Fall 2021 Tour Episode 2: San Diego Zoo

On February 4, 2022February 3, 2022 By LToddIn California, RV Travel, Travel4 Comments

The San Diego Zoo was a place we hadn’t visited in a long time, so we arranged to meet Kevin and Bailey, our son and his better half, there on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Runners, participating in the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & Half Marathon, foiled our plans.

Jon poses with the statue NGAGI depicting the male mountain gorilla from Belgian, Congo. Captured in1930 by OSA & Martin Johnson. Donated in 1931 by Ellen B. & Robert Scripps. Died January 1944. Weighed 635 pounds. Bronze modeled from life by Holger & Helen Jensen and donated by Rachel Wegeforth.

Even with the street signs and a map, we occasionally lost our way.

Closed freeway exits and road closures had us driving around in circles, trying to escape the traffic. Jon and I stopped at Crest Cafe for breakfast, thinking the traffic would dissipate in about an hour. Kevin and Bailey joined us. Unfortunately, the grid lock had not abated by the time we finished our meals, so we nixed the zoo idea and crawled along for an hour or more before we could shake ourselves loose.

Jon and I went back on Tuesday, which turned out to be a very fine day indeed, to visit the zoo. We started with the shuttle to get our bearings. Note to visitors: The best seats to see the animals and take photos is on the right side of the double decker. We had snagged two seats on the left side, which wasn’t so great.

The Koala Forest was my favorite exhibit. They look so cuddly.

The flamingoes are always a treat to watch.

The 1915 Exposition brought more than the architectural buildings to Balboa Park. It also brought exotic animals for display during the exposition. Sadly, many of the animals were abandoned and left to the City of San Diego to care for them.

Zebra shares the enclosure with a friend.

Birds of Paradise thrive in the San Diego climate.

In October 1916, the Zoological Society of San Diego was born and Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth served as president until 1941. Wegeforth was instrumental in the creation of “cageless” exhibits by constructing moats instead of enclosing them with wires.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to hire a zoo director, Belle Benchley, the zoo’s bookkeeper, was named as the executive secretary with the duties of the zoo director. Later she was given the title of zoo director and served in that capacity until 1953.

Waterfall on the trail through Africa Rocks

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife alliance, a private nonprofit conservation organization, is now the parent organization for both the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, California.

Meet Amara the cheetah and Hopper the shelter rescue dog. Hopper and Amara were paired under the Animal Ambassador’s program at the zoo and have been together for about 10 years.

We selected Albert’s Restaurant for our lunch. The sit-down diner’s plentiful assortment of soups, salads, and entrees should satisfy most patrons. Wine, beer, and mixed drinks are also available.

Try Albert’s Restaurant for a relaxing lunch at the zoo.

After our meal, we walked around the enclosures, expecting to see more animals. We guessed most of the animals must have been inside eating their meals because there were very few out and about. Birds in the aviaries were the exception.

Hey, no smoking allowed. Oh, sorry. It’s only a branch.

Endangered Chacoan Peccary from Chaco, South America

The zoo’s 100 acres (40 ha) house over 12,000 animals of over 650 species and subspecies. In 2018, the zoo reached over 4 million visitors.

Is this guy or gaI a member of the giraffe family?

A show with your meal. These guys sat on a wall next to one of the outdoor eateries.

A mama and baby hippo swam around in this tank. I waited for a better shot and after 10 minutes or more; I was glad I snapped this one.

Okapi from Democractic Republic of the Congo grow skin covered horns called ossicones, like male giraffes. Endangered

Tapirs are closely related to elephants and rhinos.

The fang tooth suggests this is a crocodile.

I knew the bronze lion outside the exit gate was something special as soon as I saw it. I never guessed how special until I did a little research and found out how the lion sculpture could stand on only one paw. Rex’s Roar took two years from a sketch design to installation to create the 10-ton bronze sculpture with a stainless steel structure.

Rex’s roar one night after the Exposition is credited with saving the abandoned animals and creating what is now the San Diego Zoo.

Jim Burt of Blue Rhino Studios turned a design sketched by Tim Reamer, former San Diego Zoo Global illustrator, into a 3-D model that was enlarged through a 3-D printing process. Engineered by Thornton Tomasetti and cast by Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, California, Rex stands at 27 feet tall. Craigar and Mark Grosvenor made it all happen through their donation. Watch the Making of Rex on YouTube.

We had a great day at the zoo and another visit may be in the cards the next time we’re in San Diego. Maybe we’ll be able to catch sight of the animals we missed on this visit.

Safe Travels

Fall 2021 Tour: Episode 1 San Diego, California

On January 28, 2022January 27, 2022 By LToddIn California, RV Travel, Travel4 Comments

Our Fall 2021 Tour kept us mostly within California. It was refreshing not to have long days of driving. Although visiting family and friends was the main purpose of our trip, finding things to do and see still played a role in our plans.

San Diego skyline, Coronado Bridge, and Sweetwater Marsh from our fifth wheel’s back window

We arrived at Sun Outdoors RV Resort in Chula Vista, California, on October 20, 2021, for a one-week stay. The Chula Vista RV Park where we stayed during our last visit to the San Diego area had closed permanently a week or two before our arrival. It was time to check out the new campground next to Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

The campsites had plenty of space and we liked the amenities and facilities. And the ticket for a complimentary frozen drink was a bonus. We missed being surrounded by the mature vegetation planted at the Chula Vista RV Park until we saw the view from our rig’s patio and out the back window. The view is what will keep bringing us back to Sun Outdoors.

Propane fire pits, chairs, and table come with the site.

A flotilla of sailboats danced in the Bay on most mornings.

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is always a favorite activity of ours while in San Diego. I especially like the architecture, and with the vendors, musicians, galleries, and museums, we always enjoy exploring the nooks and crannies we find on our walks through the park.

Originally named the Commerce and Industries Building when built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the Casa De Balboa on the El Prado feature caryatids (weight-bearing features carved as human figures) or hermes elements under the eaves. Except here they are more ornamental than functional. The hermes depict naked women with arms overhead as if their presence holds up the eaves. Some of the women are shown kneeling, while others are shown from the waist up. How many people walk under those eaves in a day and never bother to look up at the faces staring down on them?

We ducked into the Museum of Photographic Arts to view the Aaron Siskind: Mid Century Modern exhibit (through May 1, 2022) and the 15^th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition (through April 10, 2022). While I enjoyed Aaron Siskind’s photographs, there were plenty of works in the youth exhibit that blew me away. The crowded display and lighting in the youth room was perfect for viewing in person. Unfortunately, taking photographs of the art didn’t work out, so I have no samples to share.

“When I make a photograph I want it to be an altogether new object, complete and self-contained, whose basic condition is order.”
— Aaron Siskind “Credo” 1950

Another 1915 Exposition structure is the Botanical Building with the lily pond out front. Constructed with lath (thin, narrow strips of straight-grained wood), it is one of the largest lath-built structures in the world.

It’s a great place to wander through to look at, or photograph, the various ferns, orchids, cycads, and other tropical plants and palms.

Designed after the Globe Theatre in London, the Old Globe Theatre was built in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition. The theater produces the annual Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas? musical along with 15 other productions during the year, of which many have earned nominations and 13 received Tony Awards.

Heading west on El Prado toward Cabrillo Bridge, the California Building and Tower commands the attention of viewers with its intricately designed carvings, busts, and colorful tiles.

The building and tower were also built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and display a mix of Baroque, Rococo Gothic, Spanish Colonial, Plateresque, and Churrigueresque architectural features. Somehow, those styles blend well together to create the imposing structure.

Once known as the Museum of Man, the Museum of Us has changed its focus to a more inclusive and respectful mission with recognition of the indigenous peoples who lived in San Diego before it became part of the United States.

On the day of our visit, Korean Day at Balboa Park was in full swing, including live music, at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Harrison Albright designed the Italian-Renaissance structure for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. The pavilion is noted for its semi-circular colonnades, leaf clusters, and shell designs.

So here’s a tip when visiting Balboa Park: Don’t forget to look up at the buildings and their ornamental details. What you find may be a whimsical surprise.

Next Up: The San Diego Zoo

Safe Travels

Summer 2021 New Mexico Tour: Going Home

On January 21, 2022January 20, 2022 By LToddIn Idaho, Nevada, RV Travel, Travel, Utah4 Comments

In this episode, we wrap up our trip to New Mexico. Thursday, July 22, 2021, was decision time. Do we turn the truck for home? No. We weren’t quite ready. Not yet. Hey, Twin Falls was only about 720 miles away, albeit mostly north rather than west. We could make that drive in a couple of days. So, the next day, we loaded up, hooked up, and climbed into the cab.

Depiction of Powell and his crew on an expedition at the Wesley Powell River History Museum

Green River

Shady Acres in Green River, Utah, looked like a good place to stop for a couple of nights. We’d have time to catch up on the laundry, the museum in town looked interesting, and we could visit Green River Coffee Shop. We had picked up a nice batch of freshly roasted decaf coffee beans and pastries at the coffee shop the last time we drove through town.

The Green River Golf Course and farm land surrounds the RV park.

From the museum looking north up the Green River

J.W. Powell River History Museum entrance

Panels and artifact displays tell about the river’s history, geology, and the people who lived and ran the river.

Details in the statue’s base depict scenes from Powell’s expeditions.

This metate is only one of many artifacts displayed.

Dinosaur exhibit with *Utahceratops gettyi*

The Boat Room shows different styles of river boats that navigated the rapids, including this bull boat. American Indians and frontiersmen used boats made of wooden frames and covered with buffalo hides.

The boat *No Name* met its fate at Disaster Falls when it broke in two during John Wesley Powell’s first voyage down the Green and Colorado Rivers. No lives were lost, only cargo.

This was Norman Davies Nevills boat used in the 1940s.

Sample of paintings in the art gallery. Carol Bold paintings: *Reflections Adrift*, *Winding Around the Bend,* and *Preserve the Reserve*.

Outside, next to the museum, is a walking path along the river.

Here are a couple of unexpected sights in the museum’s parking lot.

Need a charge traveling I70 in Utah? Tesla has a charge station in the museum’s parking lot.

Watermelon used as a float in the Melon Days Parade?

Sadly, there were no coffee beans for sale on this trip, and the muffin we shared was not what we remembered. Oh well. We were still in the middle of a pandemic and our laundry piles were waiting for us back at the trailer.

John Wesley Powell River History Museum

Jon and I spent a good part of two hours exploring the John Wesley Powell River History Museum. Betsy Hatt, “in memory of Vail Hatt and his commitment to the betterment of the community and tourism,” donated the property where the museum stands.

Conceived in 1987, the 23,000 square foot museum opened its doors in 1990. It is owned and operated by the city in partnership with the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, Inc., established in 2008 as a non-profit organization.

We enjoyed wandering through the historical exhibits and reading the information panels, as well as the art exhibit and the science exhibit featuring dinosaurs. The museum’s focus is on the impact that exploration of the Green and Colorado rivers had on the history and culture of Southeastern Utah.

Visitors will find historical exhibits detailing the Crossroads of the West, John Wesley Powell, the River Runner’s Hall of Fame, and the Boat Room. Temporary art exhibits are also available for viewing.

One of the most notable observations we made about the town of Green River was how neat and clean everything was. Most of the properties, whether occupied or not, had been swept clean of debris and landscaped with flowers planted in barrels.

Following our two-night stay in Green River, we headed north to Twin Falls, Idaho, where our friends Sonia and Marv Baima had moved to from Sparks, Nevada.

Twin Falls, Idaho

On our way to Twin Falls, we stopped for lunch at the Tangerine Eatery in Price, Utah. They serve healthy choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And patrons will find plenty of toppings for their favorite frozen yogurt selection.

We arrived at Twin Falls KOA around 6:30 p.m. after a long drive from Green River. We met up with our friends, Sonia and Marv Bamai for breakfast then went to Shoshone Falls to gawk at the Snake River rushing over the boulders and cliffs. Then headed downtown for good eats and beer at Koto.

Historic Twin Falls Downtown

Twin Falls, founded in 1904 as a planned community, is the county seat of Twin Falls County, Idaho, and has seen significant growth and development since 2006. During our visit, we noticed several new shopping centers and recently built homes.

Need a pot, pan, or other kitchen goodies and gadgets? Rudy’s has you covered.

Guess the painter hasn’t gotten to the upstairs part.

*The Surveyor – A Vision of Tomorrow* is a bronze sculpture of The Twin Falls surveyor John E. Hayes created by Dave LaMure Jr. Hayes surveyed the town in 1904.

The next day, a hike to the Devil’s Washbowl Outlook along the Snake River helped us compensate for the food and beer intake of the previous day.

Looking from trail back to kiosk and parking lot

We were glad we had left for our hike early in the day. The air conditioning was a welcome treat when we returned to the car, so we opted for a drive to Murtaugh Lake—I forgot to write the name down, so I could be wrong.

If my memory is correct, this is Murtaugh Lake. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

For more information on Twin Falls, Idaho, check out our blog post [add link]

Sparks and Victoria City in Nevada

Our next stop was Sparks, Nevada, to meet up with Sonia and Marv again at Virginia City for the Hot August Nights event. And as usual, we stayed at Sparks Marina RV Park.

Picnic and beach area at Sparks Marina and Lake

It’s always a treat to see the Victorian homes in Virginia City.

Love this house with its wrap-around porch

And now for the cars.

The detail on this woody captured my attention.

Updated wood dash with modern digital gauges

The beats of rock-n-roll with Lady and the Tramps

Some of the buildings are in need of repair

The Way it Was Museum will stir up your memories

And finally, our 2021 Summer New Mexico Tour comes to an end. We’ll be back next time with our 2021 fall tour. Hope you join us as we whirl around Southern California and Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to check in with family and friends.

Safe Travels

Summer 2021 Tour Chama, New Mexico Episode 3: Echo Amphitheater and Heron Lake and Dam

On January 13, 2022January 12, 2022 By LToddIn Echo Amphitheater, Heron Lake State Park, New Mexico, Photography, RV Travel, Travel4 Comments

In this post we wrap up our time in Chama, New Mexico, with a quick visit to Echo Amphitheater and Heron Lake State Park.

Echo Amphitheater

As we headed west on US 84 from Ghost Ranch toward Chama, we noticed Echo Amphitheater and had to stop. The rainbow of sandstone cliffs were created during the Triassic and Jurassic periods between 251 and 154 million years ago.

A cave in the making to the left and amphitheater to the right

We followed the concrete trail and ramps until we reached the dead end, where concave cliffs towered above and wrapped around us. Water cascading over the sandstone cliffs created the amphitheater over millions of years.

Information panels tell the amphitheater’s geological story

Picture the land mass of New Mexico as a grassy plain in a tropical or subtropical region located only 10 degrees north of the equator. Deposits from flood plains, lakes, and the rivers that once flowed across the grasslands created the Chinle Formation, which we recognize as the red siltstone and fine sandstone in the lower layers of the cliffs.

Then along came the Jurassic period, when a large lake formed across the Chama Basin region depositing additional layers of basal limestone and shale. As the lake evaporated, a layer of gypsum formed to create the gray caps on top of the cliffs.

Myths of murder posit the cause of the stains. I’ll believe the scientific hypothesis.

From bottom to top: red siltstone and fine sandstone, then basal limestone and shale, gypsum forms the gray caps on the top.

Native Indians and Hispanos harvested the limestone to prepare maiz concho (a hard-shell white corn) into pozole (a dish similar to hominy) and corn tortillas.

The rounded edge of this cliff, with its protective beret on top, seems to evoke a sense of power and movement

At the observation platform, we tried a few shy yells, and then we followed with full throated hoots and hollers. We couldn’t help but smile when the sounds echoed off the walls. It’s too bad carrying a tune is not in my repertoire of skills. I could only imagine what it would feel like to belt out a song in that space.

Besides the amphitheater, visitors can find tent camping spots, a hiking trail, and covered picnic tables at Echo Amphitheater.

Heron Lake State Park

One day while in Chama, New Mexico, we drove south on US 64 and transitioned to NM 95, where we stumbled upon the Heron Lake State Park. At the visitor center, we looked at the small exhibits, paid our $5.00 day-use fee, and picked up a map.

We pulled into one of the day-use sites at the west end of Heron Dam. The colorful rock mesa and lake landscape caught my attention and became my subjects for several photographs.

The earth-filled Heron dam is part of the Colorado River Storage Project and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. It measures 1,221 feet (372 m) long and 276 feet (84 m) high. Constructed in 1971 near the confluence of Willow Creek with Rio Chama, the dam creates Lake Heron. At its fullest, the reservoir covers 5,905 acres (23.90 km²) and contains 401,000 acre-feet (495,000,000 m³) of water.

Developed and primitive RV and tent camping are available, some of which are along the shoreline. Only a few of the sites have full hookups, many have electricity and water, some have no electricity and/or water, and about half require a reservation. Campers will enjoy having fresh water, the dump station, and restrooms with showers.

Visitors will find plenty of recreational activities to engage in year round. Fancy a bit of winter ice fishing or cross-country skiing? Lake Heron has it. In the summer, anglers can try their luck catching trout, or kokanee salmon.

Motorboats are allowed at trolling speed only, so no summer water skiing is allowed. Kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and sailboats are welcome.

For adventurers who prefer to keep their feet, or wheels, on the ground, the 7 miles of hiking and biking trails should suit them just fine. While hiking and biking, keep a watchful eye open for black bear, elk, deer, marmot, bald eagles, and osprey. They all call the park home.

Then we went to the other end of the dam to see the water flow out and down river to El Vado Lake, another storage and release lake of the Colorado River Storage Project.

Sadly, we didn’t have time to visit El Vado Lake where there’s a day use area, mostly tent camping, a few RV reservation sites, and a launch ramp.

Next up: We stay a couple nights in Green River, Utah, and visit the JW Powell River History Museum.

Safe Travels

The Traveling Todds

Category: RV Travel

Fall 2021 Tour Episode 2: San Diego Zoo

Fall 2021 Tour: Episode 1 San Diego, California

Balboa Park

Summer 2021 New Mexico Tour: Going Home

Green River

John Wesley Powell River History Museum

Twin Falls, Idaho

Historic Twin Falls Downtown

Sparks and Victoria City in Nevada

Summer 2021 Tour Chama, New Mexico Episode 3: Echo Amphitheater and Heron Lake and Dam

Echo Amphitheater

Heron Lake State Park

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Balboa Park

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Green River

John Wesley Powell River History Museum

Twin Falls, Idaho

Historic Twin Falls Downtown

Sparks and Victoria City in Nevada

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Echo Amphitheater

Heron Lake State Park

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