EXPLORING NATURE: TRAVELS

In my travels within Texas and around the world, I have been fortunate to see many natural wonders and lots of interesting wildlife.

I have especially enjoyed waterfalls, ranging from the mighty Gullfoss of Iceland to the roaring torrents of Victoria in Africa. And I have seen elephants, lions, wildebeests and zebras in their natural habitat.

I recall the Okavango Delta in Africa where we traveled in narrow canoes and saw hippos swimming nearby. They looked remarkably docile, almost like huge pigs. I later learned they kill more people in that area than any other animal. They often bite people in two.

The largest bird I ever saw was an ostrich in Africa and the smallest was a bee hummingbird in Cuba.

Some species I saw have come close to extinction, including the California condor which I saw in Arizona at the Grand Canyon, and the whooping crane, which I saw at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

I remember a trip to Costa Rica and on the last day, our group was in a lookout tower, hoping to see some wildlife below. One lady beckoned me over to where she was sitting and pointed to a distant, thin, lovely waterfall, pouring over a spectacularly high cliff. It was a marvelous sight.

“Thanks for the waterfall,” I said.

“First time I ever gave someone a waterfall,” she replied.

And what a gift it was. Many years later, it still lives in my memory.