Dawn's Visit

Pilanesburg National Park
We were delighted to have Sherry's sister Dawn from Richmond come for a visit in September. She began her trip in Cape Town with a mix of sightseeing and working on her photography skills.  Then she took the Premier Train up here to Johannesburg.  Despite about a 5 hour delay in her arrival, she enjoyed the adventure.  During her stay, we were able to take a day off from work and coupled it with a holiday and took her to Pilanesberg for two days where we got to see lots of magnificent animals up close and in their natural habitat.  Five minutes after we entered the park we saw two elephants tussling in the water on the far side of a small reservoir.  During our drives we saw hippos, giraffes, zebras, springboks, water bucks, impalas, and some rhinos across the water.  In addition, we also saw lots of wildebeests, warthogs, and hartebeests.  It was such fun being together again, exploring the many roads and sharing all the sightings.  Because Dawn gets car sick in the back seat, we put her up front to be the chief navigator!

Two young bull elephants tussling in the water.

One of the many beautiful Burchell's Zebras that we saw.  Many of them were only a few feet away from our car at the side of the road.

Two giraffes lovingly rubbing their necks against each other.  It is a strange fact that the giraffe has the same number of bones in its long neck that we have - seven.  They will usually run when chased by a lion but they can also kill lions with their powerful feet.

Here is a blue wildebeest who was checking us out.  They look kind of fierce, but they are very skittish and are often easily spooked.  But they are not very bright as we have seen them run right back to where the lion is standing and waiting for them.

Sometimes it is harder to see hippos because they spend most of their time in the water.  They really are large incredible creatures and they have very few predators that bother them.

Dawn got to see a lot of Waterbucks.  You can recognize them from the big white circle on their rear end.

Here is a warthog giving one of his friends a ride.  The birds are really fascinating.

One of the many beautifully colorful birds in South Africa.  This is a Glossy Starling.

This is a small Kingfisher who caught his fish and then banged it on the branch till it stopped flopping around so he could swallow it.

This male Southern Masked Weaver will weave an upside down nest with a hole in the bottom to try to attract a female.

Sometimes you see whole groups of animals together like these two rhinos, one warthog, and 30 impalas.

Two weary "spotters" ready for a spot of lunch.

Ukutula Lion Sanctuary
After we left Pilanesberg, we went to Ukutula Lodge (Garmin unfortunately sent us many miles down the wrong dirt road so we got there late and when it was very dark).  Aside from having a Game Lodge they host a conservation center which houses a special research facility and biobank for trying to preserve endangered species such as lions. We learned how most of the lions in the wild now have bovine TB and never live a full life.  Along with their reproductive research programs they have multiple educational programs and internships available.  We spent the night there in one of their  chalets. In the middle of the night when the lions decide to roar, you sit straight up in bed because it sounds like they are right out your window! Another part of the experience that we enjoyed was "walking with the lions" which was incredible. We walked with five lions who were each about 2 years old.  In addition, we also got to interact with cheetahs and lion cubs. Overall it was such a special experience to share with Dawn.  I am sure it is one she will never forget.

Walking with the lions is an amazing experience.

The group of lions we walked with.

Dawn petting Fast and Furious the two full grown Cheetahs.

Dawn petting one of the 6 month old lion cubs.

Dawn walking with the lions.

Monte Casino Bird Sanctuary
We also took Dawn to the Bird Sanctuary where we watched the bird show and then walked the grounds, talking lots of pictures of the birds and other animals there.

One of the larger birds in the show is the Crested Crane.

This is the national bird of South Africa called the Blue Crane.  His nickname is Frazer Crane.

This is the Crested Guinea fowl and you see them throughout South Africa.

This is the slenderer Helmeted Guinea fowl.

This is the Scarlet Ibis.

The Lilac Breasted Roller.  This is the most photographed bird in South Africa.

Two of the dozens of different kinds of ducks.

This Large Hornbill is one of the most unusual looking birds with what looks like a large banana on the top of his beak.

They had other animals like this Veiled Chameleon.

This is a Fire-bellied Toad.

They also have mammals like this mother Ring Tailed Lemur and her babies.

This is the Blue Duiker which is the smallest of the antelope family being about the size of a large cat.at about 8-10 lbs.

We also got to take Dawn to Olives and Plates which is a lovely restaurant on Witswaterand University.  It is a favorite of all missionary couples. They have beautiful presentations of all their dishes and delicious food.  We also took her to one of our favorite shops called Art Africa where she was able to pick up a couple small momentos of her trip to South Africa.  She also got to briefly see the Area Offices where we work each day.  On Sunday, she went to Church with us to the Etwatwa 2nd Branch and got to see Sherry working with all of the little Zulu children.  Even though Dawn was a bit under the weather (our altitude of over 6,000 feet did not agree with her) she was a good trooper.

The presentation of a modest chicken breast meal at Olives and Plates. And this picture does not do it justice.

Dawn and Lynn enjoying the meal at Olives and Plates.


Thanks Dawn for coming over to Africa and letting us share a bit of our life here!