September 2019
The extended cab Toyota Land Cruisers (safari edition) are superbly suited for their purpose. They need to be sturdily built to survive the rough treatment they endure on a daily basis traversing rugged African terrain. Large window openings feature a bar to support bean bags which in turn support our long telephoto lenses. Roof hatches open to the sky allowing us to stand and shoot from above. Metal grab bars welded the length of the roofline enable us to hang on for dear life as we race to the next sighting. Seat belts are hit and miss – either non-existent or the ones provided don’t hold tension.
Despite the photographer-friendly features, extensive contortions are still needed to maneuver humans and cameras into shooting position. The driver jockeys for a vantage point and then kills the engine – a signal for us to leap up, or crouch down, and start focusing. If we hear the key turn and the ignition fire up, we know it’s time to grab our cameras, sit down quickly, and hang on because we’re off again. This is a trip I should have taken ten, or maybe twenty, years ago!
Tough as they are, our own Land Cruiser still managed to break a spring and a shock in the middle of one morning’s expedition. We were off-loaded into the other two vehicles while our driver, Alex (nicknamed Mario Andretti by our group), stayed behind. Astonishingly, the next morning it was back in service. Imagine the logistics of a broken down vehicle in the midst of a vast expanse of wilderness – retrieved, towed, and repaired good as new in less than a day’s time!
One of the first things our workshop leaders told us was that rain would be in our favor. Keep in mind the gaping open windows and roof hatches of the Land Cruisers. The rains we saw in the Mara were much like our summer monsoon storms in Arizona. Dramatic cumulus clouds build up through the afternoon above mountains stretched along the horizon. Shafts of light angle down to the grasslands. Curtains of rain appear as gray swaths in the distance. Lightning flashes. Rainbows glint. The flatlands puddle with unabsorbed water and the rutted red dirt roads turn slimy.
And it pours down on us in our vehicles. We have raingear for both ourselves and our fragile electronics. The car seats are soaked. We cover everything with the universally useful Masai shuka blankets. Our driver zips closed the clear plastic window coverings on one side of the vehicle and battens down the roof hatches, but windows on the other side are left unprotected because we’re not quitting. The driver positions the Land Cruiser so that the open windows are downwind, down rain, and we continue to shoot.
The wildlife hunker down for the duration. The gazelle and zebra turn their butts to the driving rain, flatten their ears, and wait out the storm with resigned expressions. The lions seek shelter beneath a scrubby bush or tree and and look patiently miserable. 
What comes after the rain is our reward. The landscape is rinsed clean of dust. The light is soft and free of glaring midday shadows. The animals are refreshed by the cooler temps.
In particular, the big cats come to life. The lion cubs start to play and the lionesses scan the grasslands for prey. The males shake out their waterlogged manes, creating a great photo op if your reflexes are quick enough. The cheetahs need to hunt. They have a high metabolic rate and the cold and rain burn through their resources. They need food to keep their energy levels up. We find and track a lone cheetah as he prowls through the weather in search of prey. The skies are grey and the light is fading as dusk approaches. We are hoping for a hunt, a chase, but also for ‘the shake’. Meanwhile, we dial down the shutter speeds and dial up the ISO levels, trying to counteract the loss of light.
You take me right back to my wonderful safari experiences. Oh, the stories. Fantastic images. I hope you are enjoying ‘sundowners.’
So glad you are reliving your adventure through my photo stories! Sadly no sundowners for us – we left before dawn and usually returned after dark. Managed to squeeze in a glass of wine for dinner, but that was the extent of our cocktail hour!
Love going with you on your journey. Pictures are fantastic as always
Going through my files, it’s as if I’m repeating the journey all over again!
You are truly a wonderful story teller! It lures me in as if I am right there .. what a delight. I have now added “Africa” to my bucket list …. until then I shall travel there through your words and photographs . ❤️
Africa was never high on my bucket list. So many places to see in too short a time. But this trip fell together and I am so glad I was able to experience it! As I said – 10 or 20 years ago might have been better timing;-)
Carol, I am so fortunate to be able to see and hear about the African adventure through your eyes. Thank you!
Suzanne, thanks so much for following along. It makes me happy when I know my efforts fall on receptive ears and eyes!
Hi Tania – Hopefully by the time I’m done blogging the book will be written!
Carol I truly hope you will consider making your blog into a book when you have finished telling your African tale!
Your images and words describe the “happenings” on a safari so well. I am enjoying your posts and blog very much.
So glad you are enjoying them! Have you been on a safari?
Sounds like an exhilarating trip, all those years of foul weather gear, roll tacks and battening down the hatches are being put to good use!
Those Land Cruisers gave us a rougher ride than AVATAR ever subjected us to!
Love hearing the details of this wonderful adventure…..but of course, love the pictures the most! You girls must have had a most delightful time!!
It’s great to be home finding the treasures hidden in the photo files. So many more to go! Thanks for following.
I have been waiting for you to once again share your adventures in this world.
Thank you! As always, you do not disappoint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know, too long a hiatus. Back to work…
Carol, These are amazing! The way you captured the motion in the rain is perfect. And, I love the cheetah shaking the water. Well done!
Such an ongoing battle between shutter speed and high ISO. Keeps me hopping;-)
The rain adds a wonderful dimension to the photos and something most people might grumble about happening on their safari. Way to go!
The pictures of all that dripping wet wildlife are so fun to see later (under my own roof, high and dry!)
Love following your pictures and stories!!
Thanks Susie! So much more fun when I can share and know someone is enjoying the stories and pictures!
Haha Denise – so much pressure! I’m thinking baby animals next week.
A gripping story, can’t wait to hear more😍