Last year for my birthday, I asked for trip up to Glass Beach, CA. Many months later, I took a 3-day weekend and visited several different things while there, but I want to dedicate one post per site because each one was too cool to try to shove them all together. I had 2 things I wanted to do, but needed another small adventure while there. Expedia suggested Safari West, a 400 acre preserve dedicated to conservation of critically endangered wildlife. My ticket to go on the Safari was extremely reasonably priced for a day of fun and education learning about animals I had never seen up-close before, and as a bonus the admission also helps to support that cause which I whole-heartedly endorse.
I was there on Saturday, September 2. It was actually quite hot, but I didn’t care. I was sitting on the top of the safari truck (as you can see in the picture later on) with the sun beating down, and for the most part had unhindered views of the wildlife in their territory. It was AWESOME! My trip was before the fire that forced them to evacuate, but they are back now and still going strong. I highly recommend it. Next time I go, I’m totally doing their overnight stay package!!
The biggest enclosure closest to the starting point has many different species of giraffe in it. There were so many babies running around! And they were huge, born at 6ft tall. That’s a baby, still wet and trying to stand, being 4″ taller than me. Wow. Seeing them in person really brought that home, but the pictures don’t really make their size come to life. The image I have is of the youngest one, born on just 4 days before I got there. He even still had his shriveled and dried umbilical cord! I did get a picture of that, but I liked this one with his momma giving him a hug better. This is a Masai Giraffe, and the momma was by far the largest one in the group. Even the baby, at just 4 or 5 days old, stood taller than most of other baby friends.
We drove around the massive giraffe enclosure and the driver of the truck kindly let me sit on the hood (before there was room on the top) so that I could get better pictures without fencing in the way. After getting some shots I was happy with, I looked around and around all the large birds running around us. I really, REALLY wanted a picture of the Secretary Bird but it just wasn’t happening. It was the Saddle-Billed Stork (below) that posed nicely to allow me some good shots. I learned that the males have solid black eyes, and the females have a bright golden yellow ring around their eyes. So I got a picture of a male here, because there is no gold ring.
Because it was so hot, many of the animals were less than thrilled to come pose dramatically for me on the high noon tour that I took. The pair of White Rhinoceros did kindly take a stroll through their enclosure though. They certainly do a good job of blending into the dirt, but it looks like they enjoyed their muddy pool shortly before we got there. This one’s face is still wet, despite the heat.
After the Rhinos, we drove through the massive preserve and saw all kinds of other critters. Ostrich, Caped Buffalo, Wildebeest, different kinds of Gazelle. It was truly impressive to see the wide variety of animals they had and the majority of them were free roaming around their designated areas. Only the Watusi Cattle were in their barn, so I didn’t get to see this distinctive breed of cattle. But I did get a few nice shots of the Common Ealand. The image below is a female with a twisted horn. While this species does have a number of flaring twists at the base of the horn, the length of the horn was straight except for this gal. I was happy to get a picture of her with little twins here.
Here’s another shot of a set of young adults. I think they were pushing on each other, a couple of young males practicing for later in life.
It was after these guys that we paused for a breather in the shade. The driver of the tour was super kind and offered to get a shot of me sitting on top of the tour truck. So here I am, Nerd Adventurer, on site. It’s one of the rare shots you’ll actually see of me since I’m usually the one behind the camera.
Back on the tour, we encountered the zebra running around. They came right up to the truck, eyed it curiously, and then went on their way. While I captured a lot of really fun shots, I liked this one the best. I literally can’t focus on that face with those stripes. It’s trippy! Other than that, I was surprised how much the zebra reminded me of burros.
Once the truck portion of the tour was over, it was time to hoof it! hahaha. The bird enclosures were impressive! So many different species all in one space. What’s a photographer to do?! Why, look for the image that’s just too stinkin’ cute to resist. For me, that’s this one of a fuzzy baby Flamingo. Dying of the cute!
After the cuteness, came the reptiles. This Sulcata Tortoise was very patient with me as I leaned over the railing, with guide permission of course, and tried to get a good close-up of this amazing animal.
I tried to get some pictures of the sleeping Fennec Foxes, but those images were largely yellow fuzz within tree leaves. Not very useful images. Then we got to the Cheetahs! My all-time FAVORITE animal! I just couldn’t get a shot after running here and there. Finally the guide took pity on me. She started just talking loudly and this cheetah came out of her shady spot to check on things. I managed to capture this shot before she turned and was gone again. Turns out, the guide was also the handler for this particular cheetah and they had been working together for years. Essentially, the cheetah heard a familiar voice and popped ’round for a look-see. AWESOME! My only wish would be to not have the fencing visible…
One of the birds not in any enclosure were the Guinea Fowl, which were running all over the place in the grassy areas near the main entrance and the restaurant. Chicks galore! I chose this image because I figured it’s great sign-off, reminding you to look forward and remember that adventure is everywhere – just be willing to see it!
Until next time, Adventure On!