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| The Research Vessel Sally Ride Enters San Diego Bay |
Although the main part of our quest was to see a platypus at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, I knew as soon as we entered the dark, cave-like enclosure of those cute little egg-laying mammals that my camera would be useless. We got there early and had the cave to ourselves, but after waiting hopefully for more than half an hour we had to leave to catch our safari truck without so much as a glimpse of a platypus.
Fortunately, one of the critters was out and about when we returned to the enclosure, and we blissfully hogged the tiny viewing area as long as we could, even seeing the platypus catch and devour a crayfish (or yabby, as they call 'em Down Under) before being ushered out. The third time we showed up we had to wait in line to get in, but we did get to see the second of the two platypuses in a different part of the enclosure, so it was worth the wait.
Another highlight at the zoo was seeing California condors up close. I felt a special kinship with one of the birds that had come to the zoo as an egg in 1982, the same year I moved to the Golden State.
After enjoying the platypus and condors we spent a couple of days closer to the city. We stayed at a hotel near the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and visited Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Cabrillo National Monument (where we were a little early for the tidepools, but it was very windy by then anyway).
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| Giraffes and Wildflowers |
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| Hooded Oriole in Cactus Garden |
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| California Condor |
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| Tiger Pad |
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| Torrey Pines Beach |
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| Lifeguard Station #5 (what we saw) |
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| Lifeguard Station #5 (what this person saw) |
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| Torrey Pines Reserve (Thanks to the the philanthropy of Ellen Browning Scripps, this high spot along the shoreline didn't get turned into a housing development.) |
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