As we walked down the pathway from our bungalow towards the pool we heard loud growling and movement. We stopped in our tracks and listened…it had to either be a lion or elephant and it was really close…we started slowly backing up which is what the ranger told us to do if in the presence of a lion. The growling and grunting continued and we could also hear water, then we saw the little clip-spring deer standing in the middle of the walkway staring in the same direction in which the noise was coming from.
Then we thought…if it were a lion, these little miniature deer would be running not staring in the direction of the noise, so we started walking towards the pool again slowly. We walked up to the pool and sure enough there was an elephant drinking water straight out of the pool!! How cool is that?? We of course started video taping immediately. There was a line of about 5 of them…they were taking turns getting a drink of water. There were a couple of baby elephants learning how to stick their trunks over the pool wall for a refreshing drink. We of course got pictures and were so amazed these elephants were just walking through the woods up the hill and over to our pool to quench their thirst. We asked about the chlorine in the water and were told their stomachs are so strong…it is no problem for them. Who knew…you could just lay out at the pool and share the water with elephants, now this you really don’t see everyday!
After the elephants, we saw about 50 or so baboons, some with babies on their backs running through the lodge property over by the “observation deck”. They would stop and look at us, walking down to the little pond and then run away…it was cute how they all stuck together in one group.
After our pool time, we got cleaned up…ate some snacks at the “tea time” buffet and then jumped in the jeep for our afternoon drive. This is our last evening safari drive! We have one more in the morning and then will be on our way to Argentina…first stopping in Amsterdam.
As we climbed into the car…we realized it was extremely hot this evening. We first drove over to where the pride of 8 young lions were, last time we saw them they were under the moonlight waiting to be fed. This time, they were all still in the same area sleeping and playing around with each other, but still waiting for their moms to get back with a meal.
Before driving over to the big lake to see if any animals were there…we saw another kudu which had such beautiful horns and a black rhino. When we pulled up to the lake area, we saw that same lioness that was just there the other day…this time, she was very close to the jeep. We turned the car off and just watched her. The Ranger explained that she was probably hanging around and spraying her scent to let a dominant male lion know she was ready to reproduce. She was staring right at us but was completely relaxed, the area she picked to find her lover was a perfect one. The mountains…the lake…the bush…the sun-setting…she was setting up her romantic evening, now she only needed the male!
The sunset was absolutely gorgeous with orange and pink hues in the sky. We pulled over to have our evening drink and take in the scenery. We saw the cute spotted hyena again laying in the grass and then took the jeep off the road and into the bush to see if the other lioness with her two cubs were still near the kudu they had killed a couple of days ago. We pulled up and sure enough, the lioness, her two cubs and the young male were all near the kudu although they had moved it a bit out-of-the-way in between a couple of trees. The hyena’s had probably challenged her to the meal and she moved it. The cubs were so cute playing around with each other between picking on the carcass.
We got some more pictures of our favorite lions and then drove back to the lodge. We stopped in the dark and saw a spotted eagle and then managed to get a picture of an owl perched on a tree branch…probably hunting for food. We enjoyed our last dinner in South Africa and then went back to our room to get a good night’s sleep.
I grew up in Ohio as a kid, so of course I went to college at “THE” Ohio State University. I graduated in 2001 with a major in business finance. A month after graduation, I moved out to California with my college girlfriend (whom I married in 2005)…and started my career in sales (industrial sales for 5 years…then moved into medical laser sales for 4 years).
In 2009 I was 31 years old. I had a great job, a new house, and a beautiful wife. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better…my wife and I found out we were going to have a baby. Everything was going according to plan…and I couldn’t have scripted a better life for myself.
Then in the same year…everything changed. My wife, Brandey, called me when I was on my way to work and told me over the phone, something I never thought could be possible in a million years. My beautiful 30-year old pregnant wife was just told that she had breast cancer. At that moment, everything stopped all at once. I immediately went to her…and learned of our new plan…which began with her needing surgery immediately…and the rest we would find out later.
The day we returned from the hospital after Brandey’s surgery…my father died. He had been battling an aggressive cancer of his own…and although he was the one person I wanted to speak with about Brandey having cancer…I never told him. My sister, Brooke, had just gotten married a few months ago, and although he was weak, he was able to walk his little girl down the aisle of her wedding. On the night before my sister’s wedding, Brandey and I told him that we were pregnant and about to make him a grandfather. It made no sense to tell him that everything had changed for us…so he died in peace knowing everything was “the way it should be” for his only 2 children.
2010 was the worst year of my life. We had lost our baby…and for 12 months I watched my wife fight cancer with multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and drug therapy. It was a difficult year for us…but we made it. When you go through something like this in life, you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you. I was amazed at the strength and courage of my wife…and how many good people there are in this world. I will be forever grateful for the ones who never ceased to amaze me with their kindness during this hard time. Family, friends, and sometimes complete strangers…helped us make it through this. I am, and will always be especially grateful to my mother, who was with my dad at the very end, when I couldn’t be there, and when things were at their worst. She has been so supportive throughout all of this, and without her everything would have been so much harder for me.
It’s 2011 now…and the plan we have for our life this year…is to make it the best year of our lives. Brandey is officially in remission from breast cancer and she has a 95% chance the cancer will never come back. Besides the love that I have for my wife and family, the loves of my life are food, wine, and adventure travel. My wife and I love traveling to new places, seeing natural wonders, and meeting new people from different parts of the world. So for the next 400 days…we’ve decided to travel the world…and celebrate our lives. There are so many things I took for granted in life that I will never take for granted again. My father worked for over 30 years at the same job with the same company…rarely took time off…and died at 64 years old right after his retirement. For me, this trip is a combination of a tribute to him, along with wanting to spend the time of my life with the “love of my life.”
* The only thing I will miss while we are gone is our family and friends (who we hope will meet us somewhere throughout our trip) and especially our 3 little kitties we left with my mom in Ohio to catsit for the next 400 days. I will also miss watching “American Football” over the weekend…but I’ll do my best to check the scores in the middle of the night.
GIFF
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One Reply to “Day 361 of 400: Impodimo Safari Lodge, afternoon game drive (5 of 6) – Madikwe, South Africa”
I’m baaaackkkk…great shots and video in this post. So want to go to Africa now, guess that will have to wait a few years.
Spinning Around The World 
I’m baaaackkkk…great shots and video in this post. So want to go to Africa now, guess that will have to wait a few years.