Here Come The Bison!

We were caught in a roadblock. The bison crowded the streets of Yellowstone, leaving us with no choice but to sit in our cars and wait for them to move along. Yellowstone National Park is home to wildlife, especially bison that make a statement as they roam the roads, causing havoc to tourists.

Some laid down in the middle of the way, and others walked alongside vehicles peering through windows at the passengers. Their mean-looking, intimidating faces showed no sign of going anywhere. Looking at them, up close was a benefit to see the features of these massive animals that I mistook for buffalo. The American Bison has a large hump on its shoulder, smaller horns than a buffalo, a thick, shaggy coat that sheds in the warm summer months, and a long scraggly beard. Their coats were in the process of shedding at the time we were there in June.

My husband Bill and I were on vacation at Yellowstone National Park with our friends, Eric and Diane. Being our first visit, we were eager to see wildlife. The traffic came to a crawl and then stopped driving towards Madison Valley. We didn't know what the hold-up was but found out soon enough. There was a herd of thirty to forty bison blocking the road for 1½ hours. At first, we were excited to experience the sight of wildlife but eager to get to our first destination in the park.

Later in the evening, we witnessed the bison, both bulls and cows, and their calves swimming across the Madison River. One by one, the animals dipped into the water and swam to the other side. The calves looked hesitant to get into the water but did do so and then shook dry. They frolicked around by their mommies, happy to be back on land. I especially enjoyed watching the calves and felt sad for them having to plunge into cold water but happy for them when they made it to the other side.

Afterward, the bison headed up a hill and onto the road in the middle of oncoming vehicles. They do not look before crossing; this is their territory, and cars need to look for the bison. Here we go again! Bison and their calves wandered on and off the road, slowing traffic with no purpose nor hurry to go anywhere. One was lying down on the left side of the road blocking traffic. Luckily, we were on the right and could pass. 

A warning was to stay in the car because bison are not friendly and will outrun any human. We remained in the vehicle while snapping photos of these wild, massive creatures.

One thing was for sure; I not only was enlightened of the difference between the buffalo and bison but became familiar with the looks and actions of these beasts. A point of interest was observing the cows showing their maternal instincts to their offsprings by keeping them close and protected. Watching the bison gallivanting around on the roads claiming their territory, lying down in front of vehicles implying that this is their home, not ours, and swimming across the waters in a herd was an eye-opener and learning experience. 

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park. Now onto exploring the geysers!

By Linda A. Egelston

Ziplining Adventure in Costa Rica

“Bye, bye,” said the young man as he sent me sailing through the sky over the treetops in the Costa Rican rainforest. The feeling inside of me was surreal! The thought of being thousands of feet in the air, looking down at the treetops was unbelievable.

I remained calm, trying not to focus on the height and trusted that the cable was secure while holding on with my arms extended straight, keeping my legs crossed and tucked close to my chest. While zipping along, I captured a birds-eye view of the rainforest and Lake Arenal in the distance.

Before starting our excursion, one of the workers gave us a demonstration along with important instructions. First rule: Remember to keep your arms extended straight up with hands grasping the bar hooked on the cable and legs crossed against your chest to maintain the speed. Second rule: Spread your legs wide when you feel the cable shaking, which means that you are near the platform and close to stopping. If you don’t extend your legs out wide before stopping, your legs will hit the cable, which could cause an injury.

We were nearing the platform where we would have a practice run, followed by two miles of ziplining. There were myself, my husband Bill, two sons Matt and David, daughter-in-law Colleen, and friend Patrick.

The young fellow hooked me up to the cable, and now it was too late; I was going to zipline! He gave me a push for speed. I held my knees as instructed, but when the cable shook, I didn’t extend my legs out wide. Therefore, I slammed to a stop, and sure enough, my legs hit the wire. I forgot that essential rule in my practice run. I came in for the landing screaming, which entertained the others. The young Costa Rican man patted my arm as I screamed and half-amused, said, “Don’t forget to spread your legs, OK? That’s the most important.” He said, “You have to spread your legs wider, OK?” I replied, “I forgot to spread them wide.” He chuckled as he unhooked my harness.

There was a total of seven cables and no turning back at this point. I was a bit nervous and said, “Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this.” Matt said, “There’s nothing to do. You let them clip you in and off you go.” OK, sure, Matt.

Now, for the real experience, I had to remember to hold my legs out wide when I felt the cable shake. When it was Colleen’s turn, the man gave her a push, and off she zipped screaming most of the way to the platform, encouraging. I took a video capturing the sound of her screams traveling across the rainforest, the joys of learning to zipline.

After Colleen reached the end, it was my turn. As the man gave me a push, he said, “Bye, bye; don’t forget to spread your legs,” and off I went. When the cable shook, the man at the other end held his arms out, reminding me to spread my legs, at which time I did as instructed. Now, I overcame my uneasy feeling. This experience was going to be fun.

After the first two runs, I began to enjoy each ride from cable to cable. Ziplining gave me a sense of exhilaration. Bill felt apprehensive at first but realized that there was no going back. Colleen was happy to be alive to talk about it.

The fifth zip line was called big daddy that was one-half of a mile. After a few poses for the camera, my man gave me a push, said, “bye, bye,” and off I went sailing through the sky. I turned my head in both directions to see the mountains in the distance and treetops that looked miles below like a bed of greenery that would catch me if I fell. Then, I closed my eyes, relaxed my mind erasing any anxious thoughts, allowed myself to enjoy the ride, and held tight until the cable shook, which meant it was time to extend my legs out wide and came to a quick stop. I stopped so fast that I felt as though I slammed into the finish line, causing a jolt to my head! Never-the-less, a sense of thrill took over my mind; I survived the big daddy!

By Linda A. Egelston

Bourbon Street, New Orleans

"Excuse me, sir, I bet I can tell you where you got those shoes, the city and state." My husband Bill said, “I know your secret.” The man laughed and said, “You've been around.” We laughed because the truth was that we hadn’t “been around.”  I just heard that story from a friend two days before we left and shared it with Bill.  {You are supposed to think this person is going to guess where you bought your shoes.  You bet with him, and he says, “You got your shoes in New Orleans, LA.”  You just lost the bet, and he won your money!}  I was surprised that we were approached for the shoe scam line the very first night in New Orleans! 

Bourbon Street, New Orleans, wakes up at night! As my husband Bill and I walked down Bourbon Street, he said, "You have to be here to believe it." The street was alive with loud music played by different bands, crowds of people walking the streets drinking out of plastic cups, in and out of bars, watching street performers, and just partying. 

Women stood outside of strip clubs in skimpy outfits and thongs to lure people inside. One girl stood wearing a thong, back turned to the crowd, and jiggled her booty to attract attention and tempt people to enter.  I almost took a picture of that but didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself, the tourist that I am!

After walking up and down the street several times, we entered a bar that hosted a New Orleans jazz band.  Some of the women stood up from the tables and danced to the music.  The lead singer called out to a woman from Seattle, Washington.  He called her “Sleepless in Seattle” and beckoned her to come up to the stage to dance with him.  The two danced well together and provided entertainment for the rest of us. 

As we were walking along Bourbon Street, people were throwing down different colored beaded necklaces from the balcony above Pat O’Brien’s bar. I felt compelled to pick up some from the ground to wear, so I did.  

We walked by a strip joint where three girls stood by the door in their skimpy attire.  One girl was sticking out her behind, and the other girl was putting her hand next to it to coax people in for their show. 

Further down, a street performer was posing as a construction worker taking his place on a ladder without moving.  People dropped coins in his bucket as they passed.  

Further on, a drag queen saw me taking her picture, so she posed and then asked me if I got it.  I said, "Yes", and she walked over to invite us in to watch a burlesque show. We didn't go in, but I took the brochure that she handed me of the show.

We walked into Sing Sing, a hole in the wall dive bar, and listened to the upbeat jazz band. The bar required a one-drink minimum as most did. The upbeat jazz music enticed people to get up and dance. There was a lively crowd at this bar; we enjoyed the atmosphere and the drinks.

All-in-all, Bourbon Street was a memorable experience in New Orleans! 

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave Tour in Belize.

Geared up for our ATM Cave Tour Adventure

I plunged into the small spring-fed pool and swam inside of the cave. The crystalline water gave hues of blues and greens, especially at the entrance.

Our tour guide Abraham had led us through three river crossings in chilly water up to my chin, to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave. At first, I didn’t move, but with no choice, I took the plunge and swam to the cave and further inside since the water remained high for part of the way. The water was cold and being wet for the first half-mile, we felt chilled.

As a nonswimmer, I wore a life jacket to survive deep water levels and felt confident with the support. I wasn’t concerned with the panic of trying to keep my head above water and could enjoy the challenges ahead. As we walked or swam further into the cave, things started to get interesting, passing through narrow passageways.

Our group of six included myself, my husband Bill, two sons Matt and David, daughter-in-law Colleen, and our friend Patrick.

The stalactite formations were phenomenal because, according to our guide, they grow at a rate of 1/16th inch per year. Some stalactites were thousands of years old and formed in such a way that they were almost to the ground. We saw white stalactites and stalagmites that grew into each other resembling icicles hanging from the cave walls. I felt like we were in a winter wonderland inside of the cave. Abraham instructed us not to touch these sides of the cave because of the oils from our skin that could impact the formations by stunting the growth.

As we went more in-depth through the cave, the water level ranged from knee-high to neck high. We had to climb through narrow, rocky spaces, sometimes ascending massive tricky rock formations, and swim through tunnels. After about one-half mile into the cave, it became much more challenging as we approached the first boulder about 15 feet high.

My son David commented that the best part was seeing me looking at the rock as the guide was starting to give instructions on climbing it, and I was connecting the dots for the first time that we actually had to go up that rock. David said that my mouth dropped wide open as I stared at the boulder, thinking that everyone was joking, but they weren’t.

I honestly did NOT know how I was going to climb up that wet, slippery, mammoth boulder! Of course, I was elected to go first, so the challenge began. With our guide’s assistance from the top telling me where to put each foot every step of the way and the guys from the bottom, giving me a boost when needed, I made it. My son Matt was behind me trying to help. I couldn’t look back but said, “I don't care where you touch me, Matt, just get me up there!!”

We hoisted up to the next level, which was very high, where we sat on a ledge, took off our water shoes, and put on socks for the next half of the dry cave. We climbed a ramp, holding on to the edge of the cave wall to keep a grip. My son David hollered from up ahead, “Mom, don’t fall!” Then, he added, “Matt, stay close to mom.” Well, I had Abraham at my side holding my hand for support through challenging maneuvers. Abraham said,  “This is my new mamma.” 

We continued up to a higher level and entered the ceremonial chamber. We observed shards of pottery, ceramic bowls, and jugs that the Mayans brought in for offerings of food and water to the gods. There were smooth-rimmed, narrow-mouthed clay pots that held liquids and wide-mouthed that had contained food.

Abraham provided a wealth of information about how the Mayans performed ceremonial rites to the gods to try to appease them to get rain during the drought season in the late classic period, which was about 900 AD. When the gods didn’t give them rain, they started to bring in animals. Human sacrifices were brought in as well into the ceremonial cavern of young deformed skulls.

Further inside the cave, we came to the first set of scattered bones, deformed skulls, and human remains for live sacrifices. The Mayans brought into the cave typically young, strong children, usually of royal families, because they were more valuable to the gods.

We climbed a tall, narrow ladder that leaned against the cave wall up to the rear of the highest level of the cave. There, we saw a whole skeleton that was believed to be a sacrificial victim whose bones have been given a sparkling appearance by centuries of calcification, referred to as the Crystal Maiden.

We took a few moments to gaze at the climax of our tour before descending the ladder, walking back to the ledge where we took off our socks and put on water shoes. The dry part of the cave had passed. Now, we would return to the water and make our way out of the cave.

Through this tremendous energy-intense experience, I overcame the challenges of keeping up with the rest of the group in deep, cold water levels, as a nonswimmer, maneuvering through extremely narrow passageways, and climbing a gigantic boulder without missing a step.

The ATM Cave tour was the most adventurous highlight of the trip, and I was delighted to take the challenge and survive!

Memories of Belize

My first morning in the rainforest of San Ignacio, Belize, I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the barking of our neighbors, the howlers, high up in the trees of the jungle surrounding a panoramic view of the Macal River. We stayed in a cabin near the river, providing a primitive setting that brought us close to nature for the first half of our visit.

The riverbank nestled in the rainforest, and the sun shone through the trees with a golden glow. The sounds echoed in the open air of the howlers who made their presence known. The guys discovered a hanging rope from which they swung into the river to see who could land the furthest out into the water.

A highlight was the tour of Xunantunich Ruins of where the climax was climbing to the top of El Castillo (the castle). A hand-cranked ferry carried us across the Mopan River. From there, we continued to the ruins passing a family of howlers up in a tree. Of course, we jumped out of the van to see the monkeys. Our tour guide advised, “You don’t want to go directly underneath them. Monkeys don’t wear diapers. When they have to go, they just go.” Living in Belize, he was familiar with the monkeys!

Xunantunich means Stone Woman in Mopan (Yucatec Mayan language). Our tour guide explained that Stone Woman refers to the ghost of a woman dressed entirely in white with glowing red eyes. She generally appears in front of El Castillo, ascends the stone stairs, and disappears into a stone wall.

The most famous building in Xunantunich is El Castillo, a pyramid soaring 130 feet above the main plaza. El Castillo is remarkable due to its large stucco frieze on its eastern side that details stories of the gods and stories from Maya creationist myths.

The nine rooms of the royal palace represented the nine chambers of the underworld. The Mayans believed that close friends of the emperor lived in this palace. We climbed the wide, steep stone steps to the ledge and then made our way further up the palace. From that point, we hiked to the back of the castle. We climbed up another set of steep steps to a ledge and then further up passing through doorways ascending to the top where we took in the fantastic view that stretched beyond the border of Guatemala. We were on top of the world!

Another highlight was a tour through a sacrificial cave, Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM), where the Mayans brought food and drinks as offerings to the gods for rain.

We walked two miles on a dusty trail in between three river crossings to the entrance of the cave. When we came to the first crossing, our tour guide, Abraham led the way through the roaring river with a chilling water level up to my chin. Fortunately, each crossing had a rope to hold, and that’s just what I did as I dog-paddled to the end. We continued the trail until the second river crossing, which, to my delight, was ankle-deep. After more hiking, we came to the third crossing and, surprise, it was also ankle deep!

Now that we went through three river crossings, I imagined the rest to be of ground level. To my astonishment, we approached a small spring-fed pool that required swimming to the inside of the cave. The crystalline water gave hues of blues and greens, especially at the entrance. At first, I didn’t move, but with no choice, I took the plunge and swam through the pool to the cave’s entrance and further inside since the water remained high for part of the way.

The headlamps attached to our helmets guided us through the dark cave. Bats flew above us and some rested in holes in the walls. As we walked or swam further into the cave, things started to get interesting, passing through narrow passageways.

The stalactite formations were phenomenal because, according to our guide Abraham, they grow at a rate of 1/16th inch per year. We saw some stalactites and stalagmites that grew into each other. Abraham instructed us not to touch these particular sides of the cave because of the oils from our skin that could impact the formations by stunting the growth.

As we went more in-depth through the cave, the water level ranged from knee-high to neck high. We had to climb through narrow, rocky spaces, sometimes ascending massive tricky rock formations, and swim through tunnels. After about one-half mile into the cave, it became much more challenging as we approached the first boulder about 15 feet high. After climbing the wet, slippery boulder, we hoisted up to the next level, which was very high, where we sat on a ledge, took off our water shoes, and put on socks for the next half of the dry cave. We climbed a ramp, holding on to the edge of the cave wall to keep a grip.

Continuing up to a higher level, we entered the ceremonial chamber where we observed shards of pottery, ceramic bowls, and jugs that the Mayans brought in for offerings of food and water to the gods. There were narrow-mouthed pots that held liquids and wide-mouthed that had contained food.

Abraham explained how the Mayans performed ceremonial rites to the gods to try to appease them to get rain during the drought season in the late classic period, which was about 900 AD. He further explained that when the gods didn’t give them rain, they started to bring in animals. Human sacrifices were brought in as well into the ceremonial cavern of young deformed skulls.

As we continued to walk further into the cave, we saw the first set of scattered bones, deformed skulls, and human remains for live sacrifices. The Mayans brought into the cave typically young, strong children, usually of royal families, because they were more valuable to the gods.

Continuing, we climbed a ladder up to the rear of the highest level of the cave. There, we saw a whole skeleton that was probably a sacrificial victim whose bones have been given a sparkling appearance by centuries of calcification, referred to as the Crystal Maiden. We took a few moments to gaze at the highlight of our tour before descending the ladder, walking back to the ledge where we took off our socks and put on water shoes. The dry part of the cave had passed. Now, we would return to the water and make our way out of the cave. The ATM cave tour was the most adventurous part of our trip, and I was proud of myself for taking the challenge and surviving!

From the rainforest of San Ignacio, we transferred to the Caribbean coast of Placencia to spend the remainder of our trip at a beach house. The scenery was full of palm trees, white sandy beaches, black frigate birds, and brown pelicans flying over the waters and floating in the sea soaking up the sun.

On our last day in Belize, we rode on a fisherman’s boat across the sea to a small private island, Ranguana Caye, for a day of fun and relaxation. The small island provided a paradisal setting as an ending to our Belize vacation.

By Linda A. Egelston