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Elerai Camp June 12 – 14 From Samburu, we headed to the south east corner of Kenya to Amboseli National Park on the border of Tanzania. The flight from the Kalama Airstrip in Samburu took us back to Wilson Areodrome in Nairobi. This time we had to switch airlines. Since every airline at Wilson has its own terminal and hangers which are scattered along the runway; we weren’t quite sure how interesting the logistics would be. Like with everything organized by Audley Travel, it

Elephant Bedroom Camp June 10 - 12 Samburu one of the regions I visited in 2001 and its red sand desert and rugged terrain are very similar to central Australia. On the morning of June 10th, we headed out on our last game drive in Ol’ Pejeta with our bags loaded in the Land Cruiser. After another fabulous breakfast picnic, our driver Abdi drove us across the 90,000-acre Conservancy to the North gates and after a stop at the equator, handed us off to our next guide. Since his

June 8-10 We had an hour-long drive to the airport for a 50-minute flight from Wilson Areodrome to the Kamok airstrip for our first safari stop in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Safaris traditionally took place in national parks, but in the past 30 years, conservancies have played an ever increasing role in wildlife management and allowed more communities to capitalize on the tourism generated by well managed wildlife. What is a conservancy? (The following information was sourced

African Safari – Check Anyone who knows me can attest that I’m not afraid to dream big. I’ve set some lofty goals for myself; many of which I’ve achieved. Part of those goals includes a “Bucket List”. My bucket list included an African safari, and I ticked that off 25 years ago. In the past quarter century, I gained a husband that loves adventure as much as I do, and kid who loves to travel. My first safari left such a momentous impression on me, I wanted to share it with my

Since the beginning of time, dwellings in this part of the world were built to keep people warm. Not much has changed in the recent century and like in many parts of the world, structures here are built out of local materials. In our little corner of North Yorkshire, both limestone and sandstone are abundant, making them the most common building materials for all structures. Our house is three stories tall and made out of large stone blocks. Our exterior walls are solid ston

I’ve been finding weird series of small holes in my flower beds. I knew it wasn’t cats. I wondered about rabbits or hares. Hedge hogs are plentiful here, but I wasn’t sure if they’d come out of hibernation yet. Dennis and I set up the trail camera to try to catch a sighting of the culprit. It appears that we forgot to delete the previous footage on the camera and it didn’t capture any new images. While kneeling down to get the camera, I noticed this spiny little dude sleeping

This is why good hair days are few and far between during the winter here in the Yorkshire Dales. These charts only reflect the last 30 days bu they closely resemble those of the last 5 months. There were only 3 days without measurable rain. Yes, it is MUDDY at my house.

Living in a place that is dark, wet and deary in the winter necessitates a winter escape to the sun. We’ve tried a few places in Europe, but our favorite so far has been the Canary Island of Lanzorate. The four-hour flight straight south keeps us in the same time zone, and just 80 miles off the north coast of Africa. Ocean currents keep the climate mild year round; temperatures range from low to mid 60’s to low 80’s. Being located north and slightly east of the island of Fue

Years ago, we discovered an alternative to vacationing in hotels. Across the world, we stay in apartments, cabins and houses rented through companies like Airbnb or VBRO. The concept might not be for everyone, but the extra space and interesting locations are a good fit for us. This lodging option is available in major cities, but we generally prefer places off the beaten path and that’s where vacation/holiday rentals excel. While we were living in Colorado, friends came to

My non-UK friends sometimes ask about the best time of the year to visit here. My answer is always the same: April through mid-September, unless you like to be wet and cold. I’m not being a smarty pants (I see how some might suspect that of me…). The weather in autumn and winter in North Yorkshire is utter shite. Every single day, the odds are against the sun breaking through the cloud cover. It’s not terribly cold but Minnesota standards but 40 degrees F, with rain and

Such a simple question, but it has the power to dramatically impact a person. My son and I were returning home from spending a month in...

Recently our family went on a trip exploring the channel coast in the United Kingdom. Besides a number of the classic sites (e.g....

I’ve been lax in posting lately. We’ve been on two big adventures in the last three months, and the weeks have sped by without me sitting...

Every Monday and Wednesday night, the ponies watch Dennis leave with a giant stinky black bag and two giant sticks. This week they...

When my nieces and nephews were kids, they referred to me as Cool Aunt Paula. They are all grown up now and have kids of their own. I...

It only seems right that the upon their arrival to North Yorkshire the ponies should be introduced to their horse neighbors. The size...

Today Dennis and I went out for a drive and we took the pretty ponies along. We hiked to the top of the Coldstone Cut and showed the...

People all across England and Scotland had pancakes tonight for dinner and so did we. Why, you ask? Because it’s Shove Tuesday. Yeah, I...

Saying the past week has been hard is a monumental understatement. I traveled over 4000 miles to lay my father to rest. As I wait in the...

In the past few weeks, I've had to dig deep. My father left this world and I found solace in expressing my feeling with words. I'm proud...