antelope – A Tangled Mind In Motion

Mighty L'il Klipspringer Is King Of His Rock — Mighty L’il Klipspringer Is King Of His Rock

SAFARI – DEEP IN THE SERENGETI
A long driving day, a full 8 and then some, and as we finally drove up towards the large outcropping of rocks where our lodge awaited, the sun was setting low on the horizon, shining a light on this noble little guy, a klipspringer, who couldn’t have been more than 22-24″ tall at most, standing on his rock gazing over his domain, unmoved by the noise and the dust thrown up by our jeep. Let’s just say he appeared to have no Napoleon complex about his height. The klipspringer is a type of antelope that finds one mate for life, whom Wikipedia describes as having “an agility so extreme on crags and rocks that their most dangerous enemies are eagles and humans”. You go, little klippy, you go!

Out Of The Crater On The Way To The Serengeti - This Guy — Out Of The Crater On The Way To The Serengeti – This Hungry Guy

SAFARI – NGORONGORO CRATER – PART 2

Yeah, I know you can get burned out on too many animal pictures. One of the things I’m mixing up here to try and keep it interesting is closeups–or as I call them “The National Geographic shots”–and some wider views of the plains with the animals dotting the landscape, to give you perspective on what we saw, and reassure you this is not some open air zoo, but their homes. There is an unmistakeable vibe of peacefulness and contentment with the animals here, and though the law of the wild/circle of life still applies, the tranquility of the crater and these magnificent beasts is unmistakeable. That’s part of what makes a trip to Africa a spiritual journey of sorts. Which says a lot, since in my regular life, I’m an earthbound, pragmatic fellow in general. Moreover, if the zoos back home were hard to visit before the trip, we all agreed wed have a very tough time seeing these guys in small enclosures ever again. their spirits soared on these wide open plains, and ours with them.