We turned in early the evening of our first day, knowing day two at Luna Lodge would be full. We set our alarm for 4:30 am, but I am not sure whether it was the alarm or the nearby howler monkeys that woke us to begin the day. We had coffee, then met Ray (who can be seen in the photo above acting as tour guide) and a driver to take us to the nearby lagoon, getting there just before the sun made its way above the trees. When the sun comes up, it doesn’t take long for it to get too hot for both people and animals to stay exposed. We tried to stay in the shade as we explored the edges of the lagoon in our kayaks. We saw hundreds of birds of different species. The dawn light made for some interesting photos which you can see by clicking here. We were told that we might see monkeys, cayman, or american crocodiles, but it was not our day. We saw plenty; all before breakfast back at the lodge.
Later that day we took a hike on a short but steep up-and-down trail to two small waterfalls where we met some curious little crayfish that seemed to like to investigate around your feet as you entered their domain. We met some people along the way that we would get to talk to at the pool and over meals the next couple of days.
I will start by introducing a couple that we first met at the pool at the bottom of the second waterfall. I didn’t know it then, but I learned back at the swimming pool at the lodge that Kimberly and Darrell were both entomologists who for years had professorships on opposite sides of the USA; one working in Oregon, and the other in Vermont. They were not working in the jungle here and this was not their first holiday at Luna, but I was lucky to make their acquaintance on this adventure. They told me they were celebrating finally getting jobs at the same place in North Dakota. They were interesting people for me to meet and talk with at Luna Lodge. Some of my favorite biologists are experts within the field of entomology. I am fascinated by many things, but it is not everyday that I run into two people like Kimberly and Darrell. I wish them well in their new community and hope they realize their dreams.
The insects and their relatives (with skeletons on the outside; including spiders, mites, crustaceans, millipedes, and centipedes, to mention a few) have always been fascinating to me since I was a child catching them in my backyard and in the creek behind my house. Entomology was probably my most interesting college course in my major at William and Mary, with Ornithology being a close second. I was taught Entomology by Dr. Norman Fashing and Ornithology by Dr. Mitchell Byrd. I am sure I was not their best student, but they, Dr. Lawrence Wiseman, and Dr. Stan Hoegerman (to list just a few of my favorite professors) taught me enough biology to have a gratifying career as a high-school teacher; for which I am very thankful.