A Viking Voyage

The ability of the Vikings or other people from Europe, Asia, or Scandinavia to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and settle in North America has always been called into question. But the Draken has now proved naysayers wrong!

Many people are of the thought that there is no way a wooden boat of this size and build could make it across such a vast body of water. And while the crew of the Draken did use modern navigational equipment, the boat was quite sea-worthy, sailing from Norway to Iceland, on to Greenland and then to Canada and the U.S. I am hoping that another journey such as this is tried using only the navigational devices which the Vikings had.

Click Here to go to the Draken's website.

Road Trip ~ Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

It's been awhile since we've been on a roadtrip. But with the recent ebb and flow of guests, I knew a roadtrip would be on the agenda sooner or later. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo fit the bill for out-of-towners and their young daughter.

While I do not necessarily condone zoos, some zoos (when started under the right pretenses) do serve a purpose. I am a firm believer that zoos should properly protect the animals from marauding humans with tall barricades which cannot be easily climbed or jumped over. With that being said, this roadtrip to the zoo will show very few animals but general photos of enclosures and mainly the artwork and other unique aesthetic adornments.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is perched on the side of a mountain. Cheyenne Mountain to be exact. It's a large zoo that encompasses 140 acres with incredible vistas of Colorado Springs and the plains to the east. The zoo is constantly revamping the animal habitats and improving them. Many of the animals at the zoo are in breeding programs with the offspring being reintroduced to their wild habitat after they have gone through a training period and are old enough to fend for themselves. 

The CM Zoo has themes areas - Africa, Australia, Rocky Mountains, Asian highlands, Splash Zone (Hippos, Penguins, some small fish), a Great Ape area and a child's play area. So enjoy the photos, there will occasionally be a caption underneath.

Giraffe Statues outside Africa exhibit

Real Giraffe and Giraffe statue - which is which?

Concrete Baobab Tree

Buzzard Sculpture by Zebras

Ole Gnarly - concrete tree near children's play area

Cute Lil' Hobbit size Door

Asian Highlands 

Kodiak Bear

Real or Fake?

Beaver Lodge with concrete beavers near River Otters

Moose Enclosure

Rhinos Spray to mark their territory. Don't get too close!

Elephant Sculpture

Hyena Sculptures

Broadmoor Hotel

Anasazi Towers

Is there a commonality between the Round Towers of Ireland and the Anasazi Towers of the American Southwest? I write about this in the June issue of Alternate Perceptions magazine.

Click here to read the article!