Tourist in my own country/Hiking/Walking

Hiking With Wild Animals and Lots of Children

Not my everyday hike, but loads of fun

Author’s Photo, yes that’s me, waiting for the hiking group

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Today’s hike was another outside-the-box hike. Not the place one would think anyone would go to hike, yet we did almost five miles with 456 feet of elevation gain while having a great time.

My hiking group decided that for our Monday hike, let’s go to the Safari Park. They had just opened the new elephant exhibit, and many in the group, including me, had memberships that let us visit and park for free. It’s not really free; the memberships are expensive, but it’s a non-profit organization that does wonderful work. Even a one-day pass is $78.00 now, with another $20 for parking.

But we forgot it was spring break, and the park was packed with children having a great time.

While dodging children darting in and out of your path was a challenge, it was better than dodging snakes. (you know how much I like snakes)

Author’s Photo — (Left to right) Dave, our leader, Charlotte, Dave, Nancy — Watching the Turtles, who were mating, so it appeared, having a cigarette afterward.

So with Dave and Dave leading the way, Nancy, Charlotte, and I made today’s hiking group a total of five.

Stopping to watch birds and wildlife while getting in your steps is a very popular activity. When I worked at the Safari Park, right after I retired. I would see the same group of ladies who walked the park twice a week, then they had coffee, and chatted. They were always the first to arrive, yelling out, “Top of the morning to you, Mikey.” They called me Mikey. Here is a picture of me at my minimum wage job, trying to beat post-retirement boredom.

I worked the Lorikeet exhibit, which closed around the time of COVID, and after the matriarchal Lorikeet's death, I loved the Lorikeets.

The park is set among hills, so you can get a great workout climbing them and the stairs. The place is also huge, which is a good thing because it gives the animals plenty of space.

The park covers 1,800 acres — the Savanna in the background has 300 acres combined in the Asian Savanna and African Plains areas — Author’s Photo

In the Savanna area, you can find giraffes, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, and many types of antelopes roaming together freely.

Author’s Photos

The Bonsai Pavilion, lagoons, and Condor Ridge are some of my favorite places. The Safari Park/San Diego Zoo played a key role in saving the California Condors from extinction, when their numbers had dropped to just 22 individuals in 1987. Through their efforts, they have reintroduced them to the wild, where their numbers are now around 500.

Condor Ridge — Authors Photo

They have also saved the Eastern Black Rhinos from poaching through their joint efforts with Kenya and the conservatory they built in Kenya.

But there are many success stories, including the Pacific pocket mouse, white rhinos, and many more. I only have two complaints despite all the wonderful things the Safari Park/San Diego Zoo has accomplished. I wish the big cats had more space, and I don’t like seeing the gorillas in captivity at all. Although they are endangered as well due to poaching, habitat loss, and disease. It may be an unfortunate price to pay for helping them overall.

Five Rhinos line up toe to toe — three lions stretch their paws swinging tails to and fro — Author’s Photo

I knew it was going to be a busy day when the parking lot was already filling up, and it was still 15 minutes before opening. There were many big yellow buses filled with children, and it was fun to see the excitement in their eyes.

We headed off to the more remote sections, which had fewer people.

Our little group — Author’s Photo

We passed these and we had no idea what they were, do you know? Author’s Photo

Nancy used her handy-dandy app to identify the plant, and we learned that it is a fig tree with green figs growing directly on the trunk. This growth pattern is known as Cauliflory.

Unknown insect who crossed our path — Author’s Photo

We happened upon this little fellow scurrying about, very quickly, but what was it? I asked Siri, “Siri, identify this picture.” She came back with her always cheerful voice, “You're looking at a fuzzy insect lying on a wooden stick with a background of sand and stones.” Siri is so helpful. I would never have known this.

But when asking ChatGPT the same question, the answer it returned was very different. “This appears to be a Velvet Ant, commonly known as a “cow killer” ant, although it is actually a type of wingless wasp. The fuzzy appearance and bright or light-colored hairs are characteristic of velvet ants. They are known for their painful sting but are generally not aggressive if left alone.”

A cow killer, now that seems ominous. We decided to let the velvet ant continue doing whatever velvet ants do. I didn’t see any cows nearby, or I would have warned them.

The new Elephant Valley — Author’s Photo

Walking among giants, the new Safari Park Elephant Valley expansion had just opened four days prior to our arrival. You get closer than ever before to these gentle giants since the enclosure surrounds you on all sides. They were grouped together for lunch, but since this enclosure was new to them, they tended to stay together for safety and would explore more as they became used to their new surroundings.

“Elephants roam a massive space with mud baths, watering holes, and plenty of activities to stimulate the remarkably smart animals. But what’s unique about Elephant Valley is the closeness guests can feel to these gentle giants.” Channel 7 San Diego News

The San Diego Zoo/Safari Park hopes the immersive exhibit will generate interest in ongoing conservation efforts between Kenyan elephant sanctuaries and SDZSP.

We had a wonderful day hiking, more accurately walking in the park today. This was hike number 16 for me as I work to complete 60 hikes in 2026, and walk 2026 miles in 2026. Three months and 8 days down, and I have walked 591 miles, and I’m 47 miles ahead of schedule.

[embed]List: Field Trip Walks & Hikes | Curated by Michael Rhodes | Medium Field Trip Walks & Hikes · Walks I make away from home. Get the steps in while seeing new things. · 18 stories on…medium.com

I haven’t written a story for “Tourist in my own country” in a long time, and wasn’t sure if hiking qualified. I haven’t done many tourist things, or many things at all, beyond my hiking. It is a wonderful publication, thanks, Shanti.

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