Wildlife – Page 3 – On the Loose Live

Railay Rocks!

April 30, 2017October 6, 2017livevigorously

Spectacular scenery, iconic limestone crags of monolithic proportions rising out of the Andaman Sea – that’s Railay.

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When I arrived by longtail boat, I checked into my hotel and took a walkabout to stretch my legs after the taxi (half hour), ferry (2hr), bus (2 hr) minivan (half hour with1 hr delay) and longtail boat ride (20 minute) – phew!

Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. It’s extremely easy to get around in Thailand. My full day of travel was coordinated by 1 agency for $33. Travel agencies are almost as ubiquitous as 7-Eleven’s here. Tip: It can be worthwhile to check with different agencies if you are looking for a specific itinerary and time. Some offer more choices than others.

I’ve been touring up and down Thailand for 3 weeks and the only wild things I’ve seen so far are some unruly Americans and Australians, feral cats, bats and myna birds. Accessible only by water, this tiny peninsula is literally crawling with wild things. And I’m not just talking about the rock climbers who flock here from around the world. Here there are macaques running amok, water monitors skulking about, squirrels flying overhead, and apparently some dusky langors in hiding too. You just follow the boardwalk from the pier in East Railay and head for West Railay Beach. When you make that right, you are in what I call monkey alley.

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Tip: Pay close attention to your belongings (monkey’s steal) and keep an eye out for movement on the rocks. Monitor lizards blend in well, but you can detect them with a keen eye. They are a bit noisy going over brush, tree limbs or leaves so keep your ears open too.

Awesome, right? I know! And all within the first 20 minutes of my arrival. Next to a conspicuous “Danger” sign was a rope climb / hike to a vista point that beckoned to me. I’m a wee bit leery of heights and hence not the biggest fan of rock climbing though I’ve done it before. This looked a bit sketchy…To be continued…

Nature Meditation: Bird Song, Anza Borrego State Park

March 15, 2017March 24, 2017livevigorously

Sharing the bird’s song and vista that greeted me on my morning hike up Alcoholic Pass in Anza Borrego last weekend. (Stay tuned for my superbloom post.) My best guess is that it is a wren of some type (Catcus, Bewick, Rock)? If you’re up on your ornithology, tell us what you think it is. And if you’d like to learn more about the birds of Anza Borrego, click here.

Worth it: Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT

February 1, 2017February 20, 2017livevigorously

Just a block from the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is worth a stop. And you might find you’ll want to stay a while and even come back the next day. And that’s okay because the admission fee (just $13 for adults, $8 for kids 5 years and up) is good for 2 consecutive days.

The not-for-profit wildlife center takes in orphaned grizzly bear cubs and adults from as far away as Alaska and as close by as Yellowstone Park. Most adult grizzlies are those that have become habituated to human food due to campers and hikers not following proper food storage requirements. At the outdoor exhibit, you can watch the beautiful, massive beasts foraging under rocks and logs for the fruit treats that the caretaker hides for them. In order to rescue more bears and provide habitat variety for the existing bears, the center will be creating a new exhibit called bear meadows that will feature mini river rapids and a trout-stocked pond. Note, because they are fed all year round, the bears don’t hibernate so you can see them all year round. And any day you want because the center is open every day.

The outdoor wolf exhibit and information about the trophic cascade was well done too.

There’s also an extensive, interactive bear exhibit inside and plenty of programs for kids and adults, including:

Bear-Resistant Product Testing (I would have liked to see that one.)
Keeper Kids (Kids get to help the caretakers hide food for the bears.)
Yellowstone Park Ranger Talks
Live Bird of Prey Presentations (A must! The naturalist delivers an engaging, incredibly informative, hands-on presentation.)

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In the works is a River Otter Riparian Habitat that will highlight the interrelations of the critters who make up that ecosystem.

Young or old, you won’t leave the center without learning something new about the wild animals and birds of the region and the impact humans have on them and their habitat.

Raleigh, NC: Bucolic biking on the Neuse River Greenway Trail

December 8, 2016July 31, 2017livevigorously

Borrowed my sister’s sweet Orbea tri bike for an out and back cruise on the Neuse River Greenway Trail. Bucolic beauty, tame riding (flat), and deer sightings along the river and over 7 bridges (2 suspension bridges) through wetlands and countryside. (I coaxed the little guy out of the brush so he could join his peeps on the other side of the path.) It’s an easy, paved, multi-use, 27.5 mile trail. I turned around at the 25 mile marker as I had to get back. This trail is part of Raleigh’s Capital Area Greenway System, and notably, also a portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a 1,150 mile hiking trail that crosses North Carolina through the Great Smoky Mountains and concludes in the Outer Banks. (Perhaps something to add to my “to do” list though from the little I’ve seen, my preference would be to bike it over hiking it…)

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The downside

Posted trail speed limit is 10 mph, which is ridiculous for road bikers. I went on a weekday afternoon when there weren’t many walkers or casual bikers so I broke the rule. If I lived there, it would drive me nuts not to be able to ride the trail at realistic road bike speeds. Of course, safety is of the utmost importance, but how can you have a decent mileage path that allows bikes and expect people not to exceed 10 mph? (Heck, I ride 14 mph on my mt. bike on the road.) It’s a big deterrent to this cyclist. Perhaps the sentiment is if you’re a real cyclist, you’ll ride on the road. I don’t know about you, but I get more than my fill of riding on the road in California so anytime I have a chance to ride and not worry about cars, I’m all over it. I’d be working with city council and bike advocates to change the rule or adopt some measure to establish designated times or days when road cyclists can ride at speed. All that being said, once you get the 25 mile marker, the roads look very rideable with minimal car traffic. You could probably make your own century ride out of it.

Yellowstone quickie: Biscuit Basin, Mystic Falls & overlook hike

November 11, 2016December 13, 2016livevigorously

Wonderful to be in Yellowstone without the crowds. Unfortunately, only had time for a short hike so opted for Mystic Falls – that way I could take in the geological wonders at Biscuit Basin first with the added bonus of a waterfall and vista of the Upper Geyser Basin.

Silex Spring, the photo at the top of the page, was one of the most spectacular geothermal pools, but there were many contenders. It was mesmerizing to watch what seemed to be sporadic eruptions from pool to pool. After a while, you notice that the eruptions are actually sequential with the water draining from one pool and filling the next.