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I developed a huge Ellie phobia last year after being terrorised by huge grumpy bulls, firstly on the Capricorn Loop and then the Tzendze Loop in the same day!!

I am slowly getting over it, but will always have respect for them, and not get too close!!

Thanks for that NetEk!!

I'm sure you're right...........animals are very clever on the whole!!

BTW...........love your signature!!

TWICE in one day oh hell no my heart wouldve given in lol Om glad your slowly but surely getting over your fear of them I honestly don't think I ever I can't even begin to describe how rigid my whole body goes just at the sight of them ointment close proximity and they used to be one of my favourite animals until ... Well luckily I have a handy SO who grabs the wheel cos I close my eyes driving past them otherwise I start hyperventilating

You are visiting the Park under very sad circumstances this year Val and Dungy, but I think now you have seen it all! The good and the sad!

Nature has it's own way, and there's nothing anybody can do to prevent it. A great thank you to SANParks for all they have already done since the floods started! I take my hat off to them for their wonderful work and readiness to help wherever they can!

I wish you a more promising time ahead, with lots of lovely sightings!

Thansk Val stole the idea from my sign off one those "motivation" posters.

Day 85 (Jan 24th)
Today was going to be our chores day.....laundry, shopping and then fish and chips at the pub!!!

However we had no electricity from midnight, and this morning there was no sign of it returning!!

It was gtting hotter by the minute, so we decided another morning in the park was in order..............at least we could have the occasional blast of cold air from the car's aircon!!

Some of the dirt roads were now open, but we didn't want to risk it in our little Atos, and as we had driven the H14 yesterday, we decided to go to Letaba and check out the water levels.

There were still very few animals in evidence, and the H9 had very little traffic, other
than a few delivery vans.

We saw a large herd of Impalas near the H9/H14 junction, but we then saw nothing until Rhidonda Pan where the newly installed Hippo was wallowing in the water.

Having said that there was a lot less water in the pan than the last time we were there, so he may be moving on soon!!

We noticed that a lot of the surface water had dried out, and the small river beds
were also drying out.

We turned left at the Letaba crossroads, and we were amazed to see how much the water levels had gone down since Monday!!

There still more water than normal, but we could now see the river banks on either side, and the river was running very slowly.

The high level bridge was open, but had suffered some damage, as debris had obviously come charging down with the raging waters of a few days ago!!

We parked up, and surveyed the scene before us. There were several water birds wading at the water's edge and several Hippos in the distance.

Dungy's tummy started rumbling, so we drove on to Letaba to get him a toastie!!

Again we were amazed at the view from the restaurant, in comparison with Monday. The levels are going down big time, and I think soon it will be almost a dry river bed again!!

On the drive home we again saw very little, other than a large herd of Buffs crossing the road near Rhidonda Pan!!

There was no sign of Desi again today, which is very worrying. I know he went AWOL once and returned, but it has been such a long period this time, I do wonder if I will ever see him again.

Dinner that night was roast pork, and afterwards a large Amarula each rounded off a strange day in our beloved park.

Day 86 (Jan 25th)
We did everything today that had been planned for yesterday, before we discovered that we'd had a power cut.

We did two loads of laundry, the maid was here, and we went shopping............yes all the boring things in life, but they have to be done!!

We went to the pub at lunch time for our "cheap and cheerful" fish and chips, and then back for a relaxing afternoon and evening at the cottage.

To be continued................

This is great reporting! News of the park is a little hard to come by and having you as an eyewitness is super. Thanks so much.

What an experience I hope you got your washing done. The river looks quite daunting still, even though it is tamer.

Thanks Val

Thanks Hilda, and you are quite right SANparks were on the case straight away to repair the high level bridge on the H1-6 (now open) and the H14 causeway (still working on it)

It's the least I can do Chickadee!!

Thank you for the great photos and up to the "Minute" Detailed Reports ( )

Yes washing all done.............clean sheets and towels.

Waters have gone right back down MM..........it is frightening how quickly the level came up, and amazing how quickly they went down!!

Eish, those poor bridges.

Yes OWN you can imagine the force of water and debris that caused that sort of damage!!

Yep, Val, and it is entirely mindboggling to think that hundreds-of-years-old trees were at the level of the bridge. The force of water is entirely irresistible, and I always respect it. I remember seeing someone with the start of the rising waters of last year's floods trying to challenge a whoosing stream with his supposedly-invincible 4x4, and almost getting stuck halfway! People underestimate what a river can do. Glad I wasn't in Kruger these past days.