Museum of Glass - Tacoma, Washington

I am going to try something a little different here, and mix the pictures with the text. When I first got on Blogger it was not an option, so I have the habit of not doing it, but there are times when it could work well.

We drove to the museum, but you have a great approach from downtown Tacoma by crossing the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. There are some gorgeous buildings, including Union Station, open since 1911 and done in the Beaux-Arts Style, as well as the courthouse and Washington State History Museum. So, going by train is a good option as well.

Since we drove, and parked in the nearby lot, we approached via the Water Forest and Fluent Steps first. Water is an important part of both designs, and this makes sense, as you are right on the sound, and a marina lies before you.

Inside the museum we found the regular galleries, combining traveling and permanent pieces. There were some very interesting pieces. The Links Exhibition, which consisted of works by glass artists connected between Australia and the Pacific Northwest, included some artists I had seen earlier at the Chihuly exhibit that the Portland Art Museum had many years ago, so there was a nice touch of familiarity.

There were some gorgeous pieces, and together it was a good illustration of how much variety can exist within a single medium. In general I thought the displays were advantageous - someone had carefully considered lighting and placement to show the best aspects of the work.

There was an interesting flow to wandering through the galleries. Although the spaces do not initially seem that large, with every corner that you turn there is more, so you are lost in a labyrinth of glass art. It is easy to miss things, so after going through once I had to thread my way back.

I do not believe it was obvious at any point where one exhibit ended and another began, except by the difference in style, so there may be some missing opportunities for context, and for what works actually belong there, but the signage for individual pieces was pretty good.

Heading past the theater, there was one other gallery. It was really more of a hallway, with windows and natural light, and this is where you could see the pieces from the Kids Design Glass Collection. Each piece was accompanied by the child's drawing that it was based on, and as interesting as it was to see the transformation for a non-involved adult, that must be amazing for the kids. It reminds me of the Monster Engine, but in 3-D.

http://www.themonsterengine.com/

After that I visited the Hot Shop, where you can watch artists blowing glass. The inverted ice cream cone outside isn't just a cool-looking idea, but it helps vent the heat.

Although there is a limit to how close you can get, there are chairs and a screen, turning it into a kind of theater, and there is another screen outside of the hot shop where you can watch in a slightly cooler environment.

After exploring the gift shop, we were done with the inside, but of course there was still the bridge.

The first pleasant surprise was that while the stairs look like quite a climb, the steps are low, and going up is really not that strenuous.

One thing that had been disappointing about the inside of the museum is that there just hadn't been much Chihuly, and we sort of thought there would be. As  you reach the first part of the bridge, suddenly there are 109 Chihuly sculptures in the Venetian Wall, and there are the colors and the elegant lines and tentacles and putti.

Then you have the Crystal Towers in the center, which you can see pretty well from the road and the ground, and then there is another covered area, but looking through it seems pretty ordinary. The second surprise happens when you look up. I did not get a good picture, but there is a really good one on the web page where it is illuminated at night, so make sure to check that out:

http://museumofglass.org/outdoor-art/chihuly-bridge-of-glass

This is the Seaform Pavilion, and the name itself obviously leads you to think of sea foam, but it also reminds me of jellyfish.

On our way back to the parking lot, we noticed that many people had placed the stickers they were given after paying admission on this pole. I don't totally approve, as it is too close to littering for me, but it certainly is colorful.

I just wanted to say one last thing about the parking lot. You drive in, and as you walk out you stuff cash, based on how long you are going to stay, in the box with your space number. It is a good-sized lot, so make sure you take note of your number before you leave your car. It's kind of a weird system, but it seems to work.

http://museumofglass.org/

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium - Tacoma, Washington

http://www.pdza.org/

I have been thinking about zoos a lot lately, and what makes them work or not work. One important factor is the use of space. Can you see everything without getting lost or too exhausted? Point Defiance does pretty well.

This was most obvious in the set up of the aquarium. It does not look like a particularly large building, but there was a lot in it. The first floor was organized around a central tank. As you circled, the exterior side had small tanks devoted to specific areas or species, like Budd Inlet, or moon jellyfish. There was excellent local representation, and if that had been all there was, it would have been pretty good. Then we went upstairs.

As well as being able to view the central tank from above, there kept being more. There were seahorses, and tropical fish, and sharks, and sting rays, and a discovery center. The most interesting part for me was watching the leopard eel swim. That may not sound like much, but usually the eel representation you have in aquariums is a brown moray eel with just its head peeking out of a its hiding place. Here was a fabulous spotted creature moving through the water, and it was really cool.

We had actually started in the Asian Forest Sanctuary, seeing elephants and primates but being most entranced with the tigers. There was a pair of twins that were having a birthday, but what we really loved was the 4 month old cub playing with a section of watermelon. Their tiger breeding program seems to be doing well.

Coming out of there by the camels, we did not take a ride, but we did take advantage of the opportunity to feed the camels. You are just pushing carrots through a hole in a grate, rather than actually being with the camels and petting them, because they apparently don't want guests to lose their fingers. However, the camels then bob and dip and look at you trying to see when the next carrot is coming, and we found it to be a good deal.

It was after the camel feeding that we went through the aquarium, and then had lunch. At this point we had basically looped around the right side of the zoo. Now we headed left.

First we had some penguins. It was an open space, which I prefer to the enclosed buildings, and if you'll notice the photo, while the rest of the penguins were taking it easy, that one was standing and almost seemed like he was trying to sing for the crowd. Well, it worked. He got his picture taken.

The penguin exhibit was the beginning of Rocky Shores, which had been a big part of the attraction for us. We hadn't been anywhere with a walrus, and they had three. They had seals and otters too
(and puffins and murres), and we enjoyed seeing them, but we were there for the walrus.

Their tusks have been removed. Their purpose in nature is for help in climbing the ice, which is not needed here, and they are prone to infection. As the base of the tooth is so close to the brain, that can be very dangerous. So, they looked a little different, but then it is easier to see how they are similar to other pinnipeds. Rocky Shores flowed very naturally into Arctic Tundra, where there were polar bears, reindeer, muskox, and arctic fox.

At this point we were coming back on the left loop, and that brought us into Red Wolf Woods, home of another effective breeding program. I had never seen red wolves before either, but they were beautiful and appeared to be thriving. There was a lot of historical and conservation information available, showing how the species had become almost extinct, and the progress that has been made.

Up to this point the path had either sloped downward or been fairly level, but to return to the entrance it was necessary to climb up. There was on area still not explored at this point. After going uphill towards the entrance, you could take a detour into the Kids Zone. There are some animals that can be pet and fed, but there are also many other displays, from small tanks for frogs to larger enclosures for lemurs and meerkats.

Back at the entrance, there is a gift shop, cafe, and carousel. Overall, the navigation within the zoo is pretty good. For the larger Point Defiance park, it can be a little more confusing, as it easy to miss which road will take you to the park exit, and which road will take you further into the camping and hiking areas, but it is a nice place to drive around, and the zoo is well worth seeing.

Cascade Raptor Center in Eugene Oregon

http://eraptors.org/

https://www.facebook.com/eRaptors

With Wildlife Safari there are important conservation and educational points, but it is a very large area designed to let you see animals.  Cascade Raptor Center is kind of the reverse.

They are a nature center, with educational programs and a focus on increasing respect and appreciation for nature, but they are also a wildlife hospital, and there are many of the birds that will not be seen, to reduce their stress and prepare them for their return to the wild. The birds come first.

Knowing that, it is amazing how many birds you are able to see. Their structures are large, allowing the birds a fair amount of space and separation from the spectators, but you are nonetheless able to view many birds, including owls, hawks, and falcons, and can learn a great deal about them.

Signage is excellent, identifying species and information about them, but also giving information about the individual birds. So we find out that this snowy owl is Archimedes, and you can submit a friend request on Facebook, or that this Northern saw-whet owl, Tiresias, appears to be congenitally blind.

Mainly we just followed the paths, stopping at each enclosure and marveling at how beautiful each bird was. From the parking area you can easily find the main building, where you pay your admission and can find maps. There are also educational displays in here.

Outside there are two main paths, bisected by the parking lot. It is pretty easy to cover the entire area in a short time. I was pleasantly surprised to see Corvids in there with the birds of prey, because I have a thing for crows.

There was one thing that I thought was kind of funny. On the upper path there was one enclosure being constructed, and I saw some movement on the other side that turned out to be a black-tailed deer browsing. There was a bench right there, so I sat down to watch, and I heard some noises behind me. Two turkey vultures, who had been perched up high, had flown down down to the floor of their enclosure, and were watching me. I cannot help but feel like they were hoping I was on the verge of expiring. I wasn't.

Although in Eugene, this is in the wooded hilly outskirts. It is easy to miss the entrance, and there is walking up and downhill.

We liked it, and we feel good about the work they are doing. One thing one of the staff told us is that they have five veterinarians with different specialties that help them, so they have someone for eyes, and other people for other things. Also, while visiting hours are limited, rescue hours are not; they are always on call. While admiring these magnificent creatures, it is good to know that they are in good hands.

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon

http://www.wildlifesafari.net/

A couple  of months ago, we took a day trip to Wildlife Safari in Winston, and then the Cascade Raptor Center in Eugene, which I will cover next week. As well as being a great trip for animal lovers, for me it was also a trip down memory lane.

From as far back as I can remember until I was 8 or 10, Wildlife Safari was the big trip for us. It wasn't the only place we would go, but it was the most exciting. So, with that and then passing my old college campus, there was a lot of nostalgia.

Some things are the same, and some things are different. The scenery is basically the same, and while I don't think they have necessarily acquired more land (as far as I know, it has always been 600 acres), but they seem to be doing more with it.

I remember a focus on animals of Africa. The lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and wildebeest are still there, but now there are also bears and elk and bison. The drive through is basically the same, though with additional animals, and the precautions with the big cats are the same as I remember (windows up in lion territory, and cages for the others), but the bear pen is a separate loop (similar to the setup at Yellowstone Bear World).

The Safari Village is expanded too, with more animals, and not just wandering among a pen full of goats. This allows you to get a better look at some smaller animals. One fascinating thing for us was watching a tortoise travel between the indoor and outdoor part of his accommodations, coming right up to the fence and looking at us.

Also, there are still the zebra finches right at the entrance to the village. I don't know why it made me so happy to see them there. I guess I like the continuity.

We only did the basic exploration, without doing any of the encounters. They have a wide variety of those available, so it is worth checking the web site. The most important area to check is probably Conservation.

Wildlife Safari fills an important role in breeding and preserving cheetahs. Beyond that, overall there is a sense of this being a good life for the animals, where they can run free, and we are the ones in the cages (inside our cars), and elephants can learn to paint or make wine, so they are not bored. They are AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited.

I think this may lead to an increased sense of pride in their work for the employees, because everyone was really cheerful and helpful, which was nice. They can feel good about working there, and we can feel good about visiting.

It is a kind of a long drive for the time we spent there, but I still have to consider it worth it.

I do want to mention two other things. I finally saw a wallaroo there. (For why that is significant, see http://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2010/01/australian-zoological-extravaganza.html.)

Also, we had lunch at the Safari Village Cafe, and the hamburgers were unusually good. Those are also highly recommended.