Charging Elephant in Botswana

Okavango Delta, Botswana.... This bull African elephant charged our land cruiser at mid day. We had just watched a small heard of elephants pass directly to the east of us. This male was not happy to see us on his trail and made this mock charge. Had he really wanted to do damage he could have easily trampled us and the vehicle. Just two weeks earlier a local villager was trampled to death.

Chobe Preserve in northern Botswana has some of the largest elephants populations in the world. An estimated 30,000 elephants roam the savannas and jungles.

This young bull was in musk. You can see the fluid seeping from the glands at the sides of his head.

New Life and death are frequent sights on the savanna.

Elephant herds move north during the dry months of winter. They find refuge on the Zambezi River at the northern edge of the Kalahari Desert.

Older bulls travel alone. Their behavior can be very unpredictable.

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RICK-DA SCALE

Here I will give my humble uneducated opinion of the places I have been. On a scale from 1-10 where 10 is nirvana and 1 is equal to having your right eye stuck with a hot poker while the left eye is forced to watch book reviews on C-Span.

Location_____________Rating____________________Comment

Botswana______________8________________Fantastic animal viewing

OkavangoDelta__________7_______________ Less large game viewing

Food on Safari___________7______________ 5 course meals /fresh baked bread daily

Accommodations_________6_______________Camping in a tent

Okaloosa Island

Weathering the Storm





We are just back from a week on Okaloosa Island, Florida. http://www.destin-ation.com/okaloosaislandflorida/index.htm . Travel to Florida was it's usual bore with more traffic on Interstate 10 than usual because of the Spring Breakers. Once the Snow Birds ( northern winter renters) go home, we have to attend to our condos. Cleaning carpets, replacing missing items and just checking things out. We were met by a wet and wild Wednesday. The storm that blew in brought 40 mile per hour winds and very agitated Gulf water. The massive waves collided with the sand beaches and reshaped them at it's will. Gulls attempted flight but were ground as the wind pushed them down to their sandy perches. The roar of the wind muffled the gulls' call for relief. A few brave souls ventured on to the beach but were left with little dry cloths or self pride.










































What a Diffrence a Day Makes




Thursday was a day of dreams. The temperature was a mild 72 degrees, the wind had reduced to barely a fat man's breath and the sun was not veiled by even one cloud. By the afternoon I had finished my chores around the condo so I headed to the beach. Okaloosa Island is known for its sugar white sand beaches and fortunately not much damage had been done to them the day before. There can be some very strong rip tides along this beach especially since Hurricane Ivan reshaped the coast line. Several surfers attempted to catch the perfect wave, but most of the beach goers sat on their perfectly aligned beach chairs catching the sun's rays. What is so great about Okaloosa Island is that there is a building height restriction so no condo can build higher than seven stories, unlike Destin and Panama City which build to the heavens. This translates to less people on the beach and real estate keeps its value , even in slow times.

Food for Thought

On the second night we had dinner with friends at an excellent Italian restaurant called Pranzo. http://www.destin-fwb.com/Activities/Restaurants/.

The restaurant is located on Santa Rosa Blvd. to the north of the Brooks Bridge. Most people on the island use this Bridge as the anchor for directions to most any other place on the island. As we entered this classically styled restaurant the aroma of garlic tantalizes your nose. The smell was so thick in the air that I could actually taste it. Our friends are a local developer and a real estate agent who were just back from a sailing around the Baja Peninsula. Small talk of the trials and tribulations of sailing for a month and singing the praises of new grandchildren led to more intense discussions of new development on the Island. Although I can not discuss the specifics, the information has not been made public yet, I am enthusiastic about the new development that will be changing the Island for the better. No new condominium projects will be beginning any time soon. This should be good news to anyone who owns a condo along the Emerald Coast.


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WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

RICK-DA SCALE
Here I will give my humble uneducated opinion of the places I have been. On a scale from 1-10 where 10 is nirvana and 1 is equal to having your right eye stuck with a hot poker while the left eye is forced to watch book reviews on C-Span.





Location____________ Rating_____________ Comment


Okaloosa Island________ 8 _______________ Best time to visit is October



Pronzo Restaurant______ 7_______________ The calamari is the best



Island Beaches_________ 8_______________Sugar white sand

Fireworks at Fort Walton Beach

Ft Walton Beach, Florida

We traveled to Fort Walton Beach, Florida on New Year's Eve. Yea, I know it's more than two months since the new year but there was more pressing things to write about the last couple of months. So you get the low down now.

A north wind slapped across my face as I looked down to Choctawhatchee Bay. It was clear but for a few clouds in the southern sky stacked like book cases above the Gulf of Mexico. I almost tripped walking up the spiral stairs to the private roof top sun deck of our penthouse. Oklaloosa Island can get down right cold this time of year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okaloosa_Island . I thought Florida was the sunshine state, at least that is what the local chamber of commerce and vacation hucksters claim. As I tried to shield myself from the wind I felt so fortunate to have such fantastic views in all directions. I believe we have about the best on the island. New Year's Eve night the view of Destin to the east, Ft Walton to the west with multiple firework displays at each location gave our condo a magical feel. In addition many home owners on the north side of the bay put on some very extravagant displays of their own. Some probably have to take on a second mortgage just to pay for the pyrotechnics.

Day break on the beach is fantastic. After staying up until the fireworks stopped we enjoyed some breakfast and headed to the beach. Watching the sun break through the morning clouds is worth missing your beauty sleep. Even though I really do need it. On this morning several sea snakes sat lifeless on the beach. Did they come for the New Year's celebration? An older man walked from the opposite direction. A metal detector in hand and a head set perched cockeyed on his head. Please, put me out of my misery should you see me like this on the beach, missing the sun rise and the sounds of gulls perchance to find trinkets in the sugar white sand.

Eating at Sunset

There are a surprising number a very good restaurants around the Fort Walton area. One of my favorites is Rick's Crab Trap. No, this is not my restaurant. http://www.mytravelguide.com/restaurants/ctrestaurants-7400801-United_States_Florida_Fort_Walton_Beach_restaurants.html_Fort_Walton_Beach_restaurants.html. Located at the foot of Brooks Bridge it has the atmosphere and the food that make this a don't miss place. The sunsets dance on the still bay waters while you sit outside sipping margaritas and munching on fried shrimp and oysters.

Just down the street is a unique Italian Restaurant. You may not want to go there during the day. The outside is poorly maintained and decorated in sort of an eclectic style of old Italy on acid. Even the inside decorations are fascinating to be polite, but the food is very good. The last time we were there a Mexican musical group was playing a mix of mariachi and Sinatra music. Go figure!

Canoe Cane Bayou

Cane Bayou

If you are going to travel to New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival http://www./nojazzfest.com/index.php?http%3A//www.nojazzfest.com/music/gala.php in the next couple of weeks, you might want to take a side trip to Cane Bayou. After a couple of days of ear numbing music, excess eating of Cajun food and way too much Abita Beer, the thirty mile trip north of the city, by way of the causeway, may be just what you need. Taking a canoe or flat bottom boat down this pristine bayou will calm your ears and your stomach.

CYPRESS ADORNED WITH SPANISH MOSS

COLOR IS JUST MAKING A SHOWING

The bayou is bordered on the west side by Fountainbleau State Park http://www.stateparks.com/fontainebleau.html and on the east by Big Branch Marsh http://www.fws.gov/bigbranchmarsh/igbranchmarsh/. Sitting low to the water in a canoe is the best way to enjoy this waterway. Just keep your hands and feet in the boat so alligators aren't tempted. They love the smell of stale beer.


Osprey

A pair of Osprey moved their previous year's nest from the water's edge to a dead old growth cypress tree about a hundred yards east. I could just barley see an osprey chick popping it's head out looking for mom and pop.

Proud parent diverting my attention away from the nest.

I watched the male osprey swipe a clump of Spanish Moss from a low hanging tree. He made a wide circle and when he felt safe he dropped to the nest, adding a bit more cushion to the den floor. Even a bird likes comfort.

After being entertained long enough by the Osprey I moved further south, closer to the bayou's exit into Lake Pontchartrain.

An alligator's den sat exposed as the water level was low. I have to admit I was a little more cautious when I came close to the bayou's banks. My small canoe would be no match for an eight foot gator. But isn't this why I come here, for the beauty and the possibility of danger?

San Diego,California

San Diego

The rental car had a GPS navigation system and it was a good thing. Travel around San Diego can be tricky especially when you are not used to the heavy traffic of west coast highways. This business trip last August was a zigzag drive from Orange County to El Centro with my home base in San Diego.

For a state that always boast "Green Initiatives" Californians still hang on to their love of the automobile. I did my best not to get caught in commuter traffic but on more than one afternoon I sat for hours trapped between Humvees with soccer moms transporting their kids and stylish convertible roadsters captained by captains of industry. At least the scenery is worth taking in at slow speed. The Mediterranean climate certainly lent itself to rolling down the windows and letting the salt air in.

The Beaches from San Diego Bay to La Jolla have a personality all of their own. I am used to flat sugar white sand beaches. But here the darker course sand acts as a threshold for rugged cliffs and rock formations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego,_California. Even the weekday seemed busy along this stretch of natural wonder.

Hotel
Ramada Plaza Hotel Circle is located off Hotel Circle South. It has the usual amenities with swimming pool, high speed Internet and a continental breakfast is included. If you like a real breakfast with cholesterol and caffeine then you can have breakfast at the hotel's Tickle Trout Restaurant or go next store to Rick's Cafe. Rick's has great pancakes for a considerably cheaper price.

Old Town San Diego is only a one mile drive and is home to the Old Town State Historic Park. There are original and reconstructed buildings of San Diego past. Just out side the gates are a multitude of restaurants and shops with authentic Mexican foods and goods. I ate at Casa de Reyes Mexican Cuisine restaurant and was pleasantly surprised since I am not usually a big fan of Mexican food. If you want to end a hard day with a little fun you can always go to the Tequila Museum. On the way back to the hotel look for a small state park on the right hand side of the street. It is not well marked but you will see a small parking lot. There are some very interesting hiking trails into the hills. It is worth a stop, but only if you did not stop at the Tequila Museum first.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

The largest state park in California is the Anza- Borrego Desert State Park. It is a two hour drive east from San Diego. This is the closest I guess I will ever get to an alien moon scape since my application for astronaut training was turned down by NASA in 1976. The letter did say my application would be held on file, so I may still get the call before I'm eighty.

With 500 miles of dirt roads and many miles of hiking trails this desert takes more than a few days to explore. I only had one free day to enjoy the wide open vistas, palm groves, cacti and wildflowers http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638. I was not well prepared for the sun and heat I would experience. Next time I will bring a hat, sun block, better sun glasses and a better way to carry bottled water. It was a mild day, a west wind kept the temperature to a tolerable 115 degrees. The scenery is absolutely fantastic. Rocks were doted by an occasional iguana. Fortunately I did not stumble upon any rattlesnakes. I did hope I would see big horn sheep ( borrego in Spanish) but they proved to be elusive. Walking the rugged , at times uphill trails in this type of heat was exhausting and I did not last more than a couple of hours before I took refuge at the visitor center. The center is worth a look if for no other reason it's unique architecture. Don't miss walking to Font's Point in the Borrego Badlands area of the park. It is a sight to behold.

Driving from the park I stopped in the town of Borrego Springs where I had a quick lunch at a cafe that looked like a movie set from Easy Rider. A good meal in this rugged, often unforgiving, always beautiful territory called Anza-Borrego Desert.