Blue Mule resto in Malawi

[M5driver]

Cul-cha

In response to a request for some views of this part of the world, I'll put a few things here from time to time. When I'm not flying or wrenching in my free time, I make photographs. Here are a few from a recent trip to Tanzania. I'll get a few from Lilongwe up soon.

 

[saltrig]

Dan,

Great thread By far my favorite, keep us posted. I'm a photojournalist but love to take wildlife photos. You must get some great opportunities over there. You using a digital SLR? Good luck with the resto.


Cheers,
Evan

 

[lulo]

WOW!!! AMANZING wildlife pics mate , congratulation

 

[pbgbottle]

nice pics ! is the middle one a Springbok ?

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

Good news on the sand blasting. You still have enough product to paint the frame again don't you? I thought you said you only lost 2 cans on the first rainy paint job. Nice wildlife pics. Oh and for the geography question about Polar Mesa, Isn't that down in the four corners area kind in the vicinity of MOAB?

 

[island45]

Springbok??? I've always wondered what this thing was. My son and I found this trophy at the dump a couple years ago.... sorry 'bout the hijack, I couldn't help myself.... And I'm with all these other guys. This is an awesome thread, and it keeps me inspired . Heck, I feel kinda remote out on this island, but here I could order some rust bullet and have it by Wednesday on UPS! I really admire your patience. Looking forward to each new installment.

 

[Teebag]

Looks like a female impala to me

 

[M5driver]

Dan,

Great thread By far my favorite, keep us posted. I'm a photojournalist but love to take wildlife photos. You must get some great opportunities over there. You using a digital SLR? Good luck with the resto.


Cheers,
Evan

Thanks, Evan! Malawi doesn't have a lot of these great beasts, but we have managed to get out to 2 game parks here, 2 in Tanzania, and one in Zambia so far.

Don't know if I'll ever give up film entirely - I love Velvia. I am using a D70S for many things now, tho, and have recently caught myself drooling over the new D3. The photos above were done with the D70S and a 200mm lens - we were able to get very close to them. The resto photos are done with my little Olympus pocket camera, also digital. Very convenient.

 

[M5driver]

Looks like a female impala to me

Teebag wins. But he cheated - he lives in S Africa right now, so he has seen the real thing.

 

[M5driver]

Good news on the sand blasting. You still have enough product to paint the frame again don't you? I thought you said you only lost 2 cans on the first rainy paint job. Nice wildlife pics. Oh and for the geography question about Polar Mesa, Isn't that down in the four corners area kind in the vicinity of MOAB?

Just got back from the panel beater - the frame is ready to prime! I'll post another pic or two when I get home from work. The tub is now getting the treatment. I'm really jazzed with how well it's coming out!

We sacrificed only one pint of the RB to the initial prime up. I also have one pint opened at home that I have used for a few items, along with the black version. The panel beater has 3 pints left, and I have 5 more in reserve, so I think we'll be fine. Hope to start the priming on the frame tomorrow, and the tub by Friday, maybe sooner. Still have some cutting and welding to do on it - probably 3 small patches, and I want to close up some non-factory holes I have drilled over the years . We should be able to start priming some of the flat panels this week or early next as well!

Polar Mesa - you got it . It's not too far from Moab and Arches, sort of ENE from there. If you take Colorado 141 from Naturita to Gateway, then take the old (dirt) mining road west across the state line, you'll eventually find the old road to the top of the mesa. Beautiful area. From Moab/Castle Valley area, there is a (dirt? maybe paved by now) road that will get you there as well - I think it is called Gateway Road.

 

[Teebag]

Here's a male

 

[M5driver]

Here's a male

Bee-yoo-ti-ful!!! I just love all these animals Thanks!

 

[island45]

Dang! About 30- 40% of all photos posted don't show up on my cheap*** computer. And that's one of them. But thanks for the info. We always called it an 'African Antelope', for lack of a better name.

 

[DallasFJ40]

Island, yours looks more like a hack sawed kudu.

 

[M5driver]

Island, yours looks more like a hack sawed kudu.

I agree. The horns are not right for impala, and it has the ear markings common to both greater and lesser kudu. This one is the small variety, so I'd say lesser kudu

 

[M5driver]

Vic Falls

Since I had to be in Lusaka, a side trip to Victoria Falls was in order. The rains have just ended, so the water levels are high and the falls are amazing. I'll put up a few better pix later, but for now, a handful from over the falls in a microlight.

 

[M5driver]

The mist rises 1000+ feet (300 m); the main falls drop 93 m. People who trust their lives to (large) rubber bands bungee jump off that bridge!

 

[M5driver]

Game spotting from the microlight is great! Over the Zambezi and down to the park that runs along the river on the Zambia side.

The other microlight in the last pic is my having a ball, too.

It was great day, despite the section of road between Zimba and Livingstone - 60 km of nothing but potholes 2.5 hours, much of it spent driving on the verge to avoid the really bad stuff. The heavy trucks and buses take even longer!

 

[M5driver]

The frame is ready to spray with RB again. I think we'll get it right this time

The RB that went on before the rain in the first attempt that coated the clean areas is stuck on that rust good. No matter how hard we tried, that little blaster just wasn't up to taking it off. If the RB works that well on the blasted steel, it should last just about forever.

 

[M5driver]

The guys were working on the tub this morning. It's starting to look really GOOD