In September 2003 Steve Gadol and his wife Jeanne had the extraordinary experience of traveling there for a privately guided photo safari in Kenya. With their guide, Tim Trench, they visited four of the countryâs most beautiful areas. This program will be based around a video that Mr. Gadol made of their trip. It features many of exotic animals and birds that live there that and is set to music of the region. There will also be some discussion about how the trip was set up, and about trade-offs between a custom safari and a packaged tour.

The safari started in the Samburu to the north of Nairobi. The Samburu is a photographerâs paradise. It offers unique vistas of rounded, rugged hills and arid undulating plains. Its mix of wood, grassland and forest is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife. Game viewing is excellent with several rare and striking species such as the reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Oryx, and Grevyâs zebra occurring in large numbers. Elephant, Somali ostrich, hippo, crocodile, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena are also common, all drawn by the beautiful Ewaso Nyiro River.

Both Steve and Jeanne are avid photographers. Mr. Gadol also spends time working with computer software and networking. His career in the computer industry spanned 30 years. At the time he retired last year, he was the Director of Software Technology for the Volume Systems Division at Sun Microsystems. Mr. Gadolâs other interests include music, traveling, and cooking.