Another Road Trip

 Well, that didn't take long.  I had another road trip this past Tuesday - unplanned, unexpected, and fun.

The Museum usually has some guest animals borrowed from another facility.  For the last two months it has been caracals - beautiful "big" cats (they're the smallest of the big cats).  But it was time for the to be returned to their own place.  It's better if two people go (so one can keep an eye on the animals in their carriers to make sure they're OK).  Shelby asked if I could go.

I like Shelby - a lot.  It would be fun to spend a day with her.  It would almost be fun to take the trip.  The "almost" was because the facility is in Gainesville.  Gainesville, where Shands hospital is.  As I told Shelby in a massive understatement, I would be fighting some demons, because the last time I went to Gainesville it did not end well.  It helps that Shelby knew and liked Bob (because, of course, to know Bob was to like him)

The trip had an inauspicious beginning.  When you head towards town from my place on Highway 20, there is one road to take:  Highway 20.  There is forest on one side and a lake on the other.  So when there is a major accident that is going to block the road for a few hours (note: no fatalities), well, you're screwed.  Unless you turn around, drive around the far end of the lake, and back towards town, a trip of 40+ miles.  Which I did.  Fortunately, that was the only problem that day.

The trip there went well (a person at the facility later told me that on one trip the caracals had screamed the entire time - they just hissed a bit at me when I checked on them).  Luckily, the animal sanctuary was not in Gainesville proper so I didn't have to go on any of the familiar roads, and I was all right after we got off I-75.

And another bonus:  Shelby had warned me not to take it personally if the owner was a little short with me; like many animal oriented people, she often was not fond of other humans.  But that day she was warm and friendly.  We had hoped that she would give us permission to look around a little (Shelby particularly wanted to see a lynx and a tiger that had previously been guests at the museum).  I saw a pen with a couple of lemurs in it, and asked if I could go over for a closer look.  And she said "sure - go in with them if you like.  You know how the keeper doors work."

Yes, please and thank you.

They're like super soft hyperactive cuddly teddy bears.

And we did get to wander around and look at the various animals, mostly cats (cheetah, jaguar, cloud leopard, jungle cat).  And Gator the tiger, who is so friendly and funny and bounced along the fence and batted his ball for us and finally stalked us, convinced that his 700 pound self could hide behind a 4 inch pole.

We finally decided that we should probably head for home, and grab some lunch/dinner.  

Shelby went to school in Gaineville so she knew just the place - because pizza is always in order.  I started laughing as soon as we pulled up, because Satchel's defines the idea of funky maximalism.  Every possible surface, horizontal and vertical, was covered in found object art (like one wall covered in discarded phone cases, or garlands of strung-together lids and caps).

We ate outside, in the back of an old van covered with grafitti.

And the pizza was very good, too!

So we finally trailed home, pretty late.  And Shelby said "I hope that helped."  

Yes, it did.