As it got light we packed up our stuff. We were hoping for a late checkout, but that wasn't possible so we had to find a way to get all of our motorcycle crap secured on the bike while we went on the tour. This was made easier by the weather since it was between cool and cold - so I ended up wearing my motorcycle jeans instead of shorts.
We had even more down time after a good breakfast waiting for "The Wildside" tour. The Wilds has many tours available, this one takes place in an open air truck with up to eight people. The trucks will also go off-road to see the animals where as the bus tours stay on the road (and they're on a bus).
Our tour only had four people on it, which was something we all seemed happy about. Eight would have been OK, but we may have had to be closer than kin... The other two women on the tour were very friendly and we got along well, making room for each other's pictures and sharing access to the nearby animals. It was a little funny that they lived not too far from us either. Apparently multiple full trucks are more common, so I'll take the day's situation as a plus.
Kristen was our tour guide and she started by giving us some background and a few warnings. Nothing was too surprising, but it did include warnings on some animals being aggressive. The plan was to find animals, get as close as reasonably possible, and spend some time in each spot. Kristen would sit in the roof of the truck since there is a no-feet-on-the-ground rule on tours.
Off we went in search of animals. First up were some wild horses with more warnings on biting. The steering wheel had a chunk taken out of it on a previous tour - 'nuff said.
Then it was on to some camels. Up close they don't look as regal as they do from far away with their big lips hanging out and gangly demeanor. We were allowed to pet them and I was surprise how firm the hump was since they look so floppy.
The beginning felt slow since horses and camels don't exactly seem toooo exotic, but maybe that is by design since things got better as the morning went on. Next up were the Sichuan Takin. These are the bulbous things that I thought were pretty cool looking. I guess these are a Chinese National Treasure and are all "owned" by China. However, they are doing better outside of China than in. Two of these guys were getting frisky - which must be OK since they need to use contraception to limit the breeding (this is true of many of the animals).
There are American Bison on the property, but they are actually not strictly part of the wilds. Far from endangered, these are raised for meat. Still, neat to see.
From there we went to the carnivore area which is surprisingly small. For (perhaps obvious) reasons, the carnivores are kept separate and in extra double fencing. The cheetahs are pretty magnificent animals.
We had extra time at the carnivore area which allowed us to look around on our own. It is probably also to give poor Kristen a break from all the questions which she probably gets from all of the guests. While I'm sure every tour is different, I have to suspect it also gets painfully redundant for the guides.
I've always thought African Spotted Dogs are one of the neatest looking canines. Being so close to them was really cool. Their coloring almost looks fake.
I want to take one of these home - but I bet they are hard to house train...
Some of the animals stay hidden and whether they are out might be temperature dependent. Shortly before we left the carnivore area we did get to see some young Dholes.
Back in the truck we were on the hunt for more animals. I have to say that the Pere Davids Deer look regal from far away, less so up close. Their back story is pretty interesting though.
Another regal-looking animal which is prone to biting is the zebra. From even a short distance away, the stripe pattern blends into a camouflage grey.
Kristen moved the truck as the Ostrich came close. Their head was high enough relative to the truck that she didn't want them too close to us.
We had another stop at the Rhino barn where they keep their male one-horned Rhino. At first he was in the barn but as if on cue, he came out when Kristen shook a small bucket of sweet potatoes. We got to feed him ... and get Rhino slobber all over our hands.
Feeding was also on the agenda at our next stop - whether we wanted to or not. The Giraffe WILL BE FED! I guess it really likes romaine lettuce.
While the one giraffe was pretty aggressive in wanting food, we were also able to entice another smaller one to eat as well. The strength of such a svelte animal was pretty amazing.
A short distance away we came to a group of animals that included two-horned Rhinos.
Wild Scimitars.
And Bactrian Deer (which were showing rutting behavior and vocalization). These deer were massively impressive both in antlers and body size. I wonder what they do with all the shed antlers?
The Rhinos liked to use the truck as a scratching post and it was surprisingly OK for us to pet and scratch them. Their skin is like armor.
As we made our way back out, we saw some young Eland.
The tour was much more interactive than I would have thought. Getting to feed the rhino; being up close to an obnoxious giraffe; seeing spotted dogs and watching a cheetah lie down right in front of me. And that might be my only criticism of the entire thing. Or maybe it is a criticism of myself, of all of us - while unscripted and infinitely more natural than a zoo, the animals have little fear of humans. Still, it was much more honest than a Cade's Cove version of nature. And to be pragmatic, this is probably the only way to keep some of these animals alive and reproducing on the planet. I'm sure doing so is massively expensive, and having tourists come through makes this possible only due to the interaction. I can appreciate that on many levels while at the same time being a bit uncomfortable with it.
"When experiences are sold, when scenery becomes commodity, places can morph into caricatures of themselves, obscuring context and meaning." - Sarah Gilman
I'm glad that places like The Wilds exist while being a bit sad about it at the same time. Our goal for the natural world shouldn't be animals that are so divorced from it that they resemble their former selves in form only. We risk seeing nature as a giant terrarium, instead of the unscripted and sometimes ugly wilds that it should be.
Day 2: 202.6 Miles
It took a few minutes to reorganize everything for the trip home. The day which started out cold had started to grow warm. We had at least a short amount of time to enjoy the Eastern Ohio roads before we hit the interstate. Then it was goal driven - time to go home.
Traffic wasn't too bad and there wasn't much construction - which was nice. As we passed over the Lost Lands Musical Festival, it looked much worse than the previous day. Uggg... You guys can have it.
As the relatively short trip home continued, the combination of wind and atypical heat made it feel longer than it was. When this whole thing was originally planned, the worry was more that any rain could make the bike trip uncomfortable; as it was, a bit of rain might have been nice.
Soon enough we were home. We unpacked and got the dogs. Even though they were only gone one night it will take a day or three for them to get back to normal.
For a short adventure, it certainly felt longer than it was. The spotted dogs were a highlight as was the ability to be up close and personal with the rhinoceros.
I'm still overdue for another long road trip, but I'm glad I got to experience a bunch more interesting Ohio for a few days.
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