Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Shut up, hissy kitty!

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

“A king is only a king if we bow down.” – Rev. William Barber

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

I really should read my own blog.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

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On The Road – way2blue – TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8]

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way2blue

This series of eight OTR submissions is organized more or less chronologically (although it’s been a challenge to sync time as my Lumix stayed on California time plus I didn’t shift my iPhone to Kenya time till we were comparing phone apps—for how far we’d walked—and mine was short by several miles since the hike had crossed over midnight—California time)…

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 7
MAN-EATERS CAVE.

We made a side trip to visit what is believed to be the famed lion cave noted in the book, Man-eaters of Tsavo by Col. Patterson (1907)…

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 6
CHUI.

On the right is the head rifleman, Chui (nickname meaning ‘leopard’), who took the lead in river crossings as his reflexes are quicker than the guide’s.  On the right is the spotter, Washii.  (I held Washii’s hand for river crossings to keep my footing on the uneven streambed.)  Their sandals are repurposed car tires—worn both in the river and on the trails.  Albeit, Wahii’s brother, Lajori, wore dress shoes, in the river & out…

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 5
TWO RAILROAD BRIDGES.

After visiting the Man-eaters cave, we drove to the Tsavo Railway Station to start our trek.  Photo of the existing railroad bridge and a new (boondoggle) one being built by the Chinese.  According to our guide, the Chinese compete with the British for influence in Kenya, in this case by *loaning* funds to Kenya through costly infrastructure projects.

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 4
TSAVO RAILROAD STATION.

The old railroad station is along a major route, connecting Mombasa and Nairobi.  The Man-eater lions likely grew to enormous size from feasting on laborers building the railway at the turn of last century…

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 3
TSAVO RAILROAD STATION.

The old station was used by the Chinese while building the new bridge.

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 2
TSAVO RAILROAD STATION.
On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8] 1
TSAVO RAILROAD STATION.

Ticket office.  Sadly.

On The Road - way2blue - TSAVO NAT’L PARKS, KENYA IN JULY [3 of 8]
TSAVO RAILROAD STATION.

We transitioned from Tsavo West to Tsavo East Nat’l Park as we crossed the highway which paralleled the railroad tracks.  (The only time we encountered modern infrastructure on our trek.)

Reader Interactions

9Comments

  3. 3.

    Benw

    Your rifleman and spotter seem like pretty cool dudes. The photos of the old ticket station are fascinating. At one time someone really cared about all that paperwork, and now….

  4. 4.

    eclare

    @Mimi:   Thanks for the article!  Makes sense, the same thing happens to other animals and people as they age, they eat softer food.

  5. 5.

    J R in WV

    In this set I think the most interesting photo is of the two guides, one with his bolt-action rifle. Although the desolate RR station is interesting as well, historically. RR stations here in WV are mostly abandoned since back when local travel was all by rail, and every RR had rural passenger service from everywhere to everywhere, as they do in France (for one example)  today.

  6. 6.

    way2blue

    @J R in WV: Yes they were cool guys.  Washii came on the afternoon drives and wanted to learn new English words.  His favorite was ‘sassy’.  He’d say ‘that elephant is sassy’.  Lots of laughing.

  7. 7.

    MelissaM

    @Mimi: I came here to say, I’ve seen the Tsavo lions at the Field Museum. They aren’t nearly so big because of what happened to them before they became taxidermied. I thought they were repatriated, but apparently not.

    Kenyan safari isn’t very high on my bucket list, but I’m happy to go along on Balloon Juice. Thanks for the ticket, I look forward to more.

  8. 8.

    way2blue

    @MelissaM: The book I mentioned chronicles tracking and killing the lions.  But before they were killed they became so bold as I pull railroad workers out of their tents at night.

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