Red Wolf

Red Wolf

We started our Tacoma visit at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater used trained animals to emphasize a recycling and reuse philosophy. This message was amplified by a special exhibit of large animal sculptures composed from plastic pollution collected from beaches by the Washed Ashore project. Angela Haseltine Pozzi, founder and artistic director, creatively combined colorful objects. One of the pieces, Sebastian James the Puffin, was especially pleasing given the live horned and tufted puffins. This zoo has worked hard to breed red wolves from near extinction. We especially enjoyed their afternoon feeding. Here are some of the animals that we saw: a Sumatran tiger, a Malayan tapir, Asian elephants, polar bears, muskoxen, arctic foxes, a radiated tortoise, Magellanic penguins, otters, sea lions, and Pacific walruses. We toured the aquarium while construction is ongoing for a new aquarium. Blooming flowers amidst a variety of foliage added to our experience.

After leaving the zoo, we drove the Five Mile Drive through Point Defiance Park with a stop at Owen Beach, the saltwater beach on the shore of Commencement Bay. We stopped our car to avoid a mother racoon and her two young, but didn’t take the time for a picture because there were two cars behind me. Fort Nisqually was closed for the day. Built in 1833, this Hudson’s Bay Company trading point was originally located in DuPont, Washington. One hundred years later two original buildings were moved to Point Defiance. Four deer were grazing outside the Fort’s wall. There are many trails we could explore on a future trip. Tacoma is rightfully proud of this beautiful natural park.

We shared an early dinner with one of my wife’s sisters and her husband at Harbor Lights. We had a table with a great view of the Sound. After dinner, we walked past Fireboat No. 1 to the Les Davis Pier and our first view of Mount Rainier. The smoke is finally beginning to dissipate.