Since 2007 we've traveled almost full-time throughout the US and Canada
in our RV with a focus on photographing wild animals. While I put most
effort into photographing grizzly bears in Alaska, most wild animals
are great subjects. Like most RVers, we follow the blogs of other RVers
both as a method of learning other great places to visit and as a means
of interacting within this great community of people. Almost at the
beginning, I began following the blog of a couple of RVers who were
originally from South Africa. I first followed their travels in Alaska
in 2007. A year later we were following part of their route when we
drove to Alaska for the first time. The following autumn I followed
their blog as they traveled by themselves on safari through Kruger
National Park in South Africa. I was bitten by the safari bug -- hard!
In the intervening years, I've been researching how we could under take
this independent trip.
We really wanted to take an independent trip; we're not much for group
tours and we discovered that we could spend less in a month on our own
than we would spend in just a few days on an organized tour. In the
fall of 2011, we got serious about planning. I discovered that it is
necessary to book non-refundable lodging a year in advance - and so we
did. Once the lodging was set, all the other items quickly fell into
place. We found air travel using frequent flyer miles earned in our
prior life, booked a rental car, and declared the project complete.
Over the next year we intermittently worked on determining necessary
vaccinations, how to provision in-country, and what in the world to
pack. Throughout the process my on-line South African friend has
provided invaluable advice.
Over the past two weeks we've delivered the cats to their cat hotel
(complete with beds, comforters, and a cat tree), driven over 1,100
miles, had one tire blow-out on the RV, shut-down and closed-up the
Mountain house, La Casita, and the RV, and hired care-takers for each
place. I pre-loaded all my current legal work on the netbook and as of
mid-night Sunday, all systems were "GO". We've each checked about 33
lbs of luggage and are each carrying a similar weight in camera
equipment.
Because we're flying on frequent flyer miles, the journey will take us
more than two days. We should be in Johannesburg, South Africa on
Wednesday and out to Kruger National Park by Thursday. We plan to rent a
cell modem in Johannesburg and hope to find cell data service
periodically to enable me to update this blog along the way. Our plan is
to stay at four different camps in Kruger National Park until November
1st photographing whatever wild animals we are fortunate to observe.
I'm posting this blog introduction now so that my friends who do not use
Facebook will have the link. We hope to have email access in South
Africa, but do not plan to rent a cell phone.
Leslie
Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, September 13, 2010
Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, and Flowers at Lake Louise
Leslie, September 10-13, 2010
Tunnel Mountain Trailer Campground
The Canadian Park Service tries to keep the elk out of the campground during rutting season because the males are so dangerous. Their strategy is to scare the females out of the campground, knowing that the males will follow. Apparently they were not entirely successful. As we were preparing to leave Jasper on Friday morning, a herd of female elk walked through the campground.
The elk were not at all afraid of humans. We watched this elk climb over the guide lines of an occupied tent.
The scenery along the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Baniff is among the most beautiful of the trip.
Nearly half way we reached the Icefields Glacier. We considered taking the tour of the glacier but ultimately decided against the investment of 90 minutes on the ice. Heck, we were already freezing!
Our focus in Banff was to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Lake Louise is surrounded by stark mountains and the water is an intense shade of blue. The Canadian Railroad built an impressive hotel here in the 1930s. We were mesmerized by the beautiful gardens.
Of the two lakes, we think Moraine Lake is more impressive.
As those of you who know me well will attest, I do not do sunrises. However because our campground is located in the mountains, there is the possibility for beautiful sunrises. One morning Robert pointed out to me a beautiful cloud pattern. Even though the temperature wasn’t above 40 degrees, I ran outside to capture these pictures.
Winter is coming fast to the Canadian Rockies.
Tunnel Mountain Trailer Campground
The Canadian Park Service tries to keep the elk out of the campground during rutting season because the males are so dangerous. Their strategy is to scare the females out of the campground, knowing that the males will follow. Apparently they were not entirely successful. As we were preparing to leave Jasper on Friday morning, a herd of female elk walked through the campground.
The elk were not at all afraid of humans. We watched this elk climb over the guide lines of an occupied tent.
The scenery along the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Baniff is among the most beautiful of the trip.
Nearly half way we reached the Icefields Glacier. We considered taking the tour of the glacier but ultimately decided against the investment of 90 minutes on the ice. Heck, we were already freezing!
Our focus in Banff was to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Lake Louise is surrounded by stark mountains and the water is an intense shade of blue. The Canadian Railroad built an impressive hotel here in the 1930s. We were mesmerized by the beautiful gardens.
Of the two lakes, we think Moraine Lake is more impressive.
As those of you who know me well will attest, I do not do sunrises. However because our campground is located in the mountains, there is the possibility for beautiful sunrises. One morning Robert pointed out to me a beautiful cloud pattern. Even though the temperature wasn’t above 40 degrees, I ran outside to capture these pictures.
Winter is coming fast to the Canadian Rockies.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Jasper National Park – Mountain Sheep, Bugling Elk, a Marmot, and Amazing Scenery
Leslie, September 7-9, 2010
Whistler’s Campground, Jasper Nat’l Park
After nearly a week spent enjoying the big city life of Edmonton, AB, we headed west to Jasper National Park. In 2008 when we visited Jasper in mid-May, the elk were calving and there was still significant snow on the ground. This trip the elk were bugling (mating behavior).
This elk is in the classic bugling stance. Notice how he raises his chin forward. When he does this he emits a high pitched squeal and corals the females together.
We found several fields of elk where one large male had rounded up a group of females and on some occasions watched while he sent a smaller male on his way.
This male chased a younger male away from a group of about 8 cows.
Here’s one of his girlfriends.
While we observed this elk encounter from a distance, we watched a disaster in the making. Elk are notoriously dangerous animals, especially during the mating season. Shortly after the large male had chased the junior male into the woods, a man started walking off the roadway toward to woods trying to get a picture with a credit-card sized camera. Robert & I were standing in the back of our truck working with a long lens on a tripod. We watched as the man approached the annoyed male elk and anticipated an imminent elk charge.
It’s a little hard to see in this photo, but the man is standing just to the center of the picture. The road and the sane spectators are out of sight to the right of the picture.
Lucky for the human, a ranger took off at a fast run to the scene and shepherded the man back to safety. We had fully anticipated documenting an elk goring. While elk appear to be only large deer, they actually stand over 7 ft. tall at the shoulders. An annoyed elk can easily stomp a person. They also use their antlers as aggressive weapons.
The mountain sheep also gave us a wonderful show.
There was a herd of about 50 mountain sheep spread out about 1/4 mile along a lake and nearby mountain.
Watching them climb is a sight to behold.
Sometimes they seem to look right at me.
A bit later we met this cute lower member of the food chain building his winter nest. I think he is a Marmot.
He worked for hours gathering grass and carrying it under a rock further down the mountain.
We also appreciated the stark beauty of the rugged mountains.
Although the weather forecast for Jasper was terrible, we were fortunate to capture several hours every day to photograph the wildlife. Whistler’s Campground is exceptional. We had full hook-ups in a beautiful national park setting. That’s our ideal site.
Next we're heading south along the Ice Fields Parkway to Banff.
Whistler’s Campground, Jasper Nat’l Park
After nearly a week spent enjoying the big city life of Edmonton, AB, we headed west to Jasper National Park. In 2008 when we visited Jasper in mid-May, the elk were calving and there was still significant snow on the ground. This trip the elk were bugling (mating behavior).
This elk is in the classic bugling stance. Notice how he raises his chin forward. When he does this he emits a high pitched squeal and corals the females together.
We found several fields of elk where one large male had rounded up a group of females and on some occasions watched while he sent a smaller male on his way.
This male chased a younger male away from a group of about 8 cows.
Here’s one of his girlfriends.
While we observed this elk encounter from a distance, we watched a disaster in the making. Elk are notoriously dangerous animals, especially during the mating season. Shortly after the large male had chased the junior male into the woods, a man started walking off the roadway toward to woods trying to get a picture with a credit-card sized camera. Robert & I were standing in the back of our truck working with a long lens on a tripod. We watched as the man approached the annoyed male elk and anticipated an imminent elk charge.
It’s a little hard to see in this photo, but the man is standing just to the center of the picture. The road and the sane spectators are out of sight to the right of the picture.
Lucky for the human, a ranger took off at a fast run to the scene and shepherded the man back to safety. We had fully anticipated documenting an elk goring. While elk appear to be only large deer, they actually stand over 7 ft. tall at the shoulders. An annoyed elk can easily stomp a person. They also use their antlers as aggressive weapons.
The mountain sheep also gave us a wonderful show.
There was a herd of about 50 mountain sheep spread out about 1/4 mile along a lake and nearby mountain.
Watching them climb is a sight to behold.
Sometimes they seem to look right at me.
A bit later we met this cute lower member of the food chain building his winter nest. I think he is a Marmot.
He worked for hours gathering grass and carrying it under a rock further down the mountain.
We also appreciated the stark beauty of the rugged mountains.
Although the weather forecast for Jasper was terrible, we were fortunate to capture several hours every day to photograph the wildlife. Whistler’s Campground is exceptional. We had full hook-ups in a beautiful national park setting. That’s our ideal site.
Next we're heading south along the Ice Fields Parkway to Banff.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Toad River, Mountain Sheep, New Friends
Leslie, August 27-31, 2010
Watson Lake, YT (Golden Nugget CG), Toad River, YT, (Toad River Lodge), Sikanni River, BC (Sikanni Chief).
Shortly after we arrived in Watson Like (home of the famous Signpost Forest) we were greeted by new NuWa Owners Forum friends Regi and Mike Wallace. The NuWa Owners Forum is an on-line group of people who own or admire the manufacturer of our rig. Although we had not met Mike & Regi previously, we quickly organized an impromptu dinner and everyone had an enjoyable evening.
The next morning Robert and I returned to the Signpost Forest to capture the GPS coordinates of the sign we had posted in late May.
Even after just a few months, it was not that easy to find our sign. (Colorado 733-KMT) I had not realized how quickly they would post additional wooden posts that would change the paths. If any of you visit and look for our sign, within 7 feet, our GPS says our sign is located at 60 degrees 3.799 north and 128 degrees 42.768 west.
Originally we had planned to take the Cassiar Highway south to Prince George but forest fires and reports of horrible roads convinced us that we should change our route. I was disappointed that we wouldn’t get to see the grizzly bears at Hyder, but we’ll have to save that for another trip. We’re now heading south along the Alaskan Highway to Dawson City, then further east toward Edmonton.
We continued south summiting Sheep Mountain and were treated to bison and mountain sheep along the road.
We came across three different groups of mountain sheep. This first group seemed unconcerned with our presence. I waited for them to move off the road.
A bit later another group of mountain sheep posed for pictures.
Isn’t she pretty?
We ended that evening at Toad River Lodge and Campground with a warm campfire along the lake enjoying the sunshine that has been so absent this entire summer.
Nice site!
We continued along the Alaskan Highway to Sikanni Chief at Sikanni River, BC. Sikanni Chief is owned by Jackie & Wayne who have so warmly welcomed us to their rustic campground on several occasions. Fall has clearly come to Sikanni River:
Along the remote road I appreciated many beautiful lakes.
It’s hard to describe the blue-green color of the water. (When we headed north in late May, this water was frozen!)
Watson Lake, YT (Golden Nugget CG), Toad River, YT, (Toad River Lodge), Sikanni River, BC (Sikanni Chief).
Shortly after we arrived in Watson Like (home of the famous Signpost Forest) we were greeted by new NuWa Owners Forum friends Regi and Mike Wallace. The NuWa Owners Forum is an on-line group of people who own or admire the manufacturer of our rig. Although we had not met Mike & Regi previously, we quickly organized an impromptu dinner and everyone had an enjoyable evening.
The next morning Robert and I returned to the Signpost Forest to capture the GPS coordinates of the sign we had posted in late May.
Even after just a few months, it was not that easy to find our sign. (Colorado 733-KMT) I had not realized how quickly they would post additional wooden posts that would change the paths. If any of you visit and look for our sign, within 7 feet, our GPS says our sign is located at 60 degrees 3.799 north and 128 degrees 42.768 west.
Originally we had planned to take the Cassiar Highway south to Prince George but forest fires and reports of horrible roads convinced us that we should change our route. I was disappointed that we wouldn’t get to see the grizzly bears at Hyder, but we’ll have to save that for another trip. We’re now heading south along the Alaskan Highway to Dawson City, then further east toward Edmonton.
We continued south summiting Sheep Mountain and were treated to bison and mountain sheep along the road.
We came across three different groups of mountain sheep. This first group seemed unconcerned with our presence. I waited for them to move off the road.
A bit later another group of mountain sheep posed for pictures.
Isn’t she pretty?
We ended that evening at Toad River Lodge and Campground with a warm campfire along the lake enjoying the sunshine that has been so absent this entire summer.
Nice site!
We continued along the Alaskan Highway to Sikanni Chief at Sikanni River, BC. Sikanni Chief is owned by Jackie & Wayne who have so warmly welcomed us to their rustic campground on several occasions. Fall has clearly come to Sikanni River:
Along the remote road I appreciated many beautiful lakes.
It’s hard to describe the blue-green color of the water. (When we headed north in late May, this water was frozen!)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Out of Alaska and Northern Lights
Leslie, August 22-25, 2010
Tundra Lodge & RV Park (Tok), Congdon Provincial Campground (Destruction Bay, YT), Caribou RV Park (Whitehorse, YT)
We started south a bit earlier than we would have wished along the long road called the Alaska Highway (aka ALCAN). (I never want to start a return trip; it always seems so much longer than the outgoing portion of the trip.) As most know the ALCAN was originally built by the US military as a supply route to Alaska during WWII. Over the years the road has been improved from a rough, dirt and gravel military path to a two lane mostly paved roadway maintained largely by the Canadian government (most of the road runs through Canadian territory). Because the road is built on permafrost, the roadbed is extremely difficult to maintain. The section between Tok (US) and Haines Junction, Yukon Territory (CA) is always subject to those bumps and craters known to drivers as “frost heaves”. Travel is most successful at no more than 25-30 mph. On every trip we’ve met fellow travels who have rejected that advice and paid for their folly with major repairs to their rigs. We met one rig that was stuck waiting for over two weeks for new air bags for their motorhome. Clearly they drove too fast. We try to take it very slowly. The government tries to mark road hazards, but as you can see below, sometimes the hazards are extremely close together.
Unfortunately there are few services or campgrounds in the 280 miles between Tok and Haines Junction. We spent one night at Congdon Provincial Campground, a lovely place along Khlune Lake.
Along the route south we enjoyed wonderful vistas of fall colors.
By Wednesday, August 25 we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory to appreciate one of the most wondrous experiences of our Alaskan adventure. We were fortunate to see the northern lights.
We intentionally remain in the north as late in the season as possible to increase our chances of seeing the northern lights. Our campground is located 10 miles south of Whitehorse, a bit separated from the town light pollution. Around 12:30 am we walked away from the campground lights to see the green northern lights dancing across the sky.
The lights danced across the sky for 30-45 minutes before disappearing into the darkness. The northern lights actually occur throughout the year but they are not visible in summer because it never gets dark this far north. However this far north, once it starts to get dark, the duration of daylight shortens dramatically every day.
Tundra Lodge & RV Park (Tok), Congdon Provincial Campground (Destruction Bay, YT), Caribou RV Park (Whitehorse, YT)
We started south a bit earlier than we would have wished along the long road called the Alaska Highway (aka ALCAN). (I never want to start a return trip; it always seems so much longer than the outgoing portion of the trip.) As most know the ALCAN was originally built by the US military as a supply route to Alaska during WWII. Over the years the road has been improved from a rough, dirt and gravel military path to a two lane mostly paved roadway maintained largely by the Canadian government (most of the road runs through Canadian territory). Because the road is built on permafrost, the roadbed is extremely difficult to maintain. The section between Tok (US) and Haines Junction, Yukon Territory (CA) is always subject to those bumps and craters known to drivers as “frost heaves”. Travel is most successful at no more than 25-30 mph. On every trip we’ve met fellow travels who have rejected that advice and paid for their folly with major repairs to their rigs. We met one rig that was stuck waiting for over two weeks for new air bags for their motorhome. Clearly they drove too fast. We try to take it very slowly. The government tries to mark road hazards, but as you can see below, sometimes the hazards are extremely close together.
Unfortunately there are few services or campgrounds in the 280 miles between Tok and Haines Junction. We spent one night at Congdon Provincial Campground, a lovely place along Khlune Lake.
Along the route south we enjoyed wonderful vistas of fall colors.
By Wednesday, August 25 we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory to appreciate one of the most wondrous experiences of our Alaskan adventure. We were fortunate to see the northern lights.
We intentionally remain in the north as late in the season as possible to increase our chances of seeing the northern lights. Our campground is located 10 miles south of Whitehorse, a bit separated from the town light pollution. Around 12:30 am we walked away from the campground lights to see the green northern lights dancing across the sky.
The lights danced across the sky for 30-45 minutes before disappearing into the darkness. The northern lights actually occur throughout the year but they are not visible in summer because it never gets dark this far north. However this far north, once it starts to get dark, the duration of daylight shortens dramatically every day.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs
Leslie, August 14 – August 21, 2010
River’s Edge RV Park, Chena Hot Springs, and Santaland RV Park
We spent about a week in the Fairbanks area. We always view Fairbanks as our last change to resupply and regroup before the drive south.
One of my favorite activities is a day spent at the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They have excellent displays and oral histories of the native people of Alaska. Most interesting is an oral history and video on the internment of the Aleut people from the Aleutian Islands during WWII. The Aleuts were removed from their home islands and their villages destroyed “for their own protection”. For several years they were interred in inhabitable camps in southeastern Alaska. A study of the effect of the internment on the Aleuts would be an interesting history project for a student interested in human rights.
On a more positive note, the sandhill cranes were in full migration during our week in Fairbanks. Hundreds of cranes gathered in Creamery Field.
This was our first experiment with digiscoping, i.e. attaching a DSLR camera to a spotting scope.
It is amazing to consider that we saw the same cranes on the Texas gulf coast last winter. Considering how far they have to fly for the winter, perhaps we shouldn’t complain about the lousy roads!
We spent the weekend 60 miles north of Fairbanks at Chena Hot Springs. I love exploring different hot springs so this northern excursion was a treat for me. Chena Hot Springs is a rustic resort with a small RV park. They don’t take reservations but we had no problem finding space.
Unlike many developed hot springs, Chena is not a concrete pool with hot water. The Chena springs flow into an outdoor rock pool. The bottom of the rock pool is fine gravel.
The water temperature coming out of the springs is so hot that they have to pump in cold water to make it safe.
The fountain water is warm but the water coming from some of the side walls is very hot.
It was a real treat is to stand with the hot water flowing from the pipe above onto your shoulders. I spent 4-5 hours enjoying the hot springs. Chena is definitely on my “will return” list.
Chena is open all year. It would be interesting to experience the hot water when the outside temperature is 40 below zero in January! However, I’m not so sure about the run from the locker room to the pool.
After Chena we headed for North Pole, AK for a visit with its most famous resident.
The reindeer live in a large pen next to Santa’s house.
We stayed in the SantaLand Rv Park and had several opportunities to visit Santa’s busy workshop. Santa offered to write letters to some of our favorite people.
From the North Pole we headed south to Delta Junction, the real end of the Alaska Highway.
Delta Junction is proud of the record extreme cold temperatures.
I don’t think I’d like to be here in the winter!
River’s Edge RV Park, Chena Hot Springs, and Santaland RV Park
We spent about a week in the Fairbanks area. We always view Fairbanks as our last change to resupply and regroup before the drive south.
One of my favorite activities is a day spent at the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They have excellent displays and oral histories of the native people of Alaska. Most interesting is an oral history and video on the internment of the Aleut people from the Aleutian Islands during WWII. The Aleuts were removed from their home islands and their villages destroyed “for their own protection”. For several years they were interred in inhabitable camps in southeastern Alaska. A study of the effect of the internment on the Aleuts would be an interesting history project for a student interested in human rights.
On a more positive note, the sandhill cranes were in full migration during our week in Fairbanks. Hundreds of cranes gathered in Creamery Field.
This was our first experiment with digiscoping, i.e. attaching a DSLR camera to a spotting scope.
It is amazing to consider that we saw the same cranes on the Texas gulf coast last winter. Considering how far they have to fly for the winter, perhaps we shouldn’t complain about the lousy roads!
We spent the weekend 60 miles north of Fairbanks at Chena Hot Springs. I love exploring different hot springs so this northern excursion was a treat for me. Chena Hot Springs is a rustic resort with a small RV park. They don’t take reservations but we had no problem finding space.
Unlike many developed hot springs, Chena is not a concrete pool with hot water. The Chena springs flow into an outdoor rock pool. The bottom of the rock pool is fine gravel.
The water temperature coming out of the springs is so hot that they have to pump in cold water to make it safe.
The fountain water is warm but the water coming from some of the side walls is very hot.
It was a real treat is to stand with the hot water flowing from the pipe above onto your shoulders. I spent 4-5 hours enjoying the hot springs. Chena is definitely on my “will return” list.
Chena is open all year. It would be interesting to experience the hot water when the outside temperature is 40 below zero in January! However, I’m not so sure about the run from the locker room to the pool.
After Chena we headed for North Pole, AK for a visit with its most famous resident.
The reindeer live in a large pen next to Santa’s house.
We stayed in the SantaLand Rv Park and had several opportunities to visit Santa’s busy workshop. Santa offered to write letters to some of our favorite people.
From the North Pole we headed south to Delta Junction, the real end of the Alaska Highway.
Delta Junction is proud of the record extreme cold temperatures.
I don’t think I’d like to be here in the winter!
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