The wide grassy plain on which Camp 4 was located in is a beautiful and wild place.  There is nothing to betray human existence out there.  No houses, cars or people except us.  Everywhere you look is scenery of stark volcanic beauty.  The most spectacular thing out there is, of course, the magnificent stratovolcano, Oldoinyo Lengai with it's snow white beard.  Almost as high but not quite as beautiful are other volcanic neighbors and everywhere you look there are cinder cones.  Shapes of the cinder cones range from round and symmetrical to elongated to structures looking like amphitheaters.

Camp 4 at dawn.Jan and me at breakfast.

Compliments of the Baslers

 

Mt. Lengai.
View from Camp 4 near dawn.

Another view.
 

Camp 4 and surrounding country from the top of the cinder cone.
More cinder cones in the foreground and background.

Beautiful volcanic scenery south of Mt. Lengai.
Viewed from the top of the cinder cone.

Looking southwest toward Mt Lengai

Florence

       About midmorning we gathered at the picket line, got on our horses and started to ride north.  The ride today would be over very scenic and open country.  The plan was to ride about five miles (as the crow flys) and have lunch.  After lunch we were supposed to ride another five or eight miles to a high, scenic point above the south shore of Lake Natron.  That was the plan anyway, but evidently Great Lengai had other ideas us mortals weren't aware of.

We begin our ride to Lake Natron.

Weather was beautifully clear but windy.

Above three pictures compliments of the Baslers

     The wind was blowing briskly at about 20 knots.  The wind was most welcome here because we were now down to 2,000 feet above sea level - the lowest we've been since starting this trip and it would have been quite hot out there without the wind.  The scenery was beautiful, the horses were fresh and so were their riders.
 
     We rode until lunchtime when we came across the Bedford wallowing in some black volcanic sand.  The sand didn't look all that deep, but the big truck seemed to be having a very hard time.

I don't think they yet realized that the truck had a problem with the rear wheel drive.

Picture compliments of Dr. Kolblinger

 Go to Chapter 13

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