Bushcamp!

During Andrew and Kelly's visit, one of the most fun things we did was a bush camp at Elephant Sands Lodge.   During our previouis visit, Ben, the owner had highly recommended a bush camp, and he was right!

Franklin and Ben had the vehicle loaded when we got there.  After quickly gathering our overnight stuff, we piled in the truck and off we were.  We headed towards the public land bordering Zimbabwe, and hadn't gone two km, when we saw a herd of Kudu on the side of the road.  It turns out, that's right where we were headed, because soon we saw them again.

After a long but interesting drive, we located our camp between two waterholes.  It was a nice spot, and though you could tell others had camped there, you had to look carefully.  The great thing about the bush here is there is very little garbage here, unlike more urban locations.  There was a large herd of impala awaiting us at our camp site.

As the two guides set up camp, we spied some giraffes headed our way.  After a short walk around the waterhole, enjoying the sight of the elephant tracks.  Shortly we were enjoying the view of elephants headed towards the two water holes.

After a truly delicious steak dinner cooked over the coals of the fire, we heard the noise of elephants.drinking and splashing as they watered.  The gently splashing was interrupted from time to time by the buck impala snorting his unhappiness with our intrusion.  The snorting was reminiscent of a whitetail in rut, but was a bit louder and more pig-like.  The pleasing sound of the elephants and impala would continue through the night according to our collected reports the next morning.

It was amazing to me how pleasant was this outing.  I camped a great deal as a youngster and Boy Scout.  We also camped with our kids when they were young.  There is just something special about being close to G^d's creation, in the security of fellowship.

No sophistication, no luxury (except for dinner), no entertainment except for the fire and the sounds of the wildlife. We make things complex.  It is nice to remember and experience the simple pleasures again.

Thank you L^rd for your simple, yet expensive, grace and mercy.