A Photo Journal: African Safari - Part III (Tanzanian Culture)

On our African Safari, we saw far more than just wildlife. Our itinerary included multiple cultural experiences as well. We visited local families to see their homes and how they lived. We visited basket weavers to learn about their craft. We visited multiple organizations that are helping to improve the lives of the locals. One organization is increasing access to clean water by producing affordable ceramic water filters. Another is providing employment opportunities for the physically disabled. Yet another is supporting persons with albinism, a group often shunned for their physical appearance. 

A Photo Journal: African Safari - Part II (The Serengeti)

We spent five days of our African Safari at Serengeti National Park. 

Serengeti is a Maasai word that means "endless plains." What an apt description! The plains extended on and on, endlessly in all directions.

A Photo Journal: African Safari - Part I (Tarangire & Ngorongoro)

Last August, Mom called me. "I really want to go on an African Safari," she said. "Would you want to go with me?" While a safari had never been high on my wanna-do list, the answer was pretty darn obvious. For one, I had never been to Africa before. For two, I hadn't been out of the country since Covid and was itchy for an overseas adventure. For three, I very well knew that while the days are long, the years are short, and so if Mom wanted to go, we should go!

Mom and me in the Serengeti.

The next few weeks were filled with back and forth emails and phone calls to work through details. When were we going to go? Where were we going to go? Who were we going to go with? We both had openings on our calendars for the October and January/February timeframes. We decided on the later dates, firmly believing that a significant part of the enjoyment of a trip is the anticipation and preparation. We considered different travel companies to travel with and different destinations to travel to. After reading through bunches of itineraries and asking for lots of opinions, we decided to sign up for Overseas Adventure Travel's 13-day Safari Serengeti tour beginning January 24th. 

Happy 11th Re-Birthday to Me!

Happy 11th Re-Birthday to Me! 

Eleven years ago today, I said goodbye to my old life and began living anew. I stopped mindlessly swallowing what society had been spoon-feeding to me. I quit my job and began living intentionally.

Rafting the Lower Salmon: A Photo Journal

So this is essentially how the text thread went...

Patrick: Want to float the Salmon River next week?

Sarah: F#@k yeah!

And so it was that exactly one week later, I woke in the wee hours of the morn and drove 4 hours to meet Patrick at his home on the east side of the mountains. We piled our gear into his truck and drove with the raft in tow for another 6.5 hours to The Potato State. The next morning we began our 5-day, 72-mile float along the Lower Salmon River. 

I hereby present to you a Photo Journal of our rafting trip down the Lower Salmon River. Enjoy!

The Lower Salmon River.
[Image: oregonriver.com.]

I have lived a good life with lots of adventure. And while I've done a multi-day trip on my packraft with a bicycle aboard, never have I done a multi-day float trip on a raft-raft. Suffice it to say that I was a wee bit excited for our grand floating adventure.