Dankie.

We arrived back in Seattle today and as I go through the 500 or so photos I took before the desert sand disabled my camera, I am reminded again and again of the wonder the past two weeks held for us.  Each day was filled with so much we had never seen - never experienced.  The landscape changed from mile to mile as the nine of us cycled and transferred from escarpment, to desert, to sea, to the bush.  A few things that stand out in my jet-lagged mind are the herds of Springbok and Zebra darting in front of our bikes on the dirt roads, the amazing layers of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross in the night sky, delicious meals prepared in cast-iron pots by Ronny and Jonas over open fires at camp, tender moments between elephants, the heart-opening singing and dancing of a high school youth choir, and the sound of hyenas in the night.  My heart is full.  My mind is quiet.  In the spirit of Roger, our incredible guide, I have some good news and some very very good news. The good news is that there is always more to share, and the very, very good news is... Namibia, I love you long time.  Dankie.

James beside one of my favorite road signs at the start of a rare paved road ride  - we only saw three of these on the entire trip and came to believe it meant "Surprise Ahead" because there always was.  In this photo you can also see our transfer vehicle and a few of our awesome family members cycling.

These socks were knit by Mom for Dad early in their marriage and he gave them to me under the condition that I wear them.  I wore them for the first time on our first hike in Namibia at Daan Viljoen, where James and I saw Zebra, Oryx, Kudu and Ostrich for the first time.  Mom would have loved the abundant birds and wildlife these socks hiked beside.

Springbok herd on our ride from Sossusvlei back to camp.