We are up and raring to go!  All day at Kruger, we are so excited.  We all meet at the outdoor reception area, grab our breakfast bags (more food…constant food!) and go right outside to board our Safari vehicles (after the drama of Hoa saying she won’t ride with Pat, which kept poor Charl up all night worrying) – today we are riding with Pat, Walt, Bob and Diane – and it’s a wild ride, let me tell you.

But first, the pre-dawn scenery….

We are literally around the corner from the gate to the park, so we arrive before they are even open. The driver/guides go and log us all in while we hang out, all bundled up, in the safari vehicle (always listen to Charl when he says dress like an onion!  It is wicked cold in the open air vehicles with that wind – when we stop, not so bad, but when we drive – hoo boy – frigid) taking pictures of each other in the vehicles to pass the time.

The gates are finally open, and we’re off. Past the Elephant poop (fresh mind you) that tells us the beasts have been around here somewhere, stopping briefly to let a giant Kudu cross the road, then stumbling upon hyenas just standing in the road, staring.  Ok, now I’ve got something other than Pennywise the clown to scare the crap out of me.  Thanks hyenas!  Shiver.

Next sighting is a yellow spider of some sort that our guide spots and stops the vehicle for us to see.  We’ve no idea how he spotted it, it is so small.  The web is brilliant  yellow, yes, but out here amongst all this greenery and foliage?  Great eyes.  And I only mention this so that we can post the picture – where you can see….well….exactly nothing!  How did he see that while driving down the road I ask?

After that excitement, well, it’s just a parade of animals.  Herds of Impala…

Girafffes…

Zebras….

Birds in trees (no clue what they were – one might have been an eagle, but otherwise?)…

Baboons in the distance on these rocks, when they scampered about it looked like ants climbing all over the rock….

More Impala…..

And finally an elephant!  Yes!  We saw him from a distance, but couldn’t really get close as he was walking through the bush.  But our smart guide knew where he was going and circled around so we could get a better look – and he walked right next to the vehicle!  I could have reached out and touched him.  So cool.

More Impala – yeah – we don’t need to stop for them anymore….

More Zebras…..More elephants, their butts – of course – we always see their butts…

It’s barely only 8:30am! And we are ready for our first pit stop – which couldn’t come at a better time!  We stop at a little picnic area where there are facilities and a grille and tons of picnic tables.  Picking the sunniest table, we all congregate around while we eat our box breakfasts and stretch our legs a bit.  It’s beginning to feel like a big family with all of us, and we fall right into a happy, teasing banter that will end up lasting through out the entire trip.