Thursday, March 25, 2010

Radio Tower Setup

Rudy and I had the privilege of going with Dan to help setup a radio tower. Neither Rudy or I have done this before but we both like heights so it was a good fit for us. We had to put up a new tower to replace one that is getting very rusty and they don't trust it anymore. We had hoped i might only take two days to set the tower up but because of a few complications it took us three days.

Preparing the first element of the tower.

Rudy on top waiting for the second element to be lifted up.
The old tower that has to come down.

We drove down the mountain to a small town for supper.
Sleeping arrangements were interesting this is where Rudy and I slept.

The next morning we could hardly see the tower for the fog, cause we were up at about 2,000ft.
Rudy felt he had to test the equipment out at about 60 or 70ft.

Charley and Rudy
Climbing Buddies
Looking from the top down.
Gotta love self portraits

A little bit of the view from up there.
Me in my get up.
Charley climbed the whole time and Rudy and I subbed each other off.

Here at 190 ft we were looking down on the old tower.
It is quite a ways down there.
A girls boarding school next door.

That is Charley and I at 190ft.
This was most of our tower setup crew. We were a really international group from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, US, Kenya and Canada.
The tower is going to be built up to 250 ft/ 75 meters but we were short six elements so they will go back next week take down the old tower and then put on the last six elements.


On our way back through Nairobi Dan needed to go to Wilson Airport so he took me into the MAF's(Missionary Aviation Fellowship) hanger.

This evening Moriah was just looking too cute I just had to take some pictures.
She was helping me do some typing as well.
I only have four more days here and I then I fly back to Mozambique it has been a good time but I am ready to go home to Mozambique.

Kenya Safari

I am sorry I haven't kept you very up to date on what is going on here in Kenya. Rudy and I arrived here in Kijabe down in the Rift Valley about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi late last Tuesday afternoon. Our first couple of days here we helped do a few small construction projects here at Dan's(Dan is my sister's father in law) house. We really enjoyed the cooler weather here as we were getting a little toasty in Pemba.

On Friday morning we left for the trip of our lives. When I say we I mean Dan, Philip, Joia, Keenan, Moriah, Rudy and I. We took a five hour drive to get to the Masi Mara game park. A good position of our trip was through the Rift Valley it was very cool driving along the road and seeing giraffe, zebra, gazelle and wildebeest off in the distance. It was almost serial seeing the animals you kind of ask yourself am I really seeing this this was before we even got into the game park. We arrived in time for them to show us to our "tents" with electricity, flush toilets, hot water and big beds. Not quite what you would think of if you were going normal camping. Then we had a superb buffet lunch before our first safari. I will let the pictures do most of the talking here Cause they say a picture is worth...........

Wildebeest

Giraffe and Zebra

Impala
Zebras

Grant Gazelle
Baboon
Ostrich
Crested Crain
Hartebeest


Hippos

Water Buck
We had lots of these monkeys outside our tents we weren't sure what kind they were,but this mother had her little baby with her.






Dik Diks are the smallest animals of the Gazelle family
One of the ten cubs we saw.
Nursing Lioness


Pictures never make these awesome creatures look as big as they are.
They grass lands in the park were so beautiful.


Guinea fowl

Big Croc
Baby Croc
Not sure what kind of birds these are.

On the left a Thompson Gazelle, Hartebeest and a Topi

Daddy Lion


Who shall I eat first?



I loved the Elephant way off in the distance.
Cheetah
Nap Time




Ostrich
Crested Crain
I think this is an Egyptian Duck.

Topi
This Green Mamba came slithering into the dinning room one day at lunch.
Thompson Gazelle

Whole Family
A group of the Masi men who sang for us in the dinning room.