May 8, 2018
We got up at the usual time of 5:30AM and drove for about 2 hours to a different place.
We drove to and back in a SUV, 8 people inside. Those of us in the back didn't even buckle up. It was so tight.
[We had some time once we arrived to do a little looking around and take some photos.]
At that "farm", we loaded up into a safari truck. 2 people (a man and a woman) who worked there drove and rode in the cab. J.L., S., and the 5 of us rode in the bed in the seats provided. Just on the major road, we saw blue wildebeest, warthogs, wildebeest again, impala, etc.
Fun Fact: Mother-in-law tongue grows outside here.
Big J. got to shoot a nice wildebeest after only a few minutes of driving. In some of his pictures, Big J. sat on his wildebeest and posed as if riding a bucking bull.
Where we were was so scenic and pretty. There are huge mountains overlooking a "valley". It's super brushy in spots and also very open. There are some ponds and water here and there. Really quite grassy.
As we were crossing a road mound going over some water, we suddenly stopped and J.L. said that there was a nice warthog up ahead. Dad got ready. (We stuffed jackets on the hood of the pickup, under the gun, and he shot.) That was when I could finally see the hog from my angle. The pig bolted across the road and down to some open flat. Dad shot again. The hog ran straight for the brush and we followed after [along the road, in the truck].
It took a while before anyone found it and when J.L. had gotten a look at it (before Dad could see it) he said to Dad, "I was off on the size. He isn't as good as we thought." The other guide/driver looked at J.L. and said, "That's not right" or "Don't tell him that." As it turned out, Dad shot a "one in a million" warthog. He is big. Later, as we were packing to leave and other people were around, some guys oohed and awed over him.
We drove right by zebra and more wildebeest.
In a brushier area, we looked for and found an impala for Little J. to shoot. It wasn't an easy shot with trees and brush, and she had to shoot between two tree branches. She shot. I could tell she was upset and thought she missed. (I thought she hit it.) So some of us got out and looked. Not long after, we all smiled and told her "good job." The beautiful impala was killed with one perfect shot in the shoulder.
[We then moved into the open for better pictures.]
By then it was dinner (noonish) time and so we ate packed dinners at a picnic area which had tables and benches. There was even a "bathroom". The walls were made of wood posts lined up, close, but you could see through gaps. No door or roof and yet there was a flush-able toilet and working sink. Literally in the middle of nowhere.
We drove really close to the highest golfing tee in the world, which is the Extreme 19th.
Fun Fact: To get to the tee on top of the mountain, one would have to take a helicopter ride. We also heard that if you make the hole in one try, you get a million dollars, or something like that.
Near there is where mom shot her Kudu. He's a big guy and it took 8 men to load him into the pickup bed.
Lastly, Mom shot a Blesbuck.
For supper that night, we ate some of Dad's gemsbuck. Another good meat.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Kuvhima, where we're staying, donates the meat to a school?
At the base/lodge/whatever they call it that morning, we got our daily selfie with the mountain that looks like Pride Rock in the back.
Below are some more (okay, a lot more!) pictures throughout the biggest day of our South African trip. There are still more days to post about, so please check back!
