erin.

To start where I left off…Here’s some more about last month’s vacationing!

The day after climbing Mount Longonot, we went to nearby Hell’s Gate National Park, where visitors are permitted to walk or bike through the park (instead of needing the usual safari vehicle). The park is home to many animals- including some predators! We pedaled our way through the stunning landscape of red rock cliffs and open grasslands, dotted with zebras, baboons, buffaloes, ostriches, hartebeasts, and warthogs.

At the far end of the park, we took a break from biking in order to hike through an impressive gorge with sculpture-like walls. Along the way, we found hot springs and scattered chunks of glassy black obsidian.

The highlight came when, after setting out again on our bikes, we encountered a beautiful family of giraffes.

We made a “predator plan” after passing several animal carcasses and seeing a suspiciously cat-like set of footprints in one isolated corner of the park.  However, we never met any cheetahs or leopards.  Instead, we amused ourselves with the fascinating habits of dung bettles: (video to come, once I get a decent connection!)

(in a village on the Kenyan coast)