feet tall to the northeast of Cape Town.
We are looking forward to seeing the Cape of Good Hope tomorrow.
We are staying at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel... great place right on the ocean.
We were amazed at the view from the plane. It looks much like the mountains in Colorado. They are over 10,000 feet tall to the northeast of Cape Town.
We are looking forward to seeing the Cape of Good Hope tomorrow.
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| View from the deck of the Lodge in the morning |
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| One last picture of Zulu Nyala |
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| View from our window in Cape Town in the evening looking at the harbor and Table Mountain (elevation apx. 3500 feet). |
Sunday, May 25, 2008
May 25- Tembe National Elephant Park
We went to Tembe Elephant Park today... just Andrew and I with Philemon our guide. He worked in this park for six years before coming to Zulu Nyala. It was fenced in to protect the people and their property as much as to protect the elephants. There are some huge bull elephants in the park!
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| The Big Bull of Tembe |
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| What an incredible beast! |
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| Look at the size of those tusks! |
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| Fresh Lion Tracks |
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| Huge Water Buffalo |
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| Philemon |
FUN FACT: Yebo in Zulu means things are great. Sawubona means hello.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
May 24- Relaxing
We had a day of relaxation. We watched our first pro rugby game on TV. Those guys are crazy!
Had coffee with Rory Glad it is not summer when the snakes are active... his wife was bit by a cobra in bed three months ago. Fortunately they know how to treat snake bites around here and she recovered just fine.
We did go to a cat rehab center. We got to pet a cheetah while he had his head in a bucket of food! This is certainly not like a zoo... you get right in with the animals. They warned us not to run... the cheetah will automatically consider you prey!
Had coffee with Rory Glad it is not summer when the snakes are active... his wife was bit by a cobra in bed three months ago. Fortunately they know how to treat snake bites around here and she recovered just fine.
We did go to a cat rehab center. We got to pet a cheetah while he had his head in a bucket of food! This is certainly not like a zoo... you get right in with the animals. They warned us not to run... the cheetah will automatically consider you prey!
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| Andrew updating the blog about hunting |
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| Serval Cat |
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| Caracal |
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| Cheetah |
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| Beautiful, isn't he? |
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| Next on the menu... Tourist! |
Friday, May 23, 2008
May 23- The Hunt
The big day had come at last! I was more than ready to get up at 4:30 and head out. Even Dad didn't seem to mind the early start too much. We headed out to a large cattle ranch with our professional hunter, Rory, and our 3 trackers. Getting to the field at about 6:30, we started to look for a nyala. Our excellent trackers spotted several, but they were still relatively small.
It wasn't until several long hours later that Rory suddenly tapped on the roof of the Land Cruiser for the driver to stop. He had seen a big nyala on a hillside in the distance. We left the truck and headed out on foot. After nearly 45 minutes, we found him, about 120 yards away. Rory signaled me to sneak up next to him and we quietly set up the cross-sticks. I sighted on the bull, but there was a bush in the way, and I didn't want to risk a bad shot. By this time, though, he had seen us, and took off into the thick brush. We hurried to an opening, and the trackers spotted him going over a nearby hill. We got back to the truck and followed. As we came over the hill, we saw him again, about 250 yards away in some low cover. I would get another chance at a shot.
I stood up in the back of the truck behind Rory and rested the rifle on his shoulder. And then the "buck fever" hit. My knees were shaking so badly I could barely stand up, but I kept the scope on the bush the nyala was standing behind. After close to 10 minutes, he had calmed down enough to take a step from behind the bush (and I had calmed down enough to stand up straight). I clicked off the safety catch and rested the crosshairs behind the bull's shoulder.
Bang! 250 yards away, the big nyala dropped like a stone. Rory nearly yelled "That was one hell of a good shot!"
The next part was difficult. If you think walking through brush in the States is bad, try fighting your way through the thickest mess in the African Bushlands! Rory went first, hacking away with a machete, and I followed close behind, with Dad and one of the trackers following me. The others had gone to find a route for the Land Cruiser.
Eventually we broke into the tiny clearing where the bull had been. It took only a minute to find the animal. It was massive! Rory said it was one of the largest nyalas he'd ever seen... easily a Gold Medal Trophy! Needless to say, I was beyond ecstatic. When the truck finally came, we moved to a more open space and took pictures. We each had a celebratory Coke, and headed back into the bush to find an impala.
It didn't take quite as long to find an impala as it did for the nyala, as they are as abundant as whitetail deer in the States, but it still took a long time before we found a big one. The impala saw us at the same time we saw him, and took off into the brush with his small herd. This animal also took a great deal of tracking on foot. We hiked for close to a mile before we finally were able to sneak up on the herd in a large open space.
Rory set up the cross-sticks, and I sighted the rifle. Bang! An 80 yard shot, and the impala dropped out of sight in the grass.
As we moved into the opening to find the impala, we heard a crunch to our right. We turned to see 3 full-grown rhinos staring at us from no more than 60 yards away. They sure look a lot bigger on foot than in a truck! Thankfully they didn't seem to mind too much that we were there... Rory pointed out (unnecessarily) that we had no cover if they charged us.
We found the big impala only a few yard from where I had shot him. I had hit exactly were I meant to. It took quite some time before the truck found us, but we had a good time swapping hunting stories with Rory in the meantime. We got pictures, then headed back to camp.
What a great day is has been! Two huge trophy animals in one day. I couldn't be happier... none of us could!
--Andrew
It wasn't until several long hours later that Rory suddenly tapped on the roof of the Land Cruiser for the driver to stop. He had seen a big nyala on a hillside in the distance. We left the truck and headed out on foot. After nearly 45 minutes, we found him, about 120 yards away. Rory signaled me to sneak up next to him and we quietly set up the cross-sticks. I sighted on the bull, but there was a bush in the way, and I didn't want to risk a bad shot. By this time, though, he had seen us, and took off into the thick brush. We hurried to an opening, and the trackers spotted him going over a nearby hill. We got back to the truck and followed. As we came over the hill, we saw him again, about 250 yards away in some low cover. I would get another chance at a shot.
I stood up in the back of the truck behind Rory and rested the rifle on his shoulder. And then the "buck fever" hit. My knees were shaking so badly I could barely stand up, but I kept the scope on the bush the nyala was standing behind. After close to 10 minutes, he had calmed down enough to take a step from behind the bush (and I had calmed down enough to stand up straight). I clicked off the safety catch and rested the crosshairs behind the bull's shoulder.
Bang! 250 yards away, the big nyala dropped like a stone. Rory nearly yelled "That was one hell of a good shot!"
The next part was difficult. If you think walking through brush in the States is bad, try fighting your way through the thickest mess in the African Bushlands! Rory went first, hacking away with a machete, and I followed close behind, with Dad and one of the trackers following me. The others had gone to find a route for the Land Cruiser.
Eventually we broke into the tiny clearing where the bull had been. It took only a minute to find the animal. It was massive! Rory said it was one of the largest nyalas he'd ever seen... easily a Gold Medal Trophy! Needless to say, I was beyond ecstatic. When the truck finally came, we moved to a more open space and took pictures. We each had a celebratory Coke, and headed back into the bush to find an impala.
It didn't take quite as long to find an impala as it did for the nyala, as they are as abundant as whitetail deer in the States, but it still took a long time before we found a big one. The impala saw us at the same time we saw him, and took off into the brush with his small herd. This animal also took a great deal of tracking on foot. We hiked for close to a mile before we finally were able to sneak up on the herd in a large open space.
Rory set up the cross-sticks, and I sighted the rifle. Bang! An 80 yard shot, and the impala dropped out of sight in the grass.
As we moved into the opening to find the impala, we heard a crunch to our right. We turned to see 3 full-grown rhinos staring at us from no more than 60 yards away. They sure look a lot bigger on foot than in a truck! Thankfully they didn't seem to mind too much that we were there... Rory pointed out (unnecessarily) that we had no cover if they charged us.
We found the big impala only a few yard from where I had shot him. I had hit exactly were I meant to. It took quite some time before the truck found us, but we had a good time swapping hunting stories with Rory in the meantime. We got pictures, then headed back to camp.
What a great day is has been! Two huge trophy animals in one day. I couldn't be happier... none of us could!
--Andrew
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| Ready to Go! |
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| Big Bull Nyala Spotted, Time to Chase on Foot |
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| It's Time! |
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| Nyala Down! Long walk through brush |
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| Gold Medal Trophy! |
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| The Happy Hunting Party |
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| Time for a Break |
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| A little too close for comfort! |
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| A Big Impala Bull too! |
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| The Conclusion of a Successful Hunt |
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 22- Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve
Got up really early this morning... 4:30 to be precise. We wanted to leave by 5:00 to get to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve (the oldest and one of the largest in South Africa) when the gates opened to try to find the big cats while they were still up and about. We never found any of the park's 200 lions, but we did manage to spot two leopards, one on the way in, and one as we were leaving.
We saw many other animals, including dozens of impalas, nyalas, zebra, giraffe, rhinos, gray velvet monkeys, wildebeests, and baboons. The best part, though, was just after we left our lunch site. About a quarter of a mile up the road, we found ourselves surrounded by about 20 elephants! They were lazily munching their way toward the river on both sides of the lane. What an experience!!!
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| Wildebeests at the Water Hole |
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| The Hluhluwe River |
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| Good Morning! |
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| Big Baboon with Impala |
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| Philemon, searching the Imfolozi for Lions |
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| Grey Velvet Monkeys |
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| Afternoon snooze |
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| Chow Time! |
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| Taking it in stride |
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| Mom with Youngster |
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| African Crown Hornbill |
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| On the Road Again |
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| Our Safari Family |
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