Close encounters of the Animal Kind

Neva and I have travelled to many national parks around the world, as well as aquariums and zoos.  The experience of meeting an individual at their prime residence, whether in the wild or in captivity, is very powerful.  From the tall to the small, we respect our animal friends, wherever they are.  Okay, you should know by now that I am cheesy, and I stick by my rhyme.

In our travels, most of our wild animal encounters have been with monkeys living in the forests of Central America. A long gaze from the human-like eyes of a fellow primate, whether behind bars or simply in a tree 20 feet overhead, is hypnotic and leaves the mind quiet and awestruck.  Staring into the complexity of their being, you see the reflection of recognition and understanding. The same question seems to resonate from both conscious minds simultaneously..."I wonder what they are thinking?"

In February, 2011, while hiking around la Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua, we spotted howler monkeys and three-toed sloths.  Howlers are pretty used to humans in this part of the world and are fairly docile.  The sloths are usually found nearby, and the two species co-habitate nicely with their relaxed attitudes.  Sloths don't seem to be startled by the daily 5 am wake-up call provided by their noisy neighbors.  I, on the other hand, after camping under a tree containing a whole band of howlers, thought a sacrificial ceremony of sorts was taking place at the crack of dawn.  The howler "bark" can be heard for miles around, and we were lucky enough to have a front row seat.

These guys definitely aren't shy, and the sloths are...

well, sloths.

Less than a month later, we were in Okinawa, Japan and visited the zoo which has an extensive primate exhibit.  Some monkeys were jovial.  One in particular would gesticulate flirtatiously with lady passers-by, and then get chased by his cage mate, and presumably partner in life, when she got fed up with his cross-species public display of affection.

There were also monkeys like the baboon.  I'm not sure what his story was, but he did not seem to enjoy his home as much as the other monkey that had a daily ritual of cat-calling for human female attention.  The intensity with which he paced was unmatchable.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  His focus, undeterred.   Knuckle over knuckle in rapid succession, emulating that of a soldier marching in a choreographed 21-gun salute every time he turned on his heel.

And then, he stopped...and looked at me.

His hands look so human...

Truly one of the most beautiful, and powerful creatures I have ever laid eyes upon.

A couple more months pass.  It's now the summer of 2011, and Neva and I have moved to Texas.  Christian took us to the Dallas World Aquarium which housed the only three-toed sloth in North America (according to the personnel).

This sloth was very content with his teenage caretaker and moved around a lot more than the three-toed sloths we saw in the wild.  The markings on his back were also quite lovely.  Any markings on the Nicaraguan sloths were hidden in the layer of green algae covering it's wiry fur.  The caretaker makes sure no one touches the sloth because their fur is naturally hydrophilic, and the oils in our hands can cause the opposite effect.  This adaptation is thought to have co-evolved with a specific species of green algae, resulting in a symbiotic relationship.  One day, this juvenile will grow up bearing the beneficial green hue of his photosynthetic phriend from another phylum.

We didn't visit the home where the wild alpacas roam, because there aren't any wild alpacas.  We did however visit Peru which is known for their alpaca and llama livestock.  In the middle of Cusco, there is a museum which houses an open alpaca and llama enclosure.  Alpacas are bred for their wool, while llamas are bred as a beast of burden and can be twice the size of alpacas. Their friendly demeanour and desire to be part of a group makes this touristy museum a perfect residence for them.

My step-dad Jim giving this alpaca some much appreciated pets.

They are happy to follow you around...

Unless you chase them off.

The year following, in July 2012, the whole family took a bicycling tour journey on the famous RAGBRAI bike ride.  On the way, we made a stop in Kansas to visit our friend Sue who raises llamas.  She does a great job raising this happy bunch.  The little one in front is the youngest, born less than a year before this picture was taken.  He is quite big for his age and he struts with confidence.  He is quite the rambunctious yet loveable male.  The whole group welcomed us into their space.  All were content in the shade, with newly shaved wool coats.

 
Later that month, Neva and I were privy to meet a reptilian individual that shared our space.  We would see this turtle pop-up here and there for a couple of weeks.  One day, we saw it digging, and this is what we saw...

It's a girl!

Three months later, we found ourselves at Ostional on the Nicoya Peninsula, off the west coast of Costa Rica.  October is the start of egg laying season for some turtles in Central America.  We spotted a Ridley sea turtle and a Greenback sea turtle laying eggs the last evening we were in Costa Rica.  We did not see the elusive Leatherback turtle which is known for their size, and is highly endangered. The Ridley has a more raised, textured shell in the center of it's back, while the Greenback has a flattened, smooth shell that is tear-drop shaped.

Greenback turtle laying eggs.  It's estimated that only 1% of sea turtles will make it to full maturation.

Egg laying is done, and the Greenback makes her way back to the ocean.

Speaking of reptiles, we cannot leave out the most prolific pest predator :  the snake.  Costa Rica alone is home to 135 different known snake species, 17 of which are venomous.  Most of the venomous snakes are either pit vipers or from the coral snake family.  Most likely, you won't see them though because they usually keep to themselves, and lots of snakes are nocturnal.  Just watch your step.

To put this in perspective a little bit for those of you in the US, Costa Rica is roughly the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined, which is to say, not very big.  Because of Central America's relation to the equator, supreme locale between 2 oceans, and diverse climate and terrain, it's known for a large diversity of flora and fauna in a comparatively small area.

While in Nicaragua, we had been hiking for about 5 minutes before I heard a rustle in the brush.  Two steps later, and this 6 foot long snake whizzed passed us, shaking a sort of faux rattle, and disappearing into the forest.

The first part of our trip in Costa Rica, 2012, we were on bikes.  We started in La Fortuna and biked around Lake Arenal to get to Monte Verde.  On the path, we had seen a baby snake.  By the way it moved, and it's diamond colouration, I suspect it might have been a fer de lance, a very poisonous snake.  The vibration of me hitting my disc brakes on my bike sent off an annoying vibration that startled the snake from casually slithering to an all out run before I could take a picture.  I've never seen a snake run before, but I will never forget what it looks like!

The next day, we were made it to Monte Verde (taking a taxi for the last leg) and visited the Serpentario in Santa Elena which houses the most common snakes in Central America.

This Milk Snake was very friendly.  He put on quite the show moving around, wrapping himself up, and showing off his colour.

Neva looking at a Tropical Rattlesnake.  He struck at the glass the first time we passed by.  The thickest part of his body was the size of my calf, though it's difficult to tell from this picture.

Two months after we returned from Costa Rica, we couldn't forget the friendly milk snake, and visited a reptile convention in search of a pet.  We decided to get 2 corn snakes which have been great for the whole family.

BONUS!!!!
For fun, I wanted to leave you with these thoughts...

Fresh Fish

Shark and friends in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa.  This aquarium cycles water from the ocean for their animals.  Two days after we went,  the Tohoku tsunami hit, and great care was taken to protect the animals from the resulting nuclear waste which polluted the ocean waters. 

Caught Fish

Fishing for dinner.  Friends took us out to catch stripped bass on Lake Texoma.  These stripeys have a sustainable living environment and spawn naturally in the lake.  The are able to live in both salt water and fresh water, and make the yearly migration, similar to salmon.  Neva pulled in this one, with a little help from Brian.

Work Fish

After a long soaking in the natural hot springs at Chula-u Bathhouse in Okinawa, we had to indulge in the Dr. Fish treatment.  These little guys are reddish long sucker fish, scientific name Garra rufa.  They are in the pirhana family, but don't actually have any teeth.  Though they are known for eating skin, this is a misnomer.  They are actually foraging for food, and removing your dry skin cells in the process, leaving your skin silky smooth.

Not Fish

My first bike tour, in December 2008, I biked up the Pacific Coast Highway (aka. PCH or Route 1) from LA to Napa Valley.  We stopped in at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.  These are pictures of the Black Sea Nettle.  They can sting, but it's mostly to protect it's symbiotic friend, the Silvery Butterfish.  They share the table at the plankton buffet, and when danger is close, the butterfish hides in the cap of this gentle jelly.

Evolution of a Baby Cyclist

Happy Leap Year everyone!  I wanted to dedicate this post to my daughter Neva.  Okay, I know that this site is pretty much already dedicated to her, but this is a specific account on how she has blossomed and evolved on the bike.  She has grown so much, at the tender age of 2, and I am so proud of her.

Neva in Iowa, on RAGBRAI tour

I think one of the best gifts I have been able to give Neva is the love for cycling.  Seeing my example of utilizing a bike, making bikes our main source of transportation for at least half of the year, and seeing other communities in Nicaragua, Davis, San Francisco, etc. integrating biking into their transportation network really has her excited about the biking machine.  She doesn't really know much else.  Sometimes when we try to leave somewhere which necessitates a vehicle, she will hop into the trailer, anxiously awaiting a hair sweeping ride.  Much to her chagrin, I pull her out and say, "Sometimes, we use the car, Honey".  Neva has become quite attached to bike trailers, and let's face it, who wouldn't be!  She is carted around town in luxury, pulled by yours truly.

The first time Neva was in a trailer, it is a Nordic Cab.  We are in Flagstaff, AZ in April, 2010

I started biking with Neva when she was six months old, bringing her with me on my commute to work at the Bike Trailer Shop.  We had a ten mile round trip commute on the main east/west bike path that will take you from one side of town to the other.  She loved it from the very beginning.  At this stage, she would smile and coo for a few minutes, inspecting all of the scenery, and before long, be sawing logs from the repetitive and melodic lulling of the sidewalk bumps. The straps inside the trailer are similar to the car seat, having a five-point harness and there are pockets for toys and a tasty beverage within arm's reach.  The transition is pretty easy as long as you have good weather and a good path.  It can be pretty chilly in Flagstaff, so we both fully suited up for riding in the cooler months, as you can see from the "A Christmas Story" reminiscent photo above.

Randy from "A Christmas Story" movie

As Neva grew older, she was able to enjoy more biking experiences, so I continued the trailer tradition.  We biked to pick up our groceries, biked to see friends, biked to the park, and pretty much went everywhere around town by bike, baby on board style.  With hundreds of miles under her belt, I decided to get her a first bike for the Christmas after she turned one.  She was just beginning to walk by herself, but was ready to try that coveted seat atop a self powered machine.  I got her the Y-Bike Pewi which was the only bike that was short enough for her at the time.  Her toes could barley touch the ground when she first got it, but she still used it with unbridled tenacity.

Neva on her Y-Bike, Pewi

 With Neva's love of the trailer, there was no question in my mind that we could easily transition from the 20-30 mile per day around town commutes to extensive touring.  We went on our first mother/daughter bike tour in Costa Rica and Nicaragua when she was 15 months old, accompanied by our good friend Cass who writes about his travels on his blog, While out Riding.

Neva and I in front of the touring set up.  We are headed toward Rivas, which is on the port of Lago Nicaragua, to catch a ferry to the Island of Ometepe

Our next tour was a last minute decision.  We had been invited by our good friends Todd and Ben to tour with them on the famous RAGBRAI ride about two weeks beforehand.  Logistics were complicated, but we managed to all meet up in Omaha, Nebraska, and proceeded to bike across the entire state of Iowa for the next seven days, when we reached the border of Iowa and Illinois.  We did the traditional dipping of the front tire in the Mississippi River, on the east side.  I can't take all the credit though, Ben offered to pull Neva for half of the trip, and we switched back and forth throughout the tour which helped tremendously with the rigid schedule we were on, the intense heat and humidity, and travel over difficult terrain. I don't have any statistics on this, but Neva might be the first 18 month old to do the entirety of RAGBRAI.

Ben and Neva stopping for a well deserved break on RAGBRAI (oh, and me in the background!)

Two months later, Neva and I were off again on the longest trip either of us had ever been on.  We biked for forty days down the state of California.  We started in San Francisco, and traveled east, almost to Lake Tahoe, to the border of Nevada.  The terrain was very mountainous, as we worked our way south through areas like Yosemite and the Giant Forest.  We kept south until we almost hit the border of Mexico and the US, and ended our tour in Pine Valley, CA.  This tour was also unique in that it was just the two of us.  We were able to explore on our own schedule, and met lots of friends along the way.  I have to admit though, there were times when having a strapping young lad like Cass or Ben offering to share the load up steep mountain passes would have been nice.

Neva in the trailer, waiting for the ferry at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, CA to take us to Vallejo, CA

Neva and I camped, went to museums, stayed with friends, enjoyed local foods, and really experienced many parts of southern California.  The best experience being the people we met and the connections we made.  It is very humbling to be out on your own.  We relied on the kindness of others, and received nothing but love and acceptance.  Here is Neva at a bike shop where we stopped for directions to the nearest camp site.  Rufus, a long time employee at the Golden Spoke Bike Shop in Placerville did one better, and offered his home and shower to us for the evening, and even took us out to Chinese food.

Neva's first time on training wheels.  She is soaking up the applause of her accomplishment.

Hospitality came in many forms, but sometimes it came through Warm Showers, a site dedicated to getting bikers together for the purpose of hosting other bikers, or being hosted while on tour.  We were hosted by three Warm Showers members, and are supremely lucky to have met such wonderful people.  One of our hosts were Gene and Ann who are in their late seventies.  They have a whole fleet of recumbent trikes that they wanted us to try.  Here is Neva experimenting with a recumbent.

Neva riding Gene's prized recumbent trike, the Vello Scorpion, the most expensive of the fleet.  It has over fifty gears due to the internally geared hub.

After 5 countries, 9 states, 3 bike tours, a 2 year birthday, and about 3,000 biking miles later, we decided to pull out Neva's going away present from the Bike Kid Shop, a Strider balance bike.  The balance bike focuses on building the child's balance instead of having them continually falling back to the tricycle wheels.  It is basically a bike with no pedals.  The child runs with the bike, lifts their legs, glides as long as possible, and then puts their legs down when they begin to lose balance.  Neva was very cautious at first, so I decided to demonstrate.

Then she began with carrying the bike, 

pushing the bike beside her, 

and sitting on the bike and walking it.  We decided to give her a little push and see what would happen.

Before long, she was gliding on it, and moving quicker and with more ease.  If the bike fell down,

  she would get back up.

Neva getting suited up

The word "bike" is in Neva's daily vocabulary, and she asks to ride on her bike every day.  The next step now that she is on two wheels is to get her a her own helmet.  While in the trailer, she has a full roll cage, and there isn't a need for a helmet, especially since the trailers are not made to accommodate a helmet (no matter what the features say, there is not a trailer currently on the market that has enough space for a helmet, the child will have their head pushed forward, looking towards their knees).  It is important that your kids see you wearing a helmet, so when it comes time for them to wear one, they think it's cool, and are ready to suit up in the appropriate biking gear.  Bell and Giro sell high quality helmets for around $30 a piece that should last until they need the next size up.  Nutcase also has some good helmets, but they go for around $60.  When buying a helmet, make sure to know the size of your child's head in centimeters.  Most helmets are sized this way.  Also, there is a difference in size between toddler, child, and youth helmets.  Make sure to pay attention to the specs and see what head size each one represents.   

In the near future, Neva will be on a trail-a-bike, probably one of Adam's Trail-a-bikes, since they are the best.  They are well made, and include folding options which make it easier to travel with.  You could even rent a bike someplace and carry the trail-a-bike on the plane as just another piece of luggage since it is much smaller than a full bike.  They can be expensive, starting out around $200, but they can last from ages 3-6 and 7-10, so you can get three to four good years out of it before the child outgrows it.  I would reserve the trail-a-bike for family trips, and let her practice on her own bike while in the neighborhood.  I am looking forward to sharing her next baby pedal strokes with you as she enters the next stages of cycling. 

Neva making sure my bike is off-road worthy

Home for the Holly days

For me, the holidays are a time to spend with friends and family, a time to appreciate what we have.  I find myself missing my large family which extends worldwide.  All of the people who showed us love and hospitality on our journeys are in our thoughts and hearts, and we miss you.

Here is a picture of Gregg and Neva.  Gregg lives in San Francisco with four other young professionals.  His hospitality, generosity, and knowledge of the city gave our trip a great kick start. 

Three of his roommates are artists.  The whole house has bits and pieces of each person.  It was a joy to spend two days around such diverse personalities in a beautifully eclectic environment.

My sister Vicki lives in Vacaville.  When I had come down with a cold, she put us up and nursed me back to health.  My sister and I grew up on a horse ranch, and this is Neva's first time on a horse.  It means a lot to see her up there. 

 

Leaving Sacramento, we had to climb quite a bit of elevation to get to Placerville.  We stopped in at the Golden Spoke Bike Shop, and quickly made friends with the staff due to our unique bike set up and tales of adventure.  Rufus, one of the shop employees, gave us a place to stay by Sly Park which backed miles and miles of national forest. 

Rufus dropped us off in Kirkwood in the early morning hours.  Fisherman were on the lake, the air was crisp and clean, and the view of Red Lake was pristine, it was a perfect day to ride.

We stayed in Walker, California after climbing multiple passes, the steepest being Monitor Pass, which summits at 8,314 feet.  Coming from Markleeville which is 13 miles away, there is a notable 3,000 foot elevation climb.  My legs were feeling quite overworked by the end of the day, when some passers by, Mark, Deb and JW offered a warm bed to us for the evening.  Deb later relayed to me that Neva and I had gone over at least 3 of the passes on the California death ride.  Neva got to stay up later than usual with new friend JW, and I got to relax on a comfy couch.  I also gained some insight for applying to grad school since Deb and Mark have a business, YouTern, which is directed toward helping students maintain a career path.

And then it was up and over Tioga Pass, thanks to Tony, Tony and Chris.  Neva and I spent the day in Yosemite Valley, and saw El Capitan along with the other majestic (and super touristy) places in Yosemite.

Some fire fighter friends of ours, (left to right) Justin, Jay and Matt housed us in Wawona after a long day of biking in the Valley.  Here they are, ready to head out to work.

We hurried down the mountain to lose elevation quickly in order to avoid the impending snow storm forecasted above 7,000 feet.  We made it passed Bass Lake, and stayed in the town of Auberry while it poured rain for a couple days.  The whole Seventh Day Adventist Church showed us wonderful hospitality.  Monte and Steve opened their home and their hearts to us, not to mention they are both vegetarian and Monte is a great cook!  Here they are, dropping us outside of Clovis after I had some tire problems on my way out of Auberry.

More fire fighter friend crew hospitality was waiting for us in Grant Grove, and again passed the Giant Forest.  We stayed the evening with Maury and her roommate Roxanne (second from the right).  Roxanne is headed off to work with part of her crew.

The giant sequoias were blissful to ride through.  I suppose it helped that I had a huge 22 mile descent once I hit the Giant Forest.  It is not nearly as touristy after September, so I felt like I had the whole place to myself.  With insight from the firefighters on the area, I was in even more awe at the majesty of the Sequoiadendron giganteum.  The pine trees and firs are dwarfed by these giants.  There are also some fire scares visible at the base of this sequoia.

  
In Auberry, I had met a cyclist passing through on a short bike tour.  She lives in San Francisco, and had about ten days to embark of a fun biking journey.  We crossed paths again in Lemoncove where we pitched tents together and decided to ride as a group, as we were headed in the same direction.  Motorist passerby, Nancy had stopped to ask if I needed help when I had a flat, and offered her house up to Liz and I once we had made it up the hill.  Here is (from left to right) Mark's father and mother visiting from the UK, Nancy, Mark, and Liz after dinner.  

Here is the delicious peanut, tofu Thai dinner that Nancy whipped up using mostly vegetables from her and Mark's exquisite garden.

We went up and over Ponderosa Road, thanks to Mark.  Liz had to make her way towards San Francisco after hitting Tehachapi, and I left the mountains and the Sequoia National Forest towards the flats.  Neva and I stayed in Lancaster with a couple from Warm Showers.  Gene and Ann were very hospitable, and very inspirational, biking at least 30 miles a week at the spry age of 77.  Gene and Ann love biking, and Gene can geek out for hours on bikes, gear, and routes.  It was fun looking at maps with him, as he was so knowledgeable about the area and had done similar rides himself towards Big Bear, which is where I was headed.  Gene has his tours and adventures chronicled here at Crazy Guy on a Bike.

We then started heading back into the mountains, toward Buckhorn campground in the Angeles National Forest.  The Buckhorn campsite was the nicest campground I stayed at on my trip.  The atmosphere really puts you right in the middle of the forest.  Big horn sheep also inhabit the rocky mountains which are just up the road.  While we were packing up in the morning, the Nevar family from L.A. made us a traditional Mexican feast for breakfast.  In exchange, I showed them the process of changing a tire puncture.  I couldn't have asked for a better nutritional start.  They even wrapped us up some burritos for the road. 

We continued on to Big Bear and stopped in Yucaipa on our way to Idylwilde.  Another Warm Showers couple, Tim and Kym, hosted us on a cold, foggy day.  Tim teaches acrobatics at the local YMCA as a hobby, and Kym has a dog training business.  

Neva had a hay day watching the youth partake in different types of acrobatics.  Here is a picture of Tim (far left, blue shorts) with his team of aerial acrobats.

Shortly thereafter, our bike trip came to an end in Pine Valley, CA.  We stayed with my mother and step father in El Centro, CA, and then headed out to Cuzco, Peru five days later.  In Peru, we stayed with Ricardo, who opens his home up to tourists, and offers a wide range of information on the area.  There is Jim (my step dad) on the left, and Ricardo on the right.

The views in Peru were spectacular, and I can't wait to share more pictures of the majestic areas of Machu Pichu and Pisaq.  Here is me with Neva on my back, and Incan ruins in the background, at the base of Wayna Picchu, the tallest point at Machu Picchu.

Since then, Neva turned two years old, we shared Thanksgiving with family, and Neva got to explore Lego Land.  Now, it's the holly-days, and Neva and I find ourselves in Denton, Texas.  It has been two weeks since we left California, and we have cozied down for some solo family time for the winter.  Here we are messing around in some fake snow playing dress up as Cindy Lou Who and Max the dog.

Happy holidays to all from Neva and I.  Stay tuned for some infant travel changes I noticed on our last few flights in November.