Hwange Bush Camp

The baboon tree.

Zimbabwe, Africa adventure continued. Quick link to video (best viewed landscape).

I'm going to try to make this quick as this trip was back in April and I've fallen way behind in posting this blog and creating the video. Editing the photos and putting the video together takes way longer than I think it will. Besides that, summer in Minnesota is the time to get out and about and I have been trying to do just that.

Back to the adventure and this is now Day 9. We flew in a very small plane from the east side of Hwange National Park to the middle of the Park. It was pouring rain as we landed at Robins' Airstrip. We were met by Sean and Ant (Anthony) who would be our assistant guides (think Marlin Perkins and Jim from Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom- you'll meet Mr. Perkins in a bit) for the stay at Hwange Bush Camp. It was Ant's sixth day on the job at this Camp.

The Camp wild cat, Pavlov, on my lap.

The Camp is a semi-mobile setup in the middle of the Park. We actually never saw anyone else except one day we crisscrossed three times with another safari vehicle from a lodge several miles away. We were also the first guests of the season at the Camp and had it to ourselves with the amazing staff which included Sophie, the Camp manager and also married to Ant. She really made our stay so comfortable. She had gone to college in the United States!

Our accommodations were actual tents - rather luxurious tents - but actual canvas sides and tent poles. Showers were provided by ordering a bucket of hot water! There were flush toilets which I have no idea how that works. 

We each had our own tent which meant some alone time, but it also meant you had to sleep alone in the wilderness with strange noises and lights. You weren't allowed to leave the tent at night by yourself because we were in the wilds with lions and other possible scary animals. But the scariest thing was the frog that took up residence in Marlin's toilet! It took at least two catch-and-release programs to get it to stay away.

The mornings at Hwange Bush Camp were probably the earliest ones on our trip. We were awakened at 5am by a very gentle "good morning" from Samuel and escorted to breakfast by 5:30am with a 6am safari departure time.

Jeff, Dave, Cani, Pam, Sean, Susan, and Marlin
having coffee at the "Africa Tree"

Day 10 - first full day and a very long safari drive searching for lions. We did see a lot of other animals including black stork, great grey heron, roan antelope, hippo, wart hog, kudu, African grey hornbill, crocodile, reed buck, saddle-billed stork, and giraffe.

I don't remember going back to Camp but my notes indicate that we did. We were out again at 4pm to a large man-made watering pan and "meadow." We were constantly confusing and confounding Dave (our Marlin Perkins though much younger), who owns the Camp and another one in Botswana, with our questions and terminology. I think we almost brought him to the breaking point a couple of times.

On the way to the "meadow" we had an incredible encounter with a group of giraffes. (Watch the animal video (link below) to see the giraffes. Dave commented that with all the rains we brought the watering pan was now a true lake and the fullest it had been all season.

We saw lots of impala and zebras and a hippo sleeping on the shore. We did not see any lions. The drive back to camp was in the twilight after a particularly beautiful sunset. We came upon the giraffes again this time silhouetted against the orange sky. It was one of those moments we truly won't forget.

This turned out to be our first full day without rain and were able to see a sky full of stars. Ant pointed out the Southern Cross - remember we are south of the equator.

Day 11 was another early start.  We had a walking safari and were joined by Cani, Dave's personal assistant. Cani was a man of few words but obviously knew what he was doing. We tracked elephants for 3.3 kilometers though we never saw them but saw lots of indications they were close by. Again, think lots of trees and bushes and not a lot of open spaces. Also, you will notice that Dave and Ant carry rifles on our walking safari. This was for our protection with a pride of lions that do live in the area.

In the afternoon we returned to the "meadow" and stopped at the location where the Camp had previously been setup. Dave moved the Camp to its current location because the previous spot was too close to a lodge that was built in the Park. He showed us the remains of an elephant that had died or been killed the previous year. There was some skin and a few toenails still left.

Past the "meadow" we met a large herd of elephants, some with babies. We had to race back to Camp as the safari vehicles are not supposed to be out past 6:45pm.

Lion(ess) sighting.

Day 12 was our last day at Hwange Bush Camp. We were up early and as we were preparing to leave, Sean had a gut feeling that there were lions nearby. Dave sent him out to check and sure enough Sean found 2 lionesses on the move and radioed back to the Camp. Dave shouted for us all to jump in the truck and off we flew in pursuit. We had no idea these trucks could go that fast on the paths through the bush. Dave had really, really wanted us to see lions! We did see two lionesses as they trotted through the bush. It made a dramatic end of our stay.

Jeff, Pam, Marlin, Susan, Sean, and Ant
having coffee while we wait for the incoming plane.

Ant and Sean drove us back to Robins' Airstrip to meet our flight to Victoria Falls. Hwange Bush Camp is truly a magical place. To be setup in the midst of the African bush and feeling you are out there with just your group is so special. We cannot recommend this outfit enough.

Link to Hwange Bush Camp video.

Next stop...Victoria Falls Elephant Camp.

Link to the Africa Animal Video.

Link to the Africa Birds Video.

Link to the Amalinda Lodge blog post.

Link to the Khulu Lodge blog post.

Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp

Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp

Zimbabwe, Africa adventure continued. Quick link to video(best viewed in landscape).

Day 6 we made it to Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp on the edge of Hwange National Park. The lodge and camp are on a concession which allows private companies/persons to lease land from the government to set aside for natural habitat and conservation. The concession and national park are only separated by a railroad - there are no fences - so animals can travel freely.

Khulu means "grandfather" in the local language. The lodge and camp are named for Cedric, Sharon (of Amalinda Collection) 's father. Cedric designed the lodge and camp and everyone calls him "khulu" hence the name. We had the good fortune to meet Cedric and Gay (sgogo = grandmother) while we were at Khulu. Cedric and Gay spend Thursday through Monday at Khulu and the other days at their home on Bulawayo. Cedric charmed us with many stories and jokes.

The amazing feature about Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp is the watering hole, called a pan, and the lodge's swimming pool. Certain pans are maintained by pumping ground water. We were told this is done so that the animals do not have a reason to leave the parks and concessions during the dry season. This reduces animal-human interactions which can end badly. The water pumps are run off electricity generated by solar panels so there is no noise, fumes, or need to run fuel to them. By the way, all the lodges/camps we stayed at are also run by solar-generated electricity with generator backup.

Jeff and Marlin's "tent"

The accommodations at Khulu are referred to as tents. They are canvas sided with thatched roofs that sit on a raised wooden platform. There are both indoor and outdoor showers. 

The elephants did come to the pan (watering hole) in the evening before dinner. They made their way to the lodge swimming pool which made for a fantastic photo op.

After dinner we went on a night safari with our guide Maiso, aka King. King used a powerful flashlight to scan the bush. The goal was to find lions but did not. We did see Spring Hares (lots), Bushy-Tailed Mongoose, White-Tailed Mongoose, Impala (lots), Springbok, and Elephants with babies.

The next day we got up early (before sunrise) to go on a safari ride into Hwange National Park. We tracked lions but did not see any. We did see a lot of animals (click here for link to animal video). We had breakfast at an overlook built in the park.

After lunch we were joined by two couples, one from England and the other from France, for another safari ride. Susan really wanted to see giraffes and King got word from the neighboring camp that there were giraffes near there. We drove in the direction of Ivory Lodge and encountered a herd of elephants. As the elephants were passing by us very close, we spotted 2 then 3 giraffes. King couldn't move the vehicle as the elephants were too nearby.

After the elephants passed in one direction and we were still hoping the giraffes would come out of the bush, the elephants turned around and came back the way they had come from. Now amongst the mostly calm elephants was a bull elephant that was agitated because he really wanted to get some "action" if you know what I mean. There were some very, very tense moments with the big bull. Ask Marlin and Pam how they felt as they were on the side that the bull was on. King gave us stern instructions to not move or make any sounds. After a few false charges, a lot of ear waving, and urinating all around, the bull left us alone....and miraculously two giraffes walked out of the bush and into the clearing. It was a real safari moment.

Sundowner on the savannah

After the excitement with the giraffes and elephants, King drove us to a quieter part of the concession, and we had our sundowner drinks and appetizers - happy hour on the savannah.

We were out late and had an impromptu night safari on the way back. We encountered an eagle owl right in the pathway. It must have missed it's catch and landed right in front of us.

Day 8 - it rained again overnight (no surprise anymore). Marlin, Susan, and I took a walking safari with Bryn. Bryn is the father of Shaun who had made our trip accommodations with Pam. Bryn showed us some of the smaller things that you don't necessarily see when being driven around. We investigated Spring Hare burrows, Dung Beetles (all the guides like to pick up dung), and Elephant tracks and eating habits.

That afternoon Marlin and I took a break from safari drives. Susan and Pam went out but didn't see anything.

Dinner plate

That evening was a barbecue which, of course, was delicious. We said our goodbyes to the French and English couples. We said hello again to the couple from Maine/Florida as they had come from Amalinda where we met them first. We also said hello to a gentleman who spends a great deal of time in Africa on his own with his own safari vehicle. He was taking a break from being out on his own.

The next morning, Day 9, Marlin, the visiting safari guy, and I went out on a safari ride with King. King really, really wanted us to see lions but, alas, we did not find any. We encountered a large herd of Cape Buffalo and ended up kind of following them around and back to the lodge's pan. We also got to see Vervent Monkey, Black-Backed Jackal, Kudu (several including a large male), Ground Hornbill, and several Lilac-Breasted Roller.

Late that morning (or was it after lunch?), we flew by charter plane -- 4-seater plus the pilot Tayne -- from Hwange International Airport (it is a paved runway at least) to Robins Airstrip (grass/dirt runway) on the other side of Hwange National Park. I sat in the co-pilot seat. Susan got the way-back which was basically the tail! When we landed it started to pour down rain!

Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp video (best viewed in landscape).

Next stop Hwange Bush Camp.

Link to Amalinda Lodge and Matobo Hills post.

Link to Africa Animal post.

Africa Adventure - Amalinda Lodge and Matobo National Park

There is so much of the adventure to Zimbabwe, Africa to recount. This blog post covers some of the adventure at our first location, Amalinda Lodge and the Matobo National Park. Quick link to video.

The adventure started Monday, April 1 for Marlin and Tuesday, April 2 for Pam, Susan, and me. We met up in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 3. And on April 4 we flew together to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Other than my pocketknife being confiscated (my mistake) and me forgetting deodorant, the travel went smoothly. There was some confusion about luggage going all the way to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe or whether it could be intercepted in Johannesburg.

We landed at Bulawayo International Airport on Thursday, April 4 and were met by Phil, the co-owner of Amalinda Lodge. Phil took us to the Amalinda offices in Bulawayo. We got to meet the staff including Shaun who was such a great help setting up our entire tour and was so willing and able to answer all our questions before the trip.

I have to mention the weather early on. Southern Africa is in the midst of a very dangerous drought. April is the end of the rainy season however the area did not receive nearly enough rain during the season. The lack of rain was universally attributed to the El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. The good news for Southern Africa was that we brought an incredible amount of rain. It poured while we were in Johannesburg and rained a little or a lot every day until we were in Victoria Falls at the end of our trip. We certainly could not complain and while it was mentioned that the rainy, damp weather impacted the animals being out and about, we were still able to find nearly every animal that was expected.

View of pool and pool house

From the Amalinda Collection offices, we soon arrived at the lodge which is outside of Matobo National Park. Driving on the left side in Zimbabwe takes a bit of getting used to. We were able to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. The lodge has an amazing (you are going to see that word a lot) pool that is actually a giant rock depression filled with water. But every time I got in the pool, there would be a crack of thunder and some lightening followed by some much needed rain.

Mother and Child formation

We met Edward who would be our guide during our stay at Amalinda. After dinner and a long day, we were in bed by 9pm.

You are constantly reminded of the striking geology of the Matobo Hills. Formed by volcanoes a long time ago, erosion has left stunning and unbelievable rock formations that seem to defy gravity.

Our first photo safari ride was to the Northern Wilderness Area of Matobo National Park in search of white rhinoceros. We stopped at the Park Headquarters to pick up Shelton, a park ranger to assist. Shelton carried a rifle as protection against poachers.

After a lot of driving and tracking, Shelton trekked us through the bush and tall grass to two rhinos. We had lost Edward at this point. Shelton's ability to guide us and track the rhinos at the same time was much appreciated. We were just 30 feet from two white rhinos!

Nsvatuke Cave Paintings

Back to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before driving to another part of the park and the Nsvatuke cave paintings. This was a long and rough ride but really fun. There are caves all over the Matobos Hills and many of them have paintings and significant cultural uses and meanings. We drove back in the dark while avoiding many of the cattle that are allowed to graze in the parks and along the roads.

On the second day (Saturday, April 6) of photo safaring, Edward took us to the Whovi Game Park section of the Park. Our goal was to see black rhinoceroses but we were not successful. We did see a very large male white rhino and lots of other animals including our first hippopotamus.

From the game park we stopped at Ethandweni Children's Home. Pam has volunteered at this orphanage and wanted to re-connect with Lucien who runs it. She also got to meet two of the children she had met when they were very little.

After lunch Pam and I were relaxing at the spectacular pool when Edward brought the lodge zonkey and zebras by. Pam and I got stranded at the pool when a very heavy rainstorm came (oops, I got in the pool again!).

Bundled up against the wind and rain

The storm finally passed but the weather was very threatening. We were convinced to go out on our next adventure to Cecil Jones Rhodes grave site. Well, we didn't make it halfway when the next wave of a very severe storm came up. We turned around but stopped at Fort Inungu (a roadside plaque) so that Edward could give us the history of Rhodes and the indigenous people of Zimbabwe. Just as he was wrapping up the history, the storm descended on us. Poor Edward got completely soaking wet driving us home.

The heavy rains were the most the lodge had measured since December!

We were always treated to incredible meals at Amalinda. Travel opens your eyes to the rest of the world. We shared the dinner table with people from Germany, Denmark, Zimbabwe, and America. We had dinner with Sharon and Phil, the owners of The Amalinda Collection and founders of Mother Africa Trust. A portion of every safari reservation fee goes to support the projects of Mother Africa Trust.

Following dinner, we played a round of Five Crowns card game (Marlin won) under the gaze of a white frog. Be sure to ask Pam and Susan about the white frog in their room.

There are so many more little stories and encounters but don't want to make this blog too long. Ask about the resurrection plant 😊or all the cattle or the burned-out car that served as a mile marker.

The next day (Sunday, April 7) we were driven from Amalinda Lodge to Khulu Tent Camp and Lodge on the east side of Hwange National Park. The drive itself was quite an adventure. Be sure to watch the video to the end to see the "truck incident."

Video of the Amalinda leg (no music but some occasional audio commentary) - click here. The animal blog/video is available here.

Next stop Khulu Lodge and Tent Camp.

Africa Adventure - Birds

Now it is the birds' turn. I was going to include the birds in the first blog/video post but realized I had taken photos of quite a few birds.

I am not a birder checking of a list world birds, but I did find it interesting and got a reputation of being the "bird guy." These photos would not be possible without the camera from Jenny B -- "thank you!"

The birds seemed to like when it was cool and wet in the mornings, and we had a few of those kinds of days.

Our guides were so good at pointing at the different birds and their characteristics.

You will notice that I was completely enthralled with one particular bird - the Lilac-Breasted Roller. It is incredibly pretty, very wide-spread and photogenic. I was not able to capture it in flight which is too bad because the wings are fantastically blue. We did catch a pair displaying which is how they get their names. The roll in flight! Here is a photo with the wings open.

Some of the bird names I remembered, some I got help with, some I looked up with a reverse image search, and some I couldn't figure out.

As usual, the video is best viewed in landscape. Click here for Africa - Birds video.

And a link to the Africa - Animal post and video.

Africa Adventure - Animals

Acacia Tree, Hwange National Park

Wanted to get out a video quickly about my recent adventure to Africa. Traveled to Zimbabwe with 3 friends for 2 weeks. We stayed at 4 different lodge/camp sites which were located in Matopo National Park, Hwange National Park, and Zambezi National Park. The video covers the animals we saw. There will be additional videos and blog posts on each of the lodges/camps and more of the adventure of it all. 

I am grateful to my friend Jenny for loaning me her Canon camera. The photos and videos you will see are primarily taken with her Canon PowerShot with 50X optical zoom. And full disclosure, the photos have been "cleaned up" using Microsoft photo editing software.

Click here for the video which is designed to be watched in landscape. The video is 6 minutes long.

Stay tuned for future blog posts and videos of this bucket list trip.

A link to the Africa - Birds post and video.

Home Improvement - Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen Project 2024 - Get the Cabinets Painted

I originally considered having the cabinets refaced. I contacted two different companies but one wouldn't work in downtown Minneapolis and the other company never got back to me!

My kitchen cabinets aren't really top quality and will probably need to be replaced at some point but in the meanwhile, I decided to have them painted. I saw blue cabinets on HGTV's "Love It or List It" and I really like blue so decided that would be the color. I also like the idea of having lighter top cabinets. I was inspired by the pillowcases on my bed!

I completely underestimated the impact this project would have on my and Maggie's lives. I hired an excellent painter, but this project required that I remove everything from the cabinets, select and purchase paint, and not use my kitchen for an extended period of time. I lost access to the refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, sink, etc.

The painter and his one-man crew did an excellent job masking off everything. It was a crazy combination of paper, plastic, and painter's tape. Since the kitchen is part of one big room, it was not a straightforward job.

We also had problems with the grey paint. I won't bore you with the details, but it took 3 tries to get enough of the right paint. And picking cabinet hardware! Oh, my. After scrolling through pages on Amazon and visiting multiple stores, I ended up choosing something very similar to what was on the cabinets in the first place! Ha!

I am very happy and pleased with the final project. Here is the link to my video (of course, there is a video)

PS - this project kind of celebrates my 3rd anniversary living downtown. I closed on the condo 3 years ago March 26th.

A Short Trip Up North

Click on the image to view the video

FYI the video is best viewed in landscape mode.

Apparently, I can't spend more than a month or so at home without needing to go somewhere. I decided a short trip up the North Shore of Lake Superior would be a good option. And why not go to Thunder Bay, Canada, so I could 1) visit a new place and 2) say I left the country.

My friend Bud agreed to join me and Maggie (my cat). Maggie was way overdue for a road trip and to try out our new cat-carrying backpack.

We left Minneapolis Wednesday morning. Stopped in Duluth at the Duluth Grill for brunch. If you have not eaten here, you should. The food is crazy good. Headed up Highway 61 to Lutsen to stay at Solbakken Resorts which was the only pet-friendly resort I could find in the area. We made really good time and got to the resort before check-in time. We went on up to Grand Marais and stopped at Voyageur Brewery for a beer.

Back at Solbakken where Maggie got comfortable and we relaxed...honestly, I think all three of us fell asleep. Woke up in time to see a beautiful sunset. Solbakken is right on the Lake so we walked down to the water to see all the colors.

There is virtually no snow anywhere! And it wasn't super cold. There was also NO ice on Lake Superior. It has been a very strange winter. After napping and sunsetting, we went up Lutsen Mountain to have dinner at Moguls restaurant.

Thursday Maggie got back in the car and we started our trip to Canada stopping in Grand Marais at Java Moose for coffee. I follow the owner of Jave Moose on Instagram. She wasn't there but the coffee shop is right on the bay and such a lovely, friendly place. I had never been past Grand Portage and Thunder Bay is only about an hour away so getting to Canada is a piece of cake. There is an incredible overlook at the top of Mount Josephine that gives a full 180 view of Lake Superior.

The border between the US and Canada is the Pigeon River. The Grand Portage State Park is also there as is the tallest waterfall in Minnesota! The Grand Portage Ojibwe people along with the MN Department of Resources have created an accessible trail to view the falls. It is a super easy 1 mile there and back. With little to no snow there were just a few places where the boardwalk was icy. The views of the falls are spectacular.

From the State Park it is just a few hundred yards to the border crossing. I assured the Canadian border agent that Maggie would not be let free in Canada and we were allowed to pass. One odd geographic thing once in Canada was how flat the Canadian side is. After a short way into Canada, you are in the Slate River valley and lots of farmland. Northern Minnesota is not like this as it is hilly and tree covered.

Maggie in the backpack

Okay, Thunder Bay...I had been warned that there wasn't much to Thunder Bay and Bud and I have to agree. It is an amalgamation of two "towns" Port Arthur and Fort William. There are a lot of train tracks and apparently a port. The city doesn't really take in the "Bay" that it is on. We asked about an "old town" or touristy area and were told there isn't really any. We ate lunch at an okay place and walked around Port Arthur Park (Maggie got to get her first backpack adventure) but headed back to the US in short order. If you do plan a trip to Thunder Bay, be aware that it is in the Eastern time zone!

Back in Minnesota, we drove through a small grove of old growth trees on the Arrowhead Trail. This is something I had seen on one of my Boundary Waters trips. To be honest it isn't that impressive, but it is nice to know it is still there.

Back at Solbakken, we rested before having a very nice dinner at Cascade Lodge Restaurant. Friday we headed home first stopping at Coho Cafe in Tofte for breakfast.

Click here for link to the trip video.