Arikok National Park Part 1

 Shortly after entering Arikok National Park, we were faced with a choice...left fork or right fork. Thankfully we did NOT choose this path and opted for the REAL road, we would take this "road" on Thursday on a Jeep tour. Let me just say if we would have taken that "road"..I'm sure we would have abandoned the car!


  The only Trupiaal that I saw the whole time I was there! A beautifully colored bird it stood out!

 Me standing amongst the candle cacti and prickly pear type cacti alongside the road.

 Ellie got a little upset with me because I tended to get really excited and jump out of the car unexpectedly! She soon realized it was a LOT harder to get me back INTO the car!!! After this she made me promise to alert her BEFORE exiting the car and to wait until the car was safely stopped and in park! I just can't help it that I get excited...but after that for the most part I complied, and she soon learned when I would make an excited squeal or some other sound, that it meant I would soon ask her to stop asap!

 Out of the corner of my eye I spotted this bird, a Cara Cara I was told, but didn't have a chance to get a close up! I guess it's of the Eagle family.

 I guess this is what happens to old cacti.

 I found it when I wandered away from the road a bit behind a hill.

Lizard alert! Another Cododo, or Aruba Whiptail Lizard. They were ALL over the place! Ellie was very good about braking for lizards, so either we could see them better, or to avoid squishing them in the road! 

A candy cactus on a hilltop fascinated  me, deep down I really wanted to touch it, but common sense thankfully prevailed and I kept my hands to myself!