Our connection with the night sky is calming and is vital to our health!
Read MoreSangre de Christo Mountains, Southern Colorado
dried Elderflower and fresh Lavender. for fragrance and skin.
Flowers and Herbs
Surprise yourself with your own power to be healed and to heal. Understand that your daily habits affect your long term health
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Lion pride at Savuti Channel
Morning at Savuti Channel
The Savuti Channel
A dry channel meandering through an equally dry landscape, the Savuti Channel is now a legendary area for lion sightings. Once a vast marsh the area has dried out over the course of time, though inexplicably the channel will produce water some years. Savuti is located right on the very tip of the East Africa Great Rift Valley, it’s theorized that the associated tectonic activity influences the water flows into the channel. Other theories point to extended droughts as being the cause of Savuti’s lack of water.
Our visit coincided with a dry spell at the Savuti channel. We drove into our remote camp on a blazing hot spring afternoon wondering what our chances were for catching sight of wild game in such an unforgiving environment. Waking at 5 am the next day, we saw lion tracks close to our campsite. The lions of Savuti, hardened by the dry conditions, are known for their ability to hunt down the largest of mammals including; giraffe, buffalo, and elephant. With anticipation of what may lay ahead we drove slowly out of camp to the channel. As if on cue we came across a pride of lions relaxing after a night of hunting, their bellies were full and the youngsters were in good spirits playing and chasing doves.
flocks of doves flew in and out of the channel, attracted to the small water hole that the lions watched over
We spent 2 hours photographing and watching the lion pride that morning. A photographic safari allows for extra attention spent with wildlife sightings, time given for careful observation of the subject, and opportunities to play with composition and camera settings.
Considerations when choosing a guided safari company include:
Is your guide a trained naturalist, familiar with the region?
Is your guide a photographer, able to position the truck for the best photographic opportunities?
Is the truck suitable for photographers; room for gear, removable windows, outlets for charging?
Are your travel companions agreeable to staying with a sighting for a couple of hours?
The Savuti Channel has been a life source of water off and on for centuries. Catch the documentary Stolen River, by Derrek and Beverly Jobert, for a gripping description of Savuti as it dried up in the early 1980’s.
The Okavango Delta region finally had a decent wet season this year so perhaps Savuti has water again. Any trip planned to Chobe National Park should include a side trip here, whether or not the channel has water. There is a particular mood associated with Savuti- I wasn’t particularly seeking it but it was there.
Botswana Safari Company was our agent for this trip
Sesriem Canyon is right there at your feet. February 2018
Sesreim Canyon
Canyons are crevices in the earth that I see as an escape from the hot sun. Climb down a canyon and suddenly the environment around you is cool and quiet. Sesreim Canyon outside of Namib-Naukluft National Park is such an experience.
From the distance there isn’t anything to see, but pull into the car park and climb down that gorge and you will see. You will see ancient earth pulled apart by by geologic upheaval, you will see the trees and plants thriving in the coolness of the canyon, and you will feel the still, quiet air.
Sossusvlei blog linked here
Silliness has no Bounds
Ostrich on pan in Estosha, Namibia
Are you a clever one
with just the right response?
You probably didn’t blurt out
“It’s just like ostrich sauce,”
Or tell your neighbor
“Have a gooey gooey day”
not one for sharp retorts
my native silliness
abounds.
Halali Waterhole
Halali Waterhole Estosh NP
I just found a series of photos I took at the Halali waterhole in Etosha NP. I wasn’t keen on taking my camera to the waterhole that night but my friend insisted that I try my hand at a bit of nighttime photography.
Here are our results.
The images I captured that night barely hint at the unique beauty we observed. When you stay at a nationally run lodge in Etosha you will have access to the waterhole situated in your lodging area. The waterholes are protected so you can literally get up in the middle of the night and go view animals. Different lodges have different situations for instance the waterhole at Halali is quiet, small and intimate. Another waterhole, by our first lodging area, was vast. I woke at 2 in the morning and walked to it without my camera. There I observed herds of zebra, springbok, and impala move in and out of the waterhole with grace and silence. Sometimes the most amazing images are not captured on film.
blue Agapanthus
Midsummer in Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town ZA
I visited Kirstenbosch Gardens on a midsummer Sunday afternoon, early January. It was an overcast misty day and everything looked so lush. The paths were filled with Capetonians and tourists alike all enjoying the beauty before us. The pelargoniums took my breath away, they were so prolific and fragrant.
perennial borders of pelargoniums, “scented geraniums”
Respite on Land’s Edge
Sunday Evening on Table Mountain, Cape Town ZA
Lovers hold hands,
friends toast,
as parents shout out to their kids.
I am silent
is that chill from the mist,
or is it from the memory submerged?
I arrived to Cape Town, after completing a 6 day bicycle tour in the Western Cape, mid-day on Sunday. After quickly checking in at my hotel I immediately hired a car to take me to Table Mountain National Park, the iconic place that holds the soul of the city. I was just able to take in the views before the clouds rolled in.
Mike and I chasing Flamingos at Nata
The Ultimate Bostwana Adventure
These landscapes materialize for us in more dramatic visions than we had imagined and would provide the backdrop for a fortnight of incredibly diverse wildlife sightings.
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Mill City
Midwestern Cities, U.S.
There is a unique ambience about the cities in middle America. The solidly constructed warehouses and viaducts speak to another era. Here is a photo collection of a time I visited Minneapolis for an annual bicycle conference that takes place in February. Lucky me it was a balmy winter for the Upper Midwest.
Lilian’s Lovebirds at Lion Plain, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Birds of South Luangwa National Park
Travels Ahead
Zimbabwe has been a lasting dream
an intriguing voice whispered Chizaria in my ear.
Have you heard of those mountains along Lake Tanganyika
Tanzania holds close to her heart?
And to boat with the Shoebill storks in the Bangwelu Swamps,
a new thrill just a few flights away.
These trips will take us from campsite to next
Then deep at night, sky so low
we shall sleep with the stars.
Birds in South Luangwa
May-June 2019
Hamerkop and Hippo in Lagoon
test ride
Birds of Florida
Indulging Peter of his thrill for birding I accompanied him to Florida’s Gulf Coast for the Thanksgiving Weekend. Florida’s Caribbean environment was humid and buggy, just perfect for bird life! We spent most of our time on Sanibel Island exploring the JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Not your typical beach vacation but I kayaked for the first time and shot a lot of birds I’d never seen before.
Self Supported Camping in Namibia, Feb. 2018
Courtship with my current husband was a series of backpacking trips throughout Colorado during our first summer together. Peter took care of all of the details, even preparing freshly brewed coffee for me at first morning light. I was hooked. The novelty of sleeping out in a tent, waking up to the sounds of nature is something I look forward to every summer since.
Several years ago Peter upped the ante by signing us up for a two-week overland/camping trip in Botswana. I came back home talking of little else convincing my brother to consider travel to Africa. Self-driving tours of Southern Africa are amazingly easy to plan. There are many rental companies that provide fully equipped 4X4s so you simply show up and drive away. Ah, but then there is the question of a route!
My brother, Ethan, and I began planning a Namibian road trip in early 2017, obsessively reading blogs, watching YouTube, and making lists. He would be the driver and this directionally challenged cyclist would plan the route.
Gemsbok, Etosha NP
waterhole in Western Etosha NP
We planned to camp along the way and do our own cooking, mostly because we enjoy cooking outside but also not knowing if there would be restaurants along our rural explorations. Ethan’s girlfriend Chris gamely decided to join us a month before we left and she proved to be the best animal spotter in this group.
brief encounter, somewhere in Namibia
Other than Epupa Falls, located on the Northern border of Namibia, Ethan didn’t express much opinion of what he wanted to see. I decided to cover a lot of the country. We were undaunted by the distances being from the American Southwest the three of us are accustomed to long road trips.
Camping out in Namibia was an absolute blast. All of the campsites had flushing toilets, showers, drinkable tap water, and a braai area in which to cook. The Etosha NP campgrounds were the most trodden, much like the big campgrounds in Yellowstone USA, but the Namibian camp sites were exceptionally clean. We chose to camp at Etosha 2 nights and stay at a lodge 2 nights, our only lodge accommodation for the entire trip. The lodge options in Namibia cover a wide spectrum of experiences but we kept to the theme of a camping trip instead.
There was one day that I misnavigated our route. That was the day we punctured 2 tires and the campground was below our now elevated standard. But my travel companions were good sports, all of our other experiences made up for the one dud of a day. Seriously a not-so-perfect day in Namibia is a day offering a bit of adventure from home.
I feel confident that we will all return to Africa again. Next time I will be careful not to arrive with expectations but to just be ready to learn and perhaps strive to be more thoughtful. There is something to be said for the unknown to keep life interesting. When I have the opportunity to travel abroad I look forward to being outside of my comfort zone, which this trip did achieve. My lust for travel was re-ignited in Namibia, I don’t think I will wait 3 years for my next 2-week vacation.
Lodging and Campsites
Halali Camp, Eastern Etosha
Dolomite Camp, Western Etosha
Hauchabfontein Camping in Naukluft Mt.
sunset to stars
Yes, I alone directed the sky that night
galaxies above so bright
a humble camp bathed in magic and moonlight.
Venus winked through the stillness
she then turned her course for that far horizon
in the cold morning hour.
from camp outside of Sossusvlei
Epupa Falls and Himba Village along the Kunene
Epupa Falls
It’s been 11 months since I slept along the Kunene River. We drank the water, because our camp host said it would make us strong. He might have been right but I also think it steeped into my cells impressing the beauty of the surroundings directly onto my being. I am sad that I won’t be there again for a while but then wasn’t I lucky to pitch my tent on it’s banks, listening to the owls at night.
One clear, bright morning a local man, Kamburu, introduced us to a few Himba villagers. He is based in Epupa Falls, but frequently travels throughout southwestern Africa. It would be difficult for us, as tourists, to cross the Kunene River into Angola but residents of region do not recognize the Kunene River as a boundary. They cross freely to visit family and friends for this has always been their region.
Kamburu is a delightful, informative guide and this is what I learned;
the Himba traditions have survived colonialism, rinderpest, and war but it is uncertain if they will survive global climate change.
Himba women are certainly beautiful but their morning rituals take at least 4 hours a day. Clothes, jewelry, hair, ochre paste rubbed onto their entire bodies- this takes time!
Himba men take pride in their appearance too, their ensembles are striking.
We can all take lessons on how to do with less water and still smell fantastic.
That morning I was in awe with this vibrant community that happily adheres to their ancient traditions. These traditions and religious beliefs provide a stable societal structure. Individuals lean on their community for virtually everything. The cooking, child raising, and livestock grazing, are all taken care of as a group. There is a bit of materialism, even competition, present within the Himba village, but their materialism is so insignificant compared to what I see in my own U.S. American society. That morning I listened to jokes and saw love directed to the children, there was a calmness I don’t experience often.
Certainly there are some very complicated issues facing the Himba communities of northern Namibia ranging from long-lasting drought, the state of rangelands & perennial grasses, to the everlasting threat from the government to dam the Kunene River even further. I wish Kamburu and his community the strength and wisdom in addressing these problems.
Opuwo, Namibia
Kamburu and me saying goodbye.