I'm always happy to find photos from the classic Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland attraction, gone nearly 50 years now. These aren't the greatest pictures in the world, but I still like 'em.
If there's one thing I know about bobcats (having majored in Bobcatology at Yale) is that they will climb things at the drop of a hat. It's just their way! You can't stop them. This fellow has scaled a saguaro cactus, if I remember correctly, there was a family of wild pigs at the base of the saguaro, ready to eat Bob (you could tell they were going to eat him because they had little knives and forks in their hands).
Next we are crossing the trestle bridge in Bear Country; sure enough, there are bears there, scratchin' and fishin' and sleepin'. This scenes seems to have been in shade for much of the day, as it is here. If you look closely, you can see the baby bear climbing that dead tree to reach a beehive fully of hunny.
Major-
ReplyDeleteBlurry, or no, these images of the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland still invoke good feelings.
Thanks, Major.
Too bad the bobcat wasn't facing the other way, it would have been a better composition. As it is, it looks like he's gonna jump off the edge of the picture. I wonder what keeps bobcats from getting cactus needles impaled through their feet when they climb up? The shape of this bobcat looks a little 'off'. Too leggy, or something. His hind legs look a bit too long? I don't know why I'm being picky. It's a better shot of the Nature's Wonderland bobact than we usually see.
ReplyDeleteActually, "if you look closely", you can see TWO baby bears climbing that dead tree.
[Rex Allen voice] "That li'l bear cub is gonna be a might disappointed when he reaches that ol' beehive and discovers that there's no honey to be had. If only he knew that the beehive wasn't real... Come to think of it, he doesn't know that he's not real either! Such is the life of bears in Nature's Wonderland". [ending music swells... roll credits]
Thanks for the 'back to nature' photos, Major. [Rex again] "Until next time... Happy trails!"
You mean Dal (Dallas) McKennon.
Delete"cactus needles" "picky"
ReplyDeleteJB, there you go again...encouraging Chuck...
*sigh*
These are very nice scenes to enjoy today...thank you, Major.
Every year on April Fool's Day, they should have played a version of the narration with Dallas McKennon using his Gumby voice! "Gee, this train's engine is acting kind of Pokey." "Look at the bobcat atop of that Prickle-y cactus!" "Those paint pots look like they're filled with red, yellow, and blue Goo!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the NWMT pics, Major!
Nanook, these are only the tiniest bit “soft”, so I am OK with them!
ReplyDeleteJB, I agree, the composition could have been better on that first photo. But it was taken from a moving train, so maybe it was trickier than it seems? There are cacti that don’t have spines, perhaps this is one of those. I’ve seen a few bobcats here in SoCal, I think they do have long-ish legs. Ah, you’re right about the two baby bears. Once again I wrote my description based only on the thumbnails! They changed that scene in subtle ways kind of a lot, adding and subtracting bears.
Nanook, I think JB might have been thinking of the narration for the “True Life Adventures”? Though I believe that Winston Hibler narrated those, but maybe Rex Allen did some too?
Lou and Sue, I didn’t even get that pun!
TokyoMagic!, now that I’ve read your comment, I realize that Gumby (and friends) have never been in an amusement park the way the Peanuts characters or Warner Bros. characters are. It seems like a missed opportunity!