Archive for the ‘San Diego’ Category

More Zhen Zhen and the Zoo

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

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Headed back to the zoo today and was pleased to find that spring break finally seems to be over. Last week when I was here it was crowded like it usually is on weekends. Found out some schools were still out for spring break. Today I was able to circle through the panda exhibit a number of times, the line was so short.

Zhen is starting to ingest bamboo now, not just play with it.

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Su Lin became interested in one of her enrichment items. It probably had a scent that she liked. She hung upside down and tried to pull it up to her.

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This was the first time I have had the right timing to see the polar bears underwater. They are incredibly beautiful to watch. Kids seemed to really enjoy it too. Heard several say it was their favorite exibit. Read on the zoo web site that they are hoping to have some baby polar bears in the future.

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Have never seen an egret sitting like this.

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I stayed at Sweetwater County Park again during my stay in San Diego. It is around 10 miles from the San Diego Zoo (takes 30 minutes to drive there). About half of the park’s sites are always filled, either with permanent sites for people who volunteer 20 hours a week or “recurrent” visitors. You can stay here three weeks, then have to leave for one week before you can return. On weekends it often fills up.

Zhen Zhen, San Diego Zoo

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

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Zhen Zhen, the baby panda born at the San Diego Zoo in August 2007. She has only been on full-time exhibit for a couple of months. The line was really long to view the exhibit, but it was the main reason I went to the zoo and I wasn’t going to let waiting in line deter me.

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Training session while mom, Bai Yun, is inside and the exhibit area is being cleaned. First thing Zhen needs to learn is to go inside with her mom when the exhibit is cleaned and fresh bamboo is put out.

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Trainer carried Zhen to a log in the exhibit area, before Bai Yun is let out.

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Mom, Bai Yun. Zhen Zhen is her fourth, and maybe last, baby. She is now 16 years old.

poodles.jpgSome perfectly groomed poodles in the zoo parking lot.

San Diego to the Gulf Coast

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

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Left drizzling, congested San Diego before Christmas, heading to the Gulf Coast of Texas. Made three stops in Arizona—Yuma, Casa Grande, and Benson (seen above), at Escapee parks. Started to get some pretty cold weather at night that required the use of the furnace. Stayed at Rockhound State Park in New Mexico one night before heading into Texas via El Paso.

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Back-in rv sites at Balmorhea State Park.

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One word to describe Texas…vast! Stopped at Balmorhea State Park the first night. My pull through rv site is shown above. Beautiful park based on their spring water. An oasis in the desert. There is a spring fed swimming pool and canals run through the park. Not many people there this time of year, very quiet and peaceful. Next day started to climb out of the desert into the hill country. Stopped at South Llano River State Park near the small town of Junction, Texas. The land was donated to the state by a rancher who wanted to allow others to enjoy the area the way he had. In the summer, people ride down the river in innertubes. A lot of the park is closed from October to April to protect nesting wild turkeys. There are still trails and several bird watching blinds open, where you can observe birds without them seeing you. There were lots of red cardinals (below). The park presented me with a sort of bait and switch. It was beautiful when I arrived, so I decided to stay two days. The second day it was freezing cold, with biting winds making it hard to stay outside. Do hope to stay at these two parks again.

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Morrison Pond, Sweetwater Park

Monday, December 17th, 2007

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Morrison Pond in Sweetwater Regional Park is a great bird watching spot. On the park’s system of trails, you can walk the half mile to the pond from the campground on a trail that goes over a freeway, next to a golf course, and under a city road to an open area that is being restored to attract wildlife. Driving through town there are always people jogging or walking their dogs on the park’s trails. It is great that open areas are being preserved in this densely populated area.

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First night heron I have seen.

Elephants, Again

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

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There was a note on the elephant cam that they were going to bring snow in. I was so close, thought why not go see them again. The adults were the ones who enjoyed it the most…hunting for treats hidden in it.

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Khosi giving Punga a hug.

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Female making haste with hay.

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Lungile and her baby girl, just a few weeks old. Apparently 3-year-old Moose was beating up on the baby. As Lungile is the lowest ranking elephant, she cannot go after Moose, as his mother would then attack Lungile. So, for now, they are keeping Moose away from the new mother and baby. Today they were in the enclosed area by the barn. When I was there before, Moose was in this area. They will keep doing this till the calf is able to defend herself.

I recall Moose picking on Khosi, when she was young. But her mother would look out for her and keep him away if needed. In the zoo magazine it says that Moose would often try to kick Khosi and that Khosi’s mom knocked Moose to the ground with a head butt at least one time! Moose was the baby of the herd for three years, so it must be hard on him to see all the new babies getting all the attention.

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The new baby using a tree as a pillow.

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San Diego – Sweetwater Park

Friday, December 14th, 2007

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In San Diego at the Sweetwater Regional Park. Wanted to visit some of the wildlife refuges in the area: Tijuana Slough NWR and The San Diego Bay NWR. Also, Zhen Zhen, the baby panda at the San Diego Zoo is due to go on display at any time. Would love to see her and her mom, Bai Yun.

Had a heck of a time finding Sweetwater County Park. A new toll freeway has been constructed next to it and getting here confused both me and my friend Garmin. Left the elephants around 2:30 p.m. and didn’t think there would be any problem travelling the 30 miles to Sweetwater. Ended up going in circles through multiple high-end housing developments (housing track hell). Garmin directed me to a dirt road that had a sign saying “End of Pavement” “No Trucks”. Had no idea where the road went or what condition it was in. Backed up and turned around so Garmin could recalculate the route, but ended up at another dirt road! All this was complicated by the fact that my gas gauge was on empty, it was rush hour with a lot of traffic on roads with a lot of road work being done, and night was closing in. Changed my priority to finding gas. Garmin came through on this for me, albeit through long, slow traffic jams.

Did finally make it to Sweetwater Park around 6:00 p.m. The dirt roads were being constructed for the housing tracts and did take me to the park. Started raining after I got settled. So I was lucky on that point. The park is nice, even with freeways on two sides and jet planes flying over to land in San Diego. It is set on a hill and there are 15 miles of trails for horses and people. It is also very close to the places I want to visit.

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The San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge has a bird aviary for birds who cannot survive in the wild. Bald eagle above, hawk with one bad eye below.

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Barn owl

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They had some cute diving ducks. They would disappear in a flash underwater.


San Diego, California September 7-8, 2007

Friday, September 7th, 2007

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Su Lin

Finally got to see the pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Su Lin is pictured above, Mei Sheng below. You can see some zoo photos of the new baby panda here.

A word to the wise: try to visit the pandas on a weekday, not the weekend. There is a world of difference.

Mei Sheng

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Hippos sleeping under water.

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Above: heron taking off next to the rv park I stayed at near Mission Bay. When at the zoo, I saw a heron fly up and out of a bird exhibit. Wondered if this was one of theirs, it was so beautiful.
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At the rv park, ducks went around getting water from dripping faucets.

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Elephants

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

Wanted to stop and see the elephants at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California. I am a big fan of both them and the zoo’s pandas but, being new to towing, thought it best to settle for the elephants, rather than try to get closer in to San Diego to see the pandas.

There is a lot of controversy about elephants in zoos, but the elephants in San Diego seem happy and well cared for. Three baby elephants have been born there in a little over a year and another is due in December 2007. Look here to see some of the zoo’s great photos of the new additions.ele1.jpg

elephant friends

Best friends, Khosi (older sister) and Punga (little brother) spend most all the time together. You may notice Khosi has a milk mustache from nursing.

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Khosi and three-year-old Moose.

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Moose taking a mud bath with an adult.

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Punga and mom

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