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Outdoor Wisconsin host Dan Small welcomes you to his special on-line sanctuary. Join Dan as he takes a special hunting trip to Africa -- this time he's armed with a camera.  Awards Highlights
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Theme2/3/99 Bound for Africa, Camera in Handby Dan Small
©2000 Milwaukee Public Television
December 9, '98:
Didja get yer deer,
hey?
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In a few days, I’ll be
heading to Africa for a 10-day safari. I’ll be shooting
slides, not bullets or arrows, but the kick will be the
same. If I get any good trophy shots, I’ll be sure to share
some of them with you. My destination is Kenya, a republic
about the size of Texas that straddles the equator in the
heart of East Africa’s game country. I’ll take in the
Samburu and Maasai Mara game reserves and Mount Kenya. Our
group will stay in lodges and tented camps and travel in
minivans with roof hatches for photography. We’ll also fly
to the northern Serengeti, float the Uaso Nyiro River and,
from our tents, keep a vigil over water holes frequented by
big game. The list of critters we’ll probably see reads like
a Who’s Who of African game: lions, elephants, rhinos,
hippos, crocs, oryx, zebra, cheetah, buffalo, warthogs,
wildebeest and a palette of colorful birds. With luck, we’ll
catch the tail- end of the annual great migration of herd
animals in the Serengeti. Ground travel there should offer
some close encounters with animals we’ve only seen in zoos
or on TV and provide plenty of photo ops. Our itinerary says
“One of the laws of the land in East Africa game parks is
that animals, not people, have the right of way at all
times.” Makes sense to me. A minivan is no match for an
elephant or rhino!
This will actually
be the first of two trips to Kenya I’ll make this year with
Park East Tours, of New York. This time I’ll join a group of
travel planners from all over the U.S. on a safari crash
course, where we’ll get a taste of Kenya and all it offers
in preparation for future trips we will lead or assist with.
In my case, I’ll be leading a Kenya safari in late October,
sponsored by the Nature Consortium of Metro Milwaukee. That
group includes the Schlitz Audubon Center, Milwaukee Audubon
Society, Metro Wisconsin Audubon Society, Friends of the
Domes, The Park People and Wehr Nature Center. That trip
will take in Kenya’s three best game reserves: Samburu,
Maasai Mara and Aberdare. An optional extension to Kenya’s
neighbor to the South, Tanzania, includes a journey into the
Serengeti, a descent by Land Rover into Ngorongoro Crater,
an extinct volcano that covers 100 square miles, and a visit
to Lake Manyara National Park. Balloon rides and fishing for
Nile Perch (about the size of giant Alaskan halibut) are
also options. What the heck I might just do it all!
For information on this trip, call Park East Tours at
800-223-6078, extension 321. A portion of the tour price
will benefit the sponsoring groups.
As my venture to the land
explored by Hemingway and Teddy Roosevelt draws near, it’s
hard to stay focused on winter in Wisconsin, but I’ll try
for a moment. There’s plenty to do outdoors. Lakes across
the state offer good ice fishing now, and thousands of miles
of snowmobile and ski trails are groomed and waiting. The
sports show season starts soon, too. I’ll be at the Midwest
Express Center Feb. 17-21 for the Milwaukee Boat Show and at
State Fair Park Feb. 25-28 for the Milwaukee RV Show. And
don't forget the 8th Annual Outdoor Wisconsin Banquet, Wed.,
Feb. 24th at the Country Inn in Waukesha. Each of the past
seven banquets has been bigger and more exciting than the
last, and this year's will be no exception. If you’ve
attended in the past, you know what I mean. If you’ve never
attended, you won’t want to miss this one. Since the last
few banquets have been sellouts at around 500 people, we’ll
make room for nearly 600 attendees this year!
Several generous donations
have helped us upgrade the raffle boat package this year to
a 16-foot Lund Rebel, with a 40 hp electric-start Mercury
outboard, a bow-mounted Minn Kota Autopilot trolling motor,
Lowrance fish locator and ShoreLand’r trailer. Complete with
batteries and custom-made cover, the package would retail
for around $10,000. And that’s not all! We’re also raffling
a Polaris Scrambler 4X4 all-terrain vehicle. Both the boat
and the ATV will be on display at the banquet, along with
hundreds of other items from guns, fishing trips and skis to
airplane tickets, weekend getaways and dinners at gourmet
restaurants. For tickets or information, call
414-297-8000.