Obviously I'm not very good at this blog thing. We're so busy out doing things that I don't have time to sit at the computer to keep you updated! I'll get caught up on things during our 6-hr layover at Dulles Airport on the trip home. We leave Cape Town at 2:00 pm Wed afternoon and arrive in Dulles 6:30 am on Thursday.
Safari in Karoo was incredible! We've spent the last four days in Camps Bay at the Whale Cottage. We've seen whales every day just watching from the balcony of our room. We visited Table Mountain on Sunday, along with 8,000 other people! I can honestly say that Table Mountain has moved up to the #1 spot of the most beautiful places I've seen on earth (so far). Will post pictures soon. We visited Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope again, since the first time we visited it was completely fogged in. The second time was a blue sky/sunny day and the views were awesome. This time we saw where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet--and Superman made another appearance (pics to follow).
We did the double-decker bus tour today to see the sights in downtown Cape Town and the waterfront. Time to repack the suitcases and get ready to leave in the morning.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
More pictures...
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| Opening Ceremony |
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| Ed Decker |
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| Doug Wilson |
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| Dave Gullo |
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| Brice Harper |
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| Table Mountain |
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| Norway Mid-Range Team |
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| Australia Mid-Range Team |
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| Germany Mid-Range Team |
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| Netherlands Mid-Range Team |
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| Setting up at 900 Meters |
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| South Africa Mid-Range Team |
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| New Zealand Mid-Range Team |
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| Great Britain Mid-Range Team |
Time to get caught up on the blog! It's been a whirlwind schedule the past three days...up at 5 am, leave for the range at 6:45 am, start shooting at 8 am, finish shooting at 3 pm, have lunch at the clubhouse, load powder for the next day, and get back to the B&B around 5 pm, get ready for dinner, after dinner clean the rifle and get things ready for the next day of shooting, then collapse in bed at 9 pm.
The US team did not medal at mid-range. The South Africans placed 1st, and Germans 2nd. The team mid-range for the US was a "perfect storm" of various problems that knocked us out of contention. But Thursday gave everyone the opportunity to regroup and shoot individual at 800 and 900 meters. Friday was the long range team competition and the US team placed 2nd, just 13 points behind the South Africans. They had to change the lineup for the long range team because Richard Hoff and Dave Munch both got sick, so Ray Hopkins stepped in. New competitor, Brice Harper, had the top score on the US team at 900! Congrats, Brice. Lee Shaver placed 2nd in the Grand Aggregate Individual. Go to www.bpsu.co.za and click on "results" for the 9th MLAIC Muzzleloading Championships to view complete results.
We made it through the whole week without rain! for which everyone was very thankful. Tonight is the banquet and award ceremony at Durbanville Hills Restaurant in Cape Town. Most of the guys have taken off today to go to Table Mountain, a Bird Park, an Ostrich Farm, and whatever else they can squeeze in before they have to be back to get ready for the banquet. We're staying at the B&B to pack for safari, clean the rifle, and have some down time to rest.
We will leave at 7 am Sunday for Kobus to take us and 5 other shooters in his van to the Karoo region. We will stay at a hunting lodge on Kobus' ranch and take day trips out to view wildlife. Can't wait!
I've updated the Africa picture album and here's the link: https://picasaweb.google.com/117681050623804397624/Africa?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMKQqfW6p9vKFA&feat=directlink
Here are also a few pictures to look at on the blog
The US team did not medal at mid-range. The South Africans placed 1st, and Germans 2nd. The team mid-range for the US was a "perfect storm" of various problems that knocked us out of contention. But Thursday gave everyone the opportunity to regroup and shoot individual at 800 and 900 meters. Friday was the long range team competition and the US team placed 2nd, just 13 points behind the South Africans. They had to change the lineup for the long range team because Richard Hoff and Dave Munch both got sick, so Ray Hopkins stepped in. New competitor, Brice Harper, had the top score on the US team at 900! Congrats, Brice. Lee Shaver placed 2nd in the Grand Aggregate Individual. Go to www.bpsu.co.za and click on "results" for the 9th MLAIC Muzzleloading Championships to view complete results.
We made it through the whole week without rain! for which everyone was very thankful. Tonight is the banquet and award ceremony at Durbanville Hills Restaurant in Cape Town. Most of the guys have taken off today to go to Table Mountain, a Bird Park, an Ostrich Farm, and whatever else they can squeeze in before they have to be back to get ready for the banquet. We're staying at the B&B to pack for safari, clean the rifle, and have some down time to rest.
We will leave at 7 am Sunday for Kobus to take us and 5 other shooters in his van to the Karoo region. We will stay at a hunting lodge on Kobus' ranch and take day trips out to view wildlife. Can't wait!
I've updated the Africa picture album and here's the link: https://picasaweb.google.com/117681050623804397624/Africa?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMKQqfW6p9vKFA&feat=directlink
Here are also a few pictures to look at on the blog
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| US Mid-Range Team |
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| The wind blew so hard this is all that remains of one of the shooters! |
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| US Long Range Team |
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| Superman at the Range |
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| Huge waves after a storm last night |
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
We all got an education about South African wind today! Put 7 minutes left on; no, the wind just changed, put 5 minutes right; no, the wind just changed, put 4 left on; no, the wind just changed, put 9 left on. That's how the day went! FYI, MOA (minutes of angle) is how you adjust your sights left, right, up, or down depending on the wind and mirage conditions to make your bullet hit where you want it to (the V-Bull ring!).
They were still entering the scores when we left the range at 3:00 pm today so it will be tomorrow before we have official results for the individual matches, but we do know that Kenn Heismann won several medals today in the Original Rifle Class.
Team Captain, Ray Hopkins, announced the mid-range team that will compete tomorrow against the other countries. Dave Gullo, Richard Hoff, Kenn Heismann, and Ed Decker, with an alternate, Dave Munch. They will shoot at 300, 500, and 600 meters tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed! The South Africans are very good and this is their home range.
The day got started with a welcome and announcements from officials of the South African team and then an opening shot from a cannon. The backdrop was gorgeous with views of Table Mountain to the south. Here are some pics from today:
They were still entering the scores when we left the range at 3:00 pm today so it will be tomorrow before we have official results for the individual matches, but we do know that Kenn Heismann won several medals today in the Original Rifle Class.
Team Captain, Ray Hopkins, announced the mid-range team that will compete tomorrow against the other countries. Dave Gullo, Richard Hoff, Kenn Heismann, and Ed Decker, with an alternate, Dave Munch. They will shoot at 300, 500, and 600 meters tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed! The South Africans are very good and this is their home range.
The day got started with a welcome and announcements from officials of the South African team and then an opening shot from a cannon. The backdrop was gorgeous with views of Table Mountain to the south. Here are some pics from today:
Monday, September 9, 2013
I saw whales today! A whole pod of them! From the balcony of our room overlooking the ocean. But let me get caught up on other news first. All the competitors met yesterday afternoon at the Good Hope Shooting Range to have their rifles inspected, opening ceremony for the competition, and a wonderful dinner hosted by the South African team (lamb chops, chicken kabobs, and a traditional local sausage (don't know the name of it). The reason for the rifle inspection is that all accessories to the rifle (sling, sights, cheek rests, etc) have to be authentic to the 1800's period. And the rifle itself has to be either an original or an exact reproduction of an original. Everyone on the US Team passed! Today was practice day so the competitors could get their sight elevations for 300, 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters. There's gonna be a bunch of tired puppies tonight! Tomorrow starts individual competition at 300, 500, and 600 meters. All the different countries' shooters are mixed up so no two people from the same country are shooting together. A person from a third country scores for them. The South Africans hire target pullers so the shooters don't have to pull target duty--yay!!! Everyone has the opportunity to win a medal at the different meters (gold, silver, bronze, 4th place, and 5th place). The weather was in the mid-50's today and NO RAIN! Yay! Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and mid-50's--perfect weather for shooting.
Since today was practice day, Andrea Shaver and I stayed at the B&B and walked a mile on the beach into town to pick up a few things, and, of course, collected a few more shells. We encountered Sea Rescue workers who were busy dragging and picking up the mountains of seaweed that had piled up on the beach from last week's storms. All those pictures of pretty, white, clean beaches that you see in pictures involve a LOT of behind the scenes work! Tomorrow Arleen will be photographing teams and competitors at the individual competiton so stay tuned for pics of that tomorrow night.
Since today was practice day, Andrea Shaver and I stayed at the B&B and walked a mile on the beach into town to pick up a few things, and, of course, collected a few more shells. We encountered Sea Rescue workers who were busy dragging and picking up the mountains of seaweed that had piled up on the beach from last week's storms. All those pictures of pretty, white, clean beaches that you see in pictures involve a LOT of behind the scenes work! Tomorrow Arleen will be photographing teams and competitors at the individual competiton so stay tuned for pics of that tomorrow night.
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