Multi generations of elephants make up this herd of mostly females crossing a river to access grasses on the bank for breakfast in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Elephants have an ordered social structure where herds of closely related females with their offspring follow the dominant matriarchal cow. Adult males join the herd when a female is in heat. Adolescent males leave the herd to form small bachelor groups or travel alone at about age 14.
Nothing like leaving fall in South Africa and returning to spring in Arizona. Temperatures changed from 25/15C (72/55F) with 82% humidity to 77/39F (25/4C) with 13% humidity. Flowers are not only blooming in central Arizona they’re almost done blooming. And there’s a bit of green in some of the trees burnt in the Yarnell Fire.
Aerial views east to west/left to right: East coast, Pennsylvania, maybe Illinois River, Midwest farmlands, don’t know, mountains New Mexico
30 hours after leaving Johannesburg I arrived home. The flights were fine but way too long. Night flight for the first 15 hours then daylight across the diversity of the USA.
Slept in my own bed for the first time in 87 days. Wow, is it every comfortable. And after 78 out of 84 nights of camping and wandering bleary eyed to the communal bathrooms in camp I almost got lost finding my own toilet, not an easy thing to do in a RV. The first morning at 6am—early for me—I tried to remember how to make coffee in my espresso machine. I got really spoiled with Joan making the coffee every morning.
Then off to Prescott 30 miles away to restock the groceries, look for work shoes and at desktop computers. I actually didn’t get lost and remembered how to drive on the right side of the road. But I didn’t see any elephants in the brush or catch sight of dassies on the rocky outcrops. Darn it. I did however, see a golden eagle perched on a telephone pole on the drive-by back to home.
I rejoiced at the Ponderosa Pines heading in to Prescott. My favorite tree to smell and see.
Soon I’ll be surrounded by the pine forest at the North Rim at Grand Canyon National Park. And although I’ll start back to work April 28th, the North Rim doesn’t open to the public until May 15th baring a great snowfall.
Lion at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 3-19-14
Sorry, I just had to do it. What with traveling, having fun and sometimes limited internet access the last three months I just haven’t had time. I’ve really missed reading your every blog post and tried to catch up. But it just won’t work. There aren’t enough hours in a day, or my life. 978 unread posts put my blog reader on overload. And my brain. So I hit the button “mark all as read” and am starting over.
Rhinos at Pilanesberg Game Reserve 3-30-14
After 10 days at Pilanesberg Game Reserve Joan and I left Sunday morning and headed towards Johannesburg. We’ll be camping not far out of town at Roodeplaat Dam for two nights. We’ve come full circle as this is where we spent our first night upon my arrival in South Africa. We traveled about 5,000 miles and visited 10 South African National Parks.
Giraffe at Kruger National Park 2-14-14
I fly out Tuesday night at 8:25 pm South African time. Then land at JFK at 6:40am Wednesday Eastern time and have a four hour layover. Finally back in Phoenix at 12:49 pm Mountain time (in Arizona that’s without daylight savings) then have a two hour shuttle ride to Prescott where my dear friend Berta picks me up and a one hour drive home. I’m sure to be hyped up and totally exhausted at the same time.
Leopard at Pilanesberg Game Reserve 3-30-14
I’m sorry to be leaving but am anxiously awaiting my own bed, toilet, shower, espresso maker and more. Three months of tent camping is wearing on me. It’s been an amazing journey and Joan and I have had a wonderful time. And we didn’t even kill each other. In fact we are already making plans for next year’s visit. I know we’ll miss each other even as we look forward to having our personal spaces back.
Elephants at Addo National Park 3-8-14
Then I have a ‘to do’ list a mile long. Replenish groceries, eye glasses readjusted as they won’t fold anymore, truck needs an oil change, cameras must be cleaned professionally, try to recover photos from SD cards without paying a fortune, file an insurance claim on the stolen computer as they wouldn’t do it by email, and buy yet another computer but this time thinking a desk top with a nice big screen. (I’m open to suggestions on the last one.)
And in two weeks from my return I head back to the North Rim of Grand Canyon to prepare for the May 15th opening for 2014. But I still have a lot of posts to write about this amazing journey of a South African diversity Eco Tour.