Saturday morning we got up to a steady rain. It had been raining all night long and looked to continue. ”John! It’s 7:30, let’s get ready. We’re going to visit Bush Adventures in Laparua this morning.” We began to scurry about when three things happened simultaneously; Rehema walked in, the computer dinged that we had an e-mail, and the phone rang.
All carried the message, “Don’t go anywhere.” The roads were saturated. We were likely to get stuck and even if we didn’t, driving would ruin the roads, creating deep ruts and potholes. We figured that if Adrian, the Lewa logistics manager, cared enough to e-mail, phone, and relay a message through the grounds keeper and Rehema, he was serious.
It’s raining.
Anne and I settled into a day stuck inside the house. Anne did some work. I read my Kindle. Anne surfed the internet. I did some work. Anne began a watercolor of a bird on a branch. I played Bejeweled on the computer. We bickered. We had lunch. Repeat until dinner. Throw in a ride on the stationary bike. Watch a movie. Go to bed and wake to more of the same. Sunday morning was just as drizzly as Saturday. Cabin fever settled in like the November rainy season clouds.
The rain let up around noon. We decided that if it held off for a few hours and let the mud settle, we would go on a game drive. We had to get out of the house. 4:00 o’clock came and off we went. Oops.
Staying on the main roads we headed to Simba Ridge where we saw a lot of wildlife including one Black Rhino with a horn at least 2 ½ feet long. We turned off the main road and headed to the earthen dam where we had seen our first black Rhino at Lewa. That smaller road was slippery. As we approached the dam we could see that it was made of the same thick, gooey, slimy mud as was the road. It was also narrow.
The earthen dam is only a bit wider that the Land Cruiser
Looking at our tracks (there weren’t any as we approached) it is clear that taking the path across the dam was ill-advised. I went ahead anyway. Hey, I’m me. Anne said, “John, if we slide off, don’t go into the lake.”
An instant later my front tire slipped a bit to the left. That was all it took. Away we went. The front end began sliding. I corrected to the right, to no avail. The back end began slipping down the dam face. We were sliding sideways down a steep ten foot embankment. The car started to tip. Not wanting to roll and realizing that there was no way I could steer back to the top of the dam, I decided that heading down hill was safer than sliding sideways. I turned left and rolled at an angle down the 10 foot face of the dam. Fortunately, the ground below the dam was firm enough for us to keep going and eventually drive back up to the road. With both our hearts racing we continued on.
You can see the marks left by the sliding wheels.
Our path down the embankment.
I’m sure that you experienced off road drivers are looking at my little dam and thinking, “What a wus!” Well, okay, but it sure cured my cabin fever.
Gee, this reminds me of something I read in a book about gender. Males more often go toward risk, and females are more risk-averse. I’ll just put that out there, won’t make any judgments . . . Mmmmm! It’s fun to tease, but seriously, I’m so glad you are both OK, that you didn’t have a role over, and made it back safely!
Hi Joann,
Anne was with me and didn’t say no about crossing the dam. Though if she were by herself she probably would have avoided it. Î turned out to be fun even though potentially hazardous and definitely foolish.
If it rains when we’re there, I will content myself with indoor activities. Sleep is good.
You folks must have lived with a cat and been infected with toxoplasmosis at some point. (It enhances risk taking behaviors in humans and makes rodents be curious about the smell of cat pee). We on the other hand are taking it easy and I was cautious. After catastrophosizing about my leaky nose which is likely nothing, i took a day and a half for snorkeling but am happy to report I have hit 56 feet and beat an hour under water. I leave the water 5 minutes before Robin who dives 10-15 feet deeper. I have 300 psi and she has 1000 psi. Travel partners are sharpening our bridge skills and Robin has played some very good hands.
Fun! And Wow! So glad you a) finally got out of the house, b) had a fun adventure doing so, c) are okay and didn’t go into the lake, and d) blogged about it with photos!
This makes me think about the time you and I got stuck on a muddy track in Maine in the 4WD Avalanche. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Love the photo of the tire tracks coming down the bank (not like the wildlife ones, but it’s pretty unusual!)
John…John…John…this inexperienced off road driver’s heart is racing as I read your account. Took me back to a muddy slippery slope in the Australian outback. I do, however, attest to your excellent driving skills and am thankful they served you well. Just try to stay out of more mud puddles.
Lynn, I had forgotten about the Australian mud. This was similar in terms of its lack of traction. That was a great trip wasn’t it?