San Diego Zoo....Mixed Emotions

Yesterday, I visited the San Diego Zoo for the first time since 1968.  Wow.  That's been a while.  I was on a longer layover with my hubby and a good friend so we decided to really make a day of it.  Did you know that Diet Cokes actually cost $5 at the Zoo?  I thought it was for a six-pack, not a single drink.  Silly me.  But in spite of having a great sun-filled day, I left with mixed emotions.  I know that being the animal activist that I've migrate toward in my old age, I should not have paid the money to visit this zoo nor any other one.  I know that placing animals in captivity should not be supported.  I know that paying giant amounts of money for t-shirts and sodas at the zoo is just plain old not right. 

The zoo had a sign with a picture of each animals on the front of each exhibit (or listen to me...calling it an "exhibit" when it was nothing more than a cage for confinement....).  The little signs were all the same.  And they each rated the animals on whether they were endangered or not.  Many were.  In addition, I noticed heavy advertising, signs, pictures and public relations crap that were intended to tease me into thinking that the Zoo is a "green" place for animals -- that they are doing everything possible to make sure that the animals are well taken care of, tended to, needs dealt with, etc.  But, as with all of these sorts of things, I immediately questioned the Zoo's intentions.  I think that any business who is going out of their way to advertise to me what a good, green, earth-friendly, animal-caring place they are probably isn't such a place at all. 

I stood in front of the elephant exhibit watching two elephants swaying back and forth.  Each of these two were by themselves -- not with each other nor with the rest of the heard.  And swaying.  Back and forth.  Left and right, right and left....for as long as we were there.  And I said to my Zoo partners that I'll bet that the swaying is a byproduct of them being in captivity.  Yes sir, it is.  Check it out.  In addition, I didn't see a whole lot of animal caretakers around.  I did see a few.  Very few.  For the most part, "people" were absent from the scene -- unless it was to sell expensive food, treats, t-shirts, kettle corn and the like. 

Probably the highlight of the day was at the Hippopotamus pool.  Momma and 15-day-old baby!  Amazing...and right straight in front of us on the opposite side of the glass.  Apparently, they are not natural-born swimmers because momma was teaching the baby how to swim....herding the baby around the pool and nosing it up to the surface for air.  Something like this......it was really, really something else.

I know that in many cases, the animals are actually more well off in the zoo than in their natural habitat due to poaching and other unnatural happenings.  But in spite of it all, I've been thinking a lot about the fabrication of real life at the zoo.  It left me a little bittersweet.  For the lack of natural, free-roaming territory to enjoy. The captivity issue.  The children running and yelling and creating stressful situations for the animals -- there were actually signs on many of the cages warning us to not yell or not harass the animals....that it stresses them and makes them nervous.  I just felt sorry for them.  There's got to be a better way to educate our children, our world, than peddling expensive novelty items in gift shops and charging $5 for ice cream and locking up animals in cages.  It didn't feel natural at all. 

Multnomah Falls Frozen!

What a day. We've had below-freezing temperatures for many days now. It's been clear, ultra cold, and a bit unusual for us. After my morning turn to Orange County, we headed east out of Portland up I-84 to Multnomah Falls. It's just up a ways past one of my favorite clothing-optional beaches (Rooster Rock), about 20 miles east of us up the Columbia River. The falls are one of the highest in the US. And right now, they're frozen! In fact, there were many such areas along the shear cliffs as we drove along. Amazing views. If you have never been here, it definitely needs to be on your list. And you wouldn't believe how many photographers were out there -- it was at least as busy as a summer day. Enjoy the pictures here.

The Glory That Is Portland

We've been out and about every single afternoon for the last three days. It's been fantastic weather and we've taken full advantage. On Wednesday afternoon, we took Mason the Pooch to Kelly Point Park. It's at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Portland. I can't tell you how beautiful it is to have such amazing scenery, literally, in our backyard.

Thursday carried us a little further to one of our very favorite places in the area...Larch Mountain. It's about 45 minutes east of Portland, up above the Columbia River National Scenic Area and Multnomah Falls at the 4,500 foot level. From there you can see Mts. St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, Hood, and Jefferson. Here's a hiking link and here's a photo link. Check out my pics.

And today, another late summer day took us out to Collins Beach on Sauvie Island. It's one of our two clothing-optional beaches (did you know that Oregon had the very first clothing-optional beach in the US??). It's on the Columbia River northeast of Portland and is the perfect place to watch all of the giant ocean-going vessels as they go to and from the Port of Portland carrying new cars from Asia and taking Oregon/Idaho/Washington wheat back to Asia.

So, that's it....we're sunburned, tired, and happy. And you just can't beat that.

Mount Saint Helens

As I flew over the top of Mount Saint Helens (8,365 feet) today, I marveled at how often I get to do this.....it's "my office window." This is a live shot captured from the webcam. And, of course, it used to look like this before May 1980 when it was at 9,677 feet:

And I know you've all seen the blast shots. But in the fall of 2004, it started rumbling again....we actually were able to see it from our bedroom window that particular day....talk about the right time and place. From up close, it looked something like this:
There is a new dome forming inside of the old crater...it's amazing to see. And it's still growing. In fact, it's one of the world's largest actively growing glaciers. We occasionally take a picnic lunch up there in the summertime. It's about 1 1/2 hour drive, 90 miles as the crow flies, and clearly visible from our city. If you haven't been here, you really should put this place on your list of have-tos. There are plenty of people hiking it each year -- I've even been invited (yeah, right).

Volcano Review 2008

Glacier Caves

Here are a few of my own shots:

And here's one I shot with Mount Adams (12,276 feet) in the background.

Color !!

There's color everywhere. For many, it's one of the favorite times of the year. For others, it reminds them of what's to come. A pensiveness, perhaps, about the upcoming season of change. Change can be that way. Enjoy them all here.