Rockaroundtheworld

Heading "Out west" to Colorado & Wyoming

2009-07-14T12:32:00.000+01:00

2008-04-14T08:08:00.000+01:00

Lucky we've got a kite!

2008-04-14T08:06:00.000+01:00

A windy day on mt st victoir - too blowy for the trace noir.

2008-04-14T08:01:00.000+01:00

Jake cranking on patt d'elephant at mt st victoir.

Horseshoe Quarry - Back home with a bump

2008-01-12T15:58:00.001Z

Andy climbing Pale Rider in his duvet - it's a pleasant 4 degrees C and seems a long way from Arizona, but at least the sun's out....

cochise stronghold

2008-01-04T21:52:00.004Z

It's hard to circle the waggons when you've only got one. Luckily no indians showed up.

chillin in the rv

2008-01-04T21:52:00.003Z

saguaro cookies

2008-01-04T21:52:00.001Z

Kids cookery results

the mustang

2008-01-01T19:29:00.001Z

Just squeezing in one more route as the run sets

2008-01-01T19:26:00.003Z

Jake cruising a 5.9 on the control tower

mt lemmon

2008-01-01T19:26:00.001Z

Casual climbing after the crux on sky box 5.11c on forgotten wall

new years eve

2008-01-01T18:37:00.001Z

Watching the sunset over the cacti from the top of the rv

saguaro

2008-01-01T18:35:00.001Z

Monster cacti

Walking in a winter wonderland

2007-12-29T02:11:00.002Z

its freezing cold with bright blue sky but its not snow. We're in white sands national park.

sand boarding

2007-12-29T02:11:00.001Z

Jake - dude

opening pressies

2007-12-28T03:05:00.001Z

Christmas morning at jim and jeanne's

jake cranking up a 5.10

2007-12-28T02:23:00.001Z

Climbing on mt lemmon at 4,500 ft on boxing day

chicachu national park

2007-12-28T02:12:00.000Z

Amazing rock hoodoos

happy christmas

2007-12-25T16:18:00.000Z

Here we are in tucson arizona. We're enjoying fantastic hospitality with jim and jean - amazing weather and great climbing (mt lemmon in the background).

kaiser chiefs

2007-12-09T17:34:00.000Z

In concert at sheffield. Ruby ruby ruby!

The 'real' Africa - North of the 'red line'

2007-08-31T11:23:00.003+01:00

The north of Namibia is given over to communal land, where subsistance farmers live in small villages of thatched roundel houses.

Hippo rock art

2007-08-31T11:23:00.001+01:00

... On the 'female hill' on the Tsodilo Hills, in northern Botswana.

Home!

2007-08-30T21:20:00.000+01:00

Well, we finally made it home!

Since the last update, we've had a week in the South of Namibia, visiting Fish River Canyon (variously described as the second biggest canyon in the world, or at least in Africa) and the Namib desert dunes - these are the biggest in the world, towering a thousand feet above the surrounding desert.

Both provided some staggering scenary, good walking, and gob-smacking photos (more to follow), and would all have been quite relaxing but for a fast-evaporating fan belt and 1000km of driving on dirt roads with no mobile signal!

Anyway, now back home for some r & r!

Update from the Kalahari

2007-08-17T10:59:00.001+01:00

It's been a packed week since the phone went on the blink.

First stop was Botswana's "Mountain of the Gods" - Tsodilo Hills, where there is evidence of human habitation going back 100,000 yeras, and thousands of amazing rock art paintings.

Next up a drive through Muramba national park, for Hippo & Elephant spotting.

Then on to Livingston in Zambia for a couple of days admiring Victoria Falls (after the nightmare Kazangula river border crossing!)

Then to CHobe national park in Botswana for loads more game and our first close-up encounter with a couple of lions.

We are just now leaving Maun, at the heart of the Okavango Delta, where the worlds largest inland river system disappears into the sands.

Next stop back in Namibia....

Sorry for the interuption to blogging service

2007-08-14T08:14:00.001+01:00

Hello

I am afraid we've had a blog-phone failure, so can't make mobile blog posts! We'll be limited to internet cafe's from now on (infrequent!) so don't worry if you don't hear from us:-)

Just leaving Victoria Falls - ace...

Sunset over Popa Falls

2007-08-08T18:16:00.000+01:00

Rundu beach

2007-08-08T18:15:00.001+01:00

Looking out over the Kavango river into Angola. We're staying safely on this side, and heading East towards Victoria Falls along the Caprivi Strip.

Okaukuejo campsite Etosha

2007-08-07T15:32:00.000+01:00

must be in Torquay?

2007-08-07T15:28:00.000+01:00

Herds of wilderbeast galloping across the plain...

Okakajo waterhole

2007-08-06T15:34:00.000+01:00

Elephant, rhino & giraff (honest!!) under floodlights.

Etosha

2007-08-05T19:33:00.000+01:00

Zebra

Elephants taking an evening's dip

2007-08-05T19:28:00.000+01:00

...at the campsite waterhole

Safari drive

2007-08-03T18:56:00.000+01:00

Buffalo and a hartabeast taking an evening drink at a waterhole. The zoom on the phone camera can't do justice, so you'll have to wait for close ups when we get home.

The highlight of the drive was seeing a cheetah chasing an oryx - amazing!

Waterberg Plateau National Park

2007-08-03T12:26:00.000+01:00

Lounging around the campsite pool - not bad for £7 a night, and a welcome bit of luxury after the somewhat more basic facilities at Spitzkope

Tashie on 'Winds of Despair'

2007-08-01T19:35:00.000+01:00

Nearing the top of pitch 2, on this grade 17 (about VS) on the 'sugarloaf'.

No hint of despair when you are climbing like a rock goddess!

Natural rock bridge

2007-08-01T19:34:00.000+01:00

A great view of the Pontoks (and Oughtons) through this natural rock arch.

spitzkope

2007-08-01T19:09:00.002+01:00

Now that's what I call an outside convenience. Perusing the guidebook beneath the southwest face of the Spitzkope

Spitzkope and the Pontoks

2007-08-01T19:09:00.001+01:00

Driving towatds the Spitzkope - the 'Mattahorn of Africa', with the 5 pinnacles of the Pontoks on the right.

Jake climbing a grade 17

2007-08-01T19:07:00.000+01:00

...on elephant rock (but not the same one as yesterday!) at Spitzkope.

Elephant head rock

2007-07-30T20:51:00.000+01:00

After 30km of gravel and sand tracks we arrive at elephant's head rock. Great scrambly walk over the top.

Giraff

2007-07-30T20:50:00.000+01:00

These lanky buggers are really well camoflaged!

Rock arch

2007-07-30T20:49:00.000+01:00

Tash & Jake balance on a natural rock arch on top of the elephant's head

Rock art elephant

2007-07-29T20:33:00.000+01:00

In phillip's cave, Ameib Ranch

Erongo hills

2007-07-29T18:40:00.000+01:00

Gazells in front of the erongo hills

Dan Viollen national park

2007-07-28T20:23:00.000+01:00

Chilling by the pool - landed safely, got the van, must be time for a plunge then a pint!

But not before a spot of wildlife viewing. Our first evening's ticks included:
- giraff
- babboon
- zebra
- warthog
- wilderbeast

...and almost getting the van stuck!

Over Etosha

2007-07-28T20:14:00.001+01:00

30 minutes to landing, just entered Namibian air space over Etosha national park (back here in a week or so).

Itinerary

2007-07-16T18:09:00.000+01:00

We're off to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia, arriving and leaving from Windhoek, and heading clockwise past:

- Spitzkope

- Skeleton coast

- Etosha

- Okavanga delta

- Victoria falls

- Chobe

- Fish river canyon

- Sossusveli

2007-07-16T16:56:00.001+01:00

We're off to africa for the summer. If you want to see why, just look at the current view out of the window!