Daytona Beach, Florida, United StatesA bucket list objective is about to be checked off. Flying to Africa on September 13 and meeting good friends from Portland, OR, Ted & Julie and Rich & Jean, we are experimenting with modern day technology --- A travel blog. We will be sharing our photos and experiences along the way (as long as we have internet access). If we start sounding like the Christmas letter that won't end, feel free to hit the delete button or make us the newest entry in your spam filter. There will not be a test on the content when we return. We look forward to your comments and hope you enjoy.
On September 13 we depart Florida spending our first night, closely confined (15+ hours) in a noisy aluminum cylinder called an airplane. We arrive in Johannesburg to spend our first night in the airport hotel (sounds exciting doesn't it) for an early morning departure to Richards Bay (east coast). Meeting our Oregon friends in Richards Bay we drive north to start our first safari in Zulu Nyala area where we will be roaming around with gudes for six days. Next we fly to the western part of South Africa to spend 2 days north of Cape Town at Bushman's Kloof (a spa with petroglyphs), followed with several days seeing the sights in the Capetown area. Our second safari is in Chobe National Park in Botswana (big elephants) and then on to Livingstone, Zambia and a short hop to Zimbabwe to view Victoria Falls. Finally back to Johannesburg to start the long flight home to arrive October 3.
We have been planning, our African trip for over a year and as usual with planning that far in advance something pops up (in this case pops out) that makes you question if this is the right time to go. On August 26 we received one of life's greatest gifts -- our first grandchildren (twins) were came into the world, thanks to the efforts of Jason and Lynn. Elise and Jacob are healthy, growing and beautiful. But with siginficant sunk costs, endless reservations and enough innoculations to put a horse down, we decided Skype would have to suffice to get our grandchildren fix for the next three weeks. As typical grandparents we have pictures
While we are starting our trip from our Florida home in Daytona Beach we spent our summer (very hot) in Kentucky getting our feet wet (literally and figureatively), making an effort to add to the US agricultural economy (another story, another time). Last week we packed up the only airplane in the Wolford airline fleet
with all the things in KY we thought would be needed on our trip and flew a heavy airplane to Florida. As usual the items forgotten required panic buys and the struggling Florida economy has benefitted. The "light packing" strategy has given high priority to camera equipment (probably too much) with multi purpose clothes suitable for city wear, spa wear and safari wear plus some Tide to allow us to get multiple wearings without offending the olfactory senses. We now have enough safari suitable earth tone clothes treated with insect repellant to last a lifetime.Off to the airport on Monday to start our trip. More later.
Spence Lloyd
2010-09-12
Have fun! We'll be following your progress.
Lynn Wolford
2010-09-12
This is so cool! What a great idea!
Jacob and Elise will miss Granny and Papa, but we look forward to living vicariously through your words and pictures - LOTS of pictures! (And now when you're in your 80's, Rod, and recounting all the places you've traveled in the world, this will actually be one of them. [wink])
We love and we'll miss you. Have fun and come safely home to us.
Love,
Lynn & Jason and Jacob & Elise
Monty Brown
2010-09-12
enjoy the trip. I like the idea of a blog. It will help to sort out and save/implant some of the most memorable moments. Out here in the desert, our work continues with a new saguaro tree being painted for raising near my office. We have a new to us five year old lab who wants to play all the time. Monty
Steve and Kathy Williams
2010-09-12
What a grand trip! We look forward to tracking your journey and taking notes, since a trip such as your's is also on our bucket list!
And what beautiful grand-children! Congratulations to all. We are also enjoying our first....Zoe Jane is nearly 5 months and doing great.
We look forward to your blog entries and lots of pictures! Travel safely and have lots of fun.
John and Barbara Foster
2010-09-12
We will live vicariously through your travels. Our daughter did a similar itinerary on her honeymoon but we never have. Have fun and best of luck and keep writing!
Kathy H-G
2010-09-13
WOW.....on the new use of technology and WOW on those new Wolfords!
We are thrilled for you on both accounts and look forward to frequent
updates!
Thanks for including us!
Hugs to you and Mary, Kathy
Jeanne Curtis
2010-09-13
Have a wonderful trip! Those babies are adorable as are their gorgeous parents and GRANDPARENTS!! Love following your travels. Travel Safe!
Connie Cundiff
2010-09-13
Have a great trip. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Ray Connolly
2010-09-13
Congratulations on becoming grandparents. You'll love it.
You'll love your trip to Southern Africa, too.
I haven't been to South Africa--only getting as far as three weeks in Zimbabwe when our son Dominic spent nine months before university teaching in a little village in the bush there, but most of my friends have been and insist we should go sometime.
Enjoy it all.
Best
Ray
Melanie Hines
2010-09-13
Hope you guys have a wonderful time. We'll drive over by the farm occasionally and make sure the gate is locked and everything looks orderly. I was by there the other day and your gate was locked, so I didn't stop. The babies are beautiful!!!!!
Have fun,
Rodney, Melanie, Sarah, and Hannah Hines
Jay McGowan
2010-09-13
Dear Tarzan and Jane,
Bon Voyage!
Jay and Maureen
Betty Porter
2010-09-14
I think you inherited Aunt Kathie's ability to write Your Dad might have that ability also I don't remember I haven't read anything he has written. Daddy was good at it to I didn't get those genes.Im excited to read about your travels
Jan B
2010-09-15
Enjoy your trip! I went on a safari to Kenya many moons ago and have a second safari experience on my bucket list. Maybe your trip will inspire me to start planning. Be safe and keep posting pics.
James Hardin
2010-09-15
Bon Voyage! Enjoy!!! And congratulations on keeping two Wolford traditions going: Twins, and wandering the world. I am getting my courage up to go to Cinncinnati.... Haha.