Travels And Animals

I love traveling and animals, especially sharks and crocodilians

[finndorsal]

Ever get the urge to just go further up north and leave everything behind?

[finndorsal]

More Mid Forest Lodge Pics

[finndorsal]

I work at an electronics pawn shop. Last night, some kids came in not knowing what an arcade machine was. Is this what unc status feels like?

[finndorsal]

Even though I’m all for animal conservation, invasive species need to be wiped out. There have been times where animal rights activists got in the way of this. I get that these species are typically animals, but if you let them spread where they aren’t supposed to be, they will devastate the ecosystem and kill off a ton of native life. Good thing Sea Lampreys and Zebra Mussels are acknowledged as a threat and people are working on ways to kill them off in the Great Lakes.

Also, if you go boating and bring your boat between different bodies of water, wash that thing off good.

[finndorsal]

I went to Mid Forest Lodge again. That same night was the one where the Northern Lights were out. I couldn’t see them very well, but the lodge was still gorgeous with all the changing colors.

[finndorsal]

This is my brother’s fire belly newt, a species native to China and Japan, but popular in American pet stores. His name is Newty. Real creative, I know. This little fella has been with us for at least 20 years. His kind can live for up to 30 years with proper care, but normally live for 10-15 years. His area is very bare bones, but evidently we’re doing something right. I feel kind of bad because it’s a boring life. He just kinda eats pellets, bloodworms, and swims. Something none of us knew and thankfully didn’t have to learn the hard way is that fire belly newts can secrete a toxin through their skin if they are threatened. You should always handle them while wearing gloves just to be safe. Do as I say, not as I do.

I would also recommend, if you get one of these, to have a bigger cage than this and maybe get a few. Just so they aren’t bored. And possibly a UV light. Ours has done fine without one, but it’s recommended.

[finndorsal]

Mid Forest Lodge I’d say is one of Michigan’s many hidden gems, or rather, restricted gems in this case. You need to either know a club member or be one yourself to get in. There’s not much back here, but it’s a nice little getaway.

[finndorsal]

Remember this place? Here are some pictures during the winter, you know, when we actually got snow.

Some people actually went and built snowmen on a frozen lake. The absolute madlads. AND someone went snowmobiling on top of it.

[finndorsal]

More gems from Michigan, this one may be more well-known.

Mackinac Island is one of the few places in this commuter state where there are no cars. That’s right! Zero cars except for emergency responders. Everyone else walks, rides a bike, or travels by horse.

Despite the smell of horse manure in the street, Mackinac Island is a gorgeous island with fascinating history. This island was the site of one of the only land invasions of US territory in history. It was taken over by the British during the War of 1812, the same war in which the White House was burnt to the ground. Both attempts to retake the island and Fort Mackinac failed, but we got them back after the war.

There are two big landmarks on the island visible from Mackinac City. The Grand Hotel and Fort Mackinac are visible even from miles away. The ice cream in the Grand Hotel is absolutely to die for!

And yes, Mackinac Island Fudge is really good!

[finndorsal]

More Michigan hidden gems coming right up. This is Rockport State Park, a massive rock quarry running along the shore of Lake Huron and a great place to search for Petoskey Stones. If you didn’t already know this, Petoskey Stones are pieces of fossilized coral. You may be wondering what that’s doing in Michigan. It’s because this state was a tropical sea during the Silurian Period more than 400 million years ago. Why couldn’t it have stayed like that? I’m getting off topic, here are some pictures of the rock quarry.

It was one hell of a hike, but serene and pretty. Our luck with Petoskey Stones wasn’t the greatest, but maybe you’ll find some if you’re looking. This is another time where I wish I had taken some more pictures. There were these crazy rock hills that you could climb. It was awesome.

[finndorsal]

Here is some more from Michigan, when it’s not a gray and freezing hellhole.

Torch Lake is a real hidden gem. It’s a gorgeous lake known for its vibrant colors. This one article even said that it looked just like the Caribbean Sea. These two pictures were taken by me in Alden, a charming little community in Antrim County. I wish I had taken more.

[finndorsal]

Here is another post from my home state of Michigan, Point Betsie to be specific. I wish I had taken a picture of the lighthouse. Lake Michigan was beautiful during the week of this trip. It so blue and vibrant, it looks more like the ocean than the Atlantic Ocean. Nah I’m kidding, but seriously. Michigan’s lakes are no joke.

[finndorsal]

After passing through West Virginia, we stopped in Virginia to visit the Fairy Stone State Park. It is known for its peculiar-shaped rocks called Fairy Stones, the park’s namesake, that sometimes look like crosses. Much like it’s Western cousin, Virginia was also beautiful, as was this state park.

I spoke to some of the park rangers and it had me marking down that career as one of my goals. I would love to work in these places of natural beauty and help them retain said beauty and ability to support wildlife. My dream careers are a Marine Conservationist, Park Ranger Interpreter, Marine Educator, Scuba Diver, Environmental Educator, Maintenance Park Ranger, Zookeeper, and Eco Tourism Guide. I love the outdoors so much.

[finndorsal]

On the way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (yes, we drove there) we passed through several states. None more notable than West Virginia. Say what you will about the state as a whole, but basically every step of the way was picturesque beauty.

We made a stop in Point Pleasant because we have to every time. Mom loves cryptids, aliens, the paranormal, etc, and Point Pleasant is where the myth of the legendary Moth Man began, along with the lesser known Indrid Cold. The Moth Man has become an integral part of Point Pleasant’s identity and culture.

[finndorsal]

One more post about Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I couldn’t fit this into the other two posts but I got to see the King of the Crocs himself, Utan.

Utan is a saltwater and Siamese crocodile hybrid. He is 60-years-old and came from Thailand. Utan is known for being the largest captive crocodile in the United States. The United States part was important to include because he’s called the King of the Crocs, but my step dad’s first reaction to seeing Utan was, “I’ve seen bigger in Darwin”, referring to his time living in Australia. This croc is still nothing to scoff at. He is just over 18 feet long and weighs around 2000 lbs. Alligator Adventure’s website also estimates that his bite force is nearly two tons.

If you’re interested in learning more about the specifics, you can check out the Alligator Adventure website’s page about Utan, which I would link if it would work.

[finndorsal]

Here are some more pictures from Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach.

They had two albino alligators, which are extremely rare. There are said to only be about 200 or so in the world, all kept in captivity because they don’t last long in the wild due to problems with their vision and the sun. And the lack of camouflage. They’re absolutely beautiful though.

The other two crocodilians above are the false gharial, which is an endangered species native to Southeast Asia with a distinctly thin snout, and the notorious saltwater crocodile which lives in countries and islands across the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. It is supposedly one of the most dangerous animals to humans and that one looks like it’s giving me a death glare, even though it’s probably just half-asleep.

A hat I bought calls Alligator Adventure the “Reptile Capital of the World”, but it was more than just an alligator and reptile zoo. There were bobcats, tortoises, parrots, flamingos, a hyena, ostriches (or are those emus? I think they’re ostriches), a cassowary, and even a mountain lion in one of the above pictures. The one where it just looks like a pile of logs to be precise. I didn’t see it until this one guy pointed it out. It was seeing us the whole time and we were clueless.

[finndorsal]

Speaking of alligators from my last post, when I was in Myrtle Beach I visited the Alligator Adventure zoo. It was awesome and the first time I’ve seen an American Alligator in person. Prior to this, I’d only seen the Chinese Alligator at the Detroit Zoo because I’m stuck in the hellhole of inconsistent weather known as Michigan.

These aren’t even all the pictures I wanted to include. It was awesome to learn more about these beautiful southeastern American death lizards and even be able to pet one of the babies. Also, did you know that these things are incredibly lazy? They typically just wait for prey to mosey on by before tearing it to shreds. Being ambush predators, the Alligator’s laziness makes a lot of sense.

Also, as you can probably tell by the pictures, I got to see Bob, the alligator born in captivity without a tail. She (yes, they named her Bob despite being female) has her own enclosure in the Crocodile Cove. Being a wild alligator without a tail is basically a death sentence.

[finndorsal]

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was absolutely gorgeous when I was there this summer. I did not see any sharks like I would have wanted to, but I did see an Alligator in the wild at Barefoot Landing, an outdoor mall.