Trip Report: a desert rat gets drenched

Yes the invisible toll (no booth but the rental car company sends you a bill) nailed me on a stay in Dallas a few years ago. The toll freeway was a short stretch (maybe two miles) that I had to take to get to my hotel. Just really awful.

 

I detest having to pay out for basic things like that. It’s daylight robbery.

 

London Congestion Charge mail you a bill if you don't pay up by the end of the second day.

 

Thursday, March 29 (part three)

Soooo glad I talked my companion for the day to return to tigers for 12:30pm keeper talk. As the keeper talks about Sumatran tigers, he throws meatballs for the tiger to catch (or try to catch). The tiger stands on a natural rock outcropping straight across from us. Though the viewing glass is only waist high (easy to shoot over), I am down low shooting through it most of the time to get a more eye-level view. (That's free advice for all you aspiring photographers – eye level shots are more visually pleasing than shots looking down). I notice the same thing here (and later at clouded leopard) that I noticed at Woodland Park Zoo jaguars yesterday. The glass is clear and free of both distortion and color casts, something that plagues most other zoo glass. I don't know where the zoos in Seattle/Tacoma get their windows, but zoos everywhere need to find their supplier. The best shots are when the cat walks away and then slinks back up to the rock in a menacing stalk.

male sumatran tiger by Arizona Docent posted 9 Apr 2018 at 10:13 PM

There is a small aquarium building with an ingenious stingray beach (as well as a separate stingray touch tank). It has no barriers other than an artificial palm tree “growing” sideways. It looks like you are seeing stingrays at a real beach. A larger aquarium building will be closing two days after our visit (though it seems fine to me considering its age). It will be replaced by an even larger aquarium building that opens this summer.

brilliant stingray exhibit by Arizona Docent posted 9 Apr 2018 at 10:08 PM

After an acceptable but not outstanding lunch, Snowleopard bids farewell to try to get through Seattle before rush hour traffic hits. I go back through the zoo and end up at clouded leopards which I have not photographed yet (and only seen briefly peeking out of the night den). It is 3:45pm and the zoo closes at 4pm (I could stay on grounds a bit later but will have to leave then to get to the airport). I have my wide angle lens attached so I take a shot of the entire exhibit, which is unusually tall. As I walk up to the glass – wow, there it is! A clouded leopard posing in lush greenery. As fast as is humanly possible I rip off my backpack, lay it on the ground, and switch cameras to the one with the telephoto lens. Once again I am ever so thankful that I bought a second camera body just before the trip. He poses long enough for a photo then walks back into the den. I wait in hopes he will come back out and sure enough, he does another loop and I get the shots I want of a gorgeous feline walking out of the forest right at me. A perfect ending to a great day. Man I love this zoo!

clouded leopard prowling by Arizona Docent posted 9 Apr 2018 at 10:13 PM

It is mind-numbingly slow going on the freeway interchange but thankfully traffic eventually speeds up so I catch my flight in time. A delay on my connecting flight means I don't get back to Tucson until 1:20am, but it's a small price to pay. That's it for now, but watch for my next report this summer when I go to San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Beautiful clouded leopard!

What are your plans for your next trip? I’m very interested, as San Francisco is going to be on the cards for me soon for my first proper zoo based US trip.

 

Brilliant shots! Thank you for the excellent thread, it was a pleasure to read.

 

Although it may not be the exact definition of eye level, I'm glad I wasn't crazy almost lying on the floor yesterday looking straight up at the lowered head of a southern tamandua in between tree limbs so I could get her to look straight on into the camera.

 

We’ve all done it!

 

Plans are still being finalized and I will not have as much time there as I would like. Hotels are booked though (and be warned they are pricey in summer as they are anywhere on California coast). I am spending first night in Monterey and following morning at Monterey Bay Aquarium (first visit, very excited). Spending remaining three nights at a hotel in Oakland. Trip is planned to coincide with opening of new California Trails at Oakland Zoo. I may spend two days there and my other day is still open. There are lots of animal attractions, plus I want good dusk shots of Golden Gate Bridge and maybe cable cars.

Other area animal attractions (of which I may hit one or two) include Happy Hollow Park Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, California Academy of Sciences, Aquarium of the Bay, CuriOdessey, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

 

Fabulous! My trip will centre around Oakland Zoo, but I also plan to visit San Francisco Zoo and most likely Aquarium of the Bay. I also want to do a loads of really touristy things. Pier 39 is definitely on the cards, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and possibly the Marine Mammal Centre too. It’s been a while since I looked at planning a trip, but there’s a Sheraton Hotel that looks like it’s very central (Fisherman’s Wharf) which I had my eye on. I think I will be planning this for around February 2019. I look forward to reading your reviews!

 

@beccasunbear You are very smart to visit in February. Small crowds and hotel rates perhaps half of what they are in summer. It will likely be cold and perhaps rainy, but that never stops me from traveling in the off season (as noted in this trip report).

 

For me, it’s mostly about when I’ll be craving another trip the most! I’m planning Cambodia for my birthday in November, so by February I will be absolutely desperate to get away again! Usually I go away for Christmas, but with starting a new job next month I’m unsure whether I’ll be able to get the time off (previously I have always worked for companies that close completely over that period) so I thought I would be better to make alternative plans.

 

Excellent ideas, but I'd recommend you visiting the California Academy of Sciences. A major part of the place is taken up by an aquarium, and from what I've seen (I haven't visited) it looks really good.

 

I have to be totally honest, this thread is the first time I have heard about it. I will definitely look it up, if it comes recommended. Thank you for that.

 

The Bay Area is a zoological treasure trove as you’ll have a zoo or aquarium in almost every county. You should definitely hit up California Academy of Sciences (which I actually planned on going over spring break but opt to going to the Sacramento zoo). The aquarium has a diverse array of fish and inverts that rivals the Monterey bay aquarium. The rainforest also has many Central American passerines along with a good collection of reptiles and butterfly species. Claude the Albino gator was actually the first American alligator I’ve seen in my life so he holds a special place in my heart (missed the gators in Oakland, I was too short at the time). Overall the place is fantastic and is a hidden gem that all zoochatters should check out. Trust me.

 

Thank you for this insight! I will definitely add it to my list now. This trip has been in the pipeline for a couple of years now - I was planning to go in 2016, but I got made redundant and then it took me ages to find a decent enough paid job so I really had to cut back on trips, and then in 2017 I bought my house so all my money went into that and there were no trips at all for a while. I’m really looking forward to finally making this happen, I think the fact that I’ve waited so long for it will make me appreciate it even more once it happens!

 

February is quite often warmer and clearer than the infamous “summers” of San Francisco, when fog often envelopes the city. The other plus is that the hills and coastal areas are generally at their greenest following the November—January “rainy season.”

 

I believe Point Defiance Zoo is to Red Wolves what the Phoenix Zoo is to Arabian Oryx or Bronx Zoo is to Bison.

This is an awesome trip report by the way. I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Seconded, thoroughly good read, especially the asides about the demon car from hell!

 

The have this in Merseyside for the bridges across the river, it is called Merseyflow (merseyflow.co.uk)