Category: Nature

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SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS BRINGS A LITTLE COLOR TO THE DESERT

It’s rare to see colorful structures in the middle of the desert. From afar I thought I saw giant size Simpsons cartoon characters until I saw the sign Seven Magic Mountains next exit.

The Seven Magic Mountains can be seen from a distance on Interstate 15 traveling north or south between Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The paved roads lead to a graveled parking lot. It’s FREE to park and view the Seven Magic Mountains in a place open to the public.

There are signs warning visitors to stay on the designated path because Venomous snakes may be present in the area.

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone created the Seven Magic Mountains with bright colorful boulders to stand between 30 and 34 feet high. The colorful boulders also glow in the dark at night!

The Hoodoos in Utah inspired Rondinone to come up with the Seven Magic Mountains while working on a Public Art Fund project. 

It took Rondinone approximately five (5) years to complete the Seven Magic Mountains, which was organized by the Art Production Fund and the Nevada Museum of Art.

If a person decides to visit and climb to the top and fall to their death, the artist and producers of the Seven Magic Mountains are clear from liability due to the passage of legislation. 

The Seven Magic Mountains has been standing strong in the desert since 2016 and they may be gone the end of 2018.  It’s a lot of work maintaining a $3.5 million installation on Federal land. The Nevada Museum of Art is working on a longer-term plan to keep the Seven Magic Mountains at its current location, which is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management.

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Roar and Snore Campout at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Motorcycle riders like us enjoy the outdoors. So why not campout at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to support conservation research and science to save species worldwide?

San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a wildlife sanctuary that is home to more than 3,000 animals on 1,800 acres of land.  On October 2, 1916, Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth founded the not-for-profit organization San Diego Zoo Global that operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conversation Research.

Wear comfortable walking shoes and stay on the trail paths at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for your safety to avoid an encounter with snakes and other animals.

There are several activities to choose from to enhance your experience. We chose the two (2) hour Caravan Safari Adventure.

We had the opportunity to feed Giraffes acacia tree leaves, touch and feed a Rhino apple slices.



We also had a quick glance of the fastest recorded animal on land running, the Cheetah. The Cheetah run is held once a day at 3:30pm. It is highly recommended to arrive at least 30 minutes early for a good spot to see the Cheetah run in the direction towards you or you can pay $15.00 for reserved viewing in front of the crowd. 

Roar and Snore occurs from February through November between the hours of 4:15pm through 9:30am. It is worth noting there is an adult only Roar and Snore option for ages 21 and up. There are three tent options classic tent suitable for five (5) people, vista tent suitable for six (6) and premium tent sleeps up a family of four. The premium tent includes a queen size bed, two cots, bed linens, pillows, electrical outlets, wood floors and area rug.

We had to stand in line to check in promptly at 4:15pm to receive wrist bands and our tent number, which allowed staff to deliver our belongings to our classic tent before sunset.



After checking in, we received a cute plastic water pouch with instructions to fill up with water while we wait for camp guide leader to walk us to the campsite area for dinner.

Electrical outlets are available in common areas of the campsite to charge mobile phones, laptops or other small devices. Portable chargers with full charge are available to purchase from a kiosk in the park for $30.00.

The dinner menu included roasted chicken, tri-tip, mash potatoes, grilled portobello mushrooms with vegetables was the alternative option for vegetarians, green salad with only ranch dressing, black bean and corn salad. The food was delicious and there was enough food for a second serving.

Non-alcoholic beverages included lemonade, iced tea and iced water.

There was full bar service with professional bartenders to serve a variety of adult beverages with outstanding customer service. The price range was $5.00 to $9.00 for mixed drinks and the option to pay with cash, debit or credit card.


The bar menu offered a bucket of beer or bottle of wine delivery to your tent with plastic cups for $28.00.

Coca Cola products were available for purchase in a vending machine included Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Powerade.

S’mores was the treat after dinner! We quickly gathered our ingredients of graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey’s milk chocolate and campfire roasting sticks to make our marshmallows gooey for the perfect S’mores!

In 1927, S’mores was called a Graham Cracker Sandwich in publication called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. National S’mores Day is celebrated in the United States of America on August 10th.

Our camp guide escorted us on a behind the scenes 2-mile exclusive walking tour on the Tiger Trail.

Before arriving to the Tiger keeper area, we had a learning session about the Tawny Frogmouth bird.  Most people including myself thought the bird was an owl. The Tawny Frogmouth is a predator in the Night Hawk family that survive off mice, lizards and spiders.
Inside the Tiger keeper area, we were able to see a video camera always on display to monitor tiger’s activity, tiger’s activity board, a hard-plastic ball destroyed by tigers’ teeth, food, which included ground beef feline diet and iced blood inside a Bundt cake pan.


We return to the campsite for snacks hot buttery popcorn, cookies fresh from the oven, hot chocolate and coffee to warm up before the 11:00pm lights out schedule.

There are clean and heated gender specific restrooms on the campsite with hot running water, flushing toilets, one with and without showers.

The restroom without showers have more stalls and fancy outdoor sinks with mirrors.  Make sure you take your flashlight with you for late night restroom visits to avoid a possible encounter with wildlife in the dark.

I strongly suggest sleeping in layers with onesie pajamas, gloves and a face mask because it gets cold at night during the fall season…lol

We went to sleep and woke up to the lions roaring at approximately 5:00am prior to the two wake up calls of 6:15am and 6:45am, to ensure everyone leaves the campsite promptly at 9:30am. We packed up our camping gear and place it outside our tent for staff to pick up before our morning walk to see the lions on the way to breakfast at 7:00am.


Breakfast included pancakes, cheese omelets, potatoes, sausage and vegie sausage, pears, apples, orange juice, milk, coffee and hot chocolate.

We walk less than a mile to get on a tram. We ride through the park and observe the vibrant activity of the animals before our amazing journey ends.


 

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SAGUARO CACTUS HUG ON THE OPEN ROAD IN ARIZONA

I feel like I’m receiving hugs from the beautiful Saguaro cacti every time I ride my motorcycle through the Arizona desert.

The Saguaro Cactus is the largest cactus in the United States of America. In Arizona, the Saguaro Cactus is protected by the Native Plant Protection Act . If you are smart, do not touch cactus in Arizona to avoid a class four (4) felony.  You could pay a fine, go to jail or serve time in prison for cutting, vandalizing, shooting, digging up, ramming with vehicle, illegally purchasing or poaching the protected Arizona symbol.

The Saguaro Cactus develops slowly. It takes 3 to 10 days for Saguaro Cactus seeds to germinate. It can take approximately 10 years to grow 1.5 inches before it reaches its full height of 50 feet and weigh more than 4,000 lbs. It usually takes 75 years for a Saguaro Cactus to grow a branch often referred to as an arm. The Saguaro Cactus can live for up to 200 years.

Do your research before you purchase a Saguaro Cactus because it may have microchip to identify a stolen plant.  Make sure you purchase a Saguaro Cactus from an approved supplier. The cost of a Saguaro Cactus depends on the size. Some saguaro cactus can be sold for $100.00 per foot. The Saguaro Cactus are usually sold by approved garden centers or online distributors from $5.00 to $2,500.00.

ARIZONA REVISED STATUTE 3-932

A.   A person commits theft of protected native plants if, without the express consent of the landowner, the person knowingly removes or destroys any protected native plants from private or state land. Theft of protected native plants with a value of:

       1. One thousand five hundred dollars or more is a class 4 felony.

      2. At least seven hundred fifty dollars but less than one thousand five                         hundred dollars is a class 5 felony.

      3. At least five hundred dollars but less than seven hundred fifty dollars is a           class 6 felony.

      4.  Less than five hundred dollars is a class 1 misdemeanor.

B.   A knowing violation of this chapter involving either the misuse of permits, tags, seals, or receipts, or the collection, salvage, harvest, transportation or possession of protected plants without any required permits, tags, seals or receipts is a class 1 misdemeanor. A subsequent conviction for a violation of this subsection is a class 6 felony.

C.  All other violations of this chapter are class 3 misdemeanors except that if a prior conviction is a class 3 misdemeanor, a subsequent conviction is a class 2 misdemeanor, and if a prior conviction is a class 2 misdemeanor, a subsequent conviction is a class 1 misdemeanor.

D.  From and after June 30, 1990, on conviction of any violation of this chapter the director may request of the court that the convicted person, or a responsible person from a convicted entity, be ordered to attend educational classes or programs pursuant to section 3-911, subsection C.

E.  On conviction of a violation of this chapter, the director may also request of the court as a provision of the sentence, the revocation of all permits issued to the person convicted and the permittee shall be required to surrender any unused tags or seals or receipts to the division, and the division shall not issue new or additional permits to the permittee for a period of one year from the date of conviction. The director may further request of the court that the sentence include a provision prohibiting a person convicted of a violation of this chapter from engaging in the salvage of protected native plants or acting as agent for any other permittee for a period of up to one year. In considering any such request to revoke or deny permits or prohibit work in salvage or with another permittee the court shall consider:

1.   The nature of the offense.

2.  The nature of any prior convictions

3. The overall performance record by the convicted party in terms of its                      violations of this chapter compared to its efforts to salvage native plants            as intended by this chapter.