Day Thirteen, Mon, 9/16/24, Calgary Zoo, Lunch and more

We needed to eat.  The Katamba Cafe was the perfect solution.  Then we entered Destination Africa.

Katamba Cafe

We didn't eat any.  Just a cool sign!

Entering Destination Africa

Vroom Vroom Zoom

The entrance to the open Lemur exhibit.

Mary catching some more rays at the Lemur open air exhibit.

Mary and Jo getting to know Lemurs.

 

Artwork in Destination Africa

 

Lion Pride

Out of the mouths of babes!

Land of Lemurs

 

 

One of the women from the Gift Shop took this for us.

 

We ended our day at the Calgary Zoo back at the Gift Shop and the cab company took us back to the Super 8.  We were pooped!  I gave it all at the Calgary Zoo -- 12,000+ steps.

What did this day mean to me?  I enjoyed the lemur exhibit even if they were a bit hard to see.  The whole idea of an open air exhibit appeals to me.

What did I learn today?  I learned how influential lemurs are in creating and maintaining forest systems.

What would I do differently if Mary and I travel again in the future?  Come back to the Calgary Zoo!  Maybe divide our visit into two days, one-half day each.  Although Mary had the Power Chair, I was on my feet the whole time and that wore me out.

Day Eight, 9/11/24, Canyon Education Center to Livingston, MT; 200 miles, 6 1/4 hours

I am reminded again that this day was the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, the terrorist attack on the United States, September 11, 2001.

Another feature of the Canyon Education Center were the animal exhibits.  The volcanic system set the stage for certain life systems to arise, although there also may have been some glacial movement as well that would have left behind certain soils.  But it is believed that primarily the calderas created the unique geology and ecosystem foundations of the Yellowstone National Park system.

Bears and Wolves are endemic to YNP

The Pine Marten is another cute little guy.

The Native American people that inhabited this area followed the bison.

History of Native Americans and Bison in YNP

Mary Ray reflecting on her Native American heritage and the Bison culture.

 

Reluctantly, we drove away from the Canyon Visitor Center complex and north toward the north boundary of YNP.  Here again, the twisty-curvy roads were a challenge for me even with Mary driving.  And again, I don't remember ever being this unnerved by curving roads.  In YNP you can only drive 25 mph in most places and behind long lines of cars, but the curves are tight and there isn't a shoulder for the most part, although there are "turnouts" for those who want to stop and take pictures.

In my research in preparation for our trip to YNP, I did not know that there had been a fort at the north entrance, Fort Yellowstone.  Now it is called Mammoth Springs Visitor Center.

Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark

It is a very confusing drive, but you can stop and visit a museum which features more animals common to YNP.

Elk

 

 

Mountain Lion

Red Fox

When you drive out of the north entrance of YNP, you are in Gardiner, MT where we made a pit stop and paid $7.26 for two sodas!  Livingston is about two hours away.  For our entire second day in Yellowstone National Park, we drove 200 miles for a total of 6 1/4 hours on the road.

How was the second day in YNP meaningful for me?  I'm kind of a nut for animals and their habitats.

What did I learn?  That there was a Fort Yellowstone, a fact which seemed to me to be somewhat hidden by renaming the location Mammoth Springs.

What would I do differently if Mary and I traveled again in the future?  I wouldn't enter or leave through the north entrance.