Exploring Nature: Memorable M
oments
I’ve had some wonderful experiences in my travels around the world.
In Alaska, I flew in a float plane and landed in a wide river, to stay at a lodge where the ice was chipped off a nearby glacier. The proprietor told me he did not need to clean the outside cooking grill because bears came up at night and nibbled them clean.
In the Galapagos Islands, I saw large tortoises weighing over a hundred pounds and made the acquaintance of Lonesome George, a male species who was kept as the star attraction at park headquarters. He never chose to mate with any of the females made available so his genes were never passed on. He was indeed lonesome. Also unique in the Galapagos were blue-footed boobies and Darwin finches.
In South Africa, Greater Kruger National Park offered a wonderland of wildlife, plus the mist and thunder of Victoria Falls, the most splendid waterfall in the world. Some days, there were double rainbows from all the mist.
Closer to home, Yellowstone National Park was home to the remarkable Old Faithful geyser, as well as several native buffaloes.
Iceland also had geysers; in fact “geyser” is an Icelandic word. One location in particular was famous for the soothing baths in geyser-heated waters – a sure cure for sore muscles and aching limbs.
In Arizona, the Grand Canyon was awesome and some lucky folks rode donkeys down to the canyon floor.
The fall foliage of Asheville, North Carolina was splendid. So were the colorful leaves at Lost Maples State Natural Area in Texas.
Prince Edward Island was a favorite in Canada, as was Halifax, Nova Scotia.
South America was in a class by itself – not to be missed were the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, the “lost city of the Inca.”
All in all, it’s a really marvelous planet we live on. Our time on it is relatively short, so it really behooves us to get out and see all we can, while we can.
