Monthly Archives: June 2009

Tour Trains & Komodo Dragons…

Today Jan and I did ‘touristy’ stuff

We started off at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.  This is probably the nicest small zoo we’ve been to.  And believe me, we’ve been to a bunch of them.

They had some very unique displays including komodo dragons, the bird rookery, and the albino alligators.

Founded in 1893, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm is one of Florida’s oldest zoological attractions.  In the early 1880s, two men began collecting alligators they found on Anastasia Island.  These individuals, George Reddington and Felix Fire, were the founders of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm at South Beach.

In 1937,  Reddington and Fire sold it to a pair of young business men in the community:  W.I. Drysdale and F. Charles Usina.  And the Drysdale family still owns the park today.

In 1989,  The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums extended accreditation to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, thereby elevating the institution to a select list of facilities throughout the nation recognized for the quality of their collections and the care afforded them.

The Alligator Farm is the only zoo to have all 23 species of the worlds’ crocodilians exhibited in individual habitats.

Here are some pics:

Toucan

Toucan

These alligators are true albinos with pink eyes.  They have no skin pigment.

White Alligator

White Alligator

There are other white alligators, called leuistic alligators.  Unlike albinos, leuistic alligators have pigment.  It’s just a white pigment.

And they don’t have pink eyes.  They have bright blues eyes.  There are only about 12 known in the world, and they are all males.

Leuistic White Alligator

Leuistic White Alligator

Pile of Gators

Pile of Gators

We really enjoyed seeing the Komodo Dragon again.  The last time we saw them was at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 1971.

Komodo Dragon 1

Komodo Dragon 1

Komodo Dragon 2

Komodo Dragon 2

Reticulated Python

Reticulated Python

Northern Cassowary

Northern Cassowary

This is ‘Gomek’.  He was a 17 foot,  2000 pound Saltwater Crocodile who lived at the Alligator Farm.  When he died, they had him stuffed and put back on display.  He just doesn’t move around as much anymore.

Gomek - Tha Saltwater Crocodile

Gomek – Tha Saltwater Crocodile

We really enjoyed The Rookery.  This is a walk-thru area with nesting birds in some cases, just inches from the walkway.

Nesting Egrets

Nesting Egrets

The Rookery

The Rookery

Wood Stork

Wood Stork

Nesting Roseate Spoonbills

Nesting Roseate Spoonbills

Stork Chicks

Stork Chicks

Nesting Tri-Color Heron

Nesting Tri-Colored Heron

Snowy Egret and Hungry Chicks

Snowy Egret and Hungry Chicks

This is a fake dead zebra.  It is used for the realistic feeding of the vultures and storks who regularly feed on carcases.

“Dead” Zebra

Vultures

Hooded Vultures

West African Crowned Crane

West African Crowned Crane

Black Swan

Black Swan

Blue and Gold Macaw

Blue and Gold Macaw

Indian Gharial Crocodile

Indian Gharial Crocodile

The hand belongs to Christie.  She goes into the pen to feed the alligators.  And yes, that is a rat, a dead rat.  Apparently, dead rats are alligator treats.  The zoo buys them already dead.  She said the rats are cheaper than chicken and the gators like them better.

Alligator Feeding Time

Alligator Feeding Time

Feeding Skipper

Feeding Skipper

He knows it's here somewhere

He knows it’s here somewhere

Gulp!

Gulp!

All Gone!

All Gone!

Taste like Chicken!

Taste like Chicken!

Golden Lion Tamarin

Golden Lion Tamarin

After we left the Alligator Farm, we headed over to take the Old Town Trolley Tour.  This is same tour company that we took in Key West.  They also have tours in Savannah, Washington, D.C.,  Boston, and San Diego.  We plan on taking this tour in all these cities as we visit them.

One of the places we passed thru on the tour was Magnolia Ave.   Strangely enough, there are no magnolia trees on Magnolia Ave.  Just some beautiful oaks trees in a canopy over the street.

Maganolia Ave

Magnolia Ave

After our Trolley Tour, we drove down the road a ways to eat lunch again at the Oasis Restaurant.  We ate here a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it.  And it was close by.

Oasis Restaurant

Oasis Restaurant

After lunch, we headed over to Walmart to pick up our prescriptions, and then it was on to Camping World to get some more parts for my new toad tail light setup.

After that, we stopped off for coffee before heading back to the coach.

All in all, an enjoyable day.

And tomorrow?     Road trip!!!

Nana’s Cafe…again!

Today I wanted to work some more on the toad tail lights so we headed out for breakfast early.  I wanted to get back to the coach before the regular afternoon rains showed up.

We decide to have breakfast at Nana’s Cafe where we ate a couple of days ago, and got hooked on their coconut macaroons.  And they have great breakfasts too!

When we got back I started pulling the wiring harness underneath the toad, tywraping it as I went.  I’m not quite sure how I’m going to wire this thing up. 

As usual I’m mostly making it up as I go. 

I got everything done I was planning to,  and buttoned everything up right before the rains came.

Tomorrow, after we do some touristy stuff, I’ll work on it some more.

Later…