Portugal and Spain

We have recently returned from a two week trip to the Iberian Peninsula. The trip was arranged by Trips for You of Lisbon; the key organizer was Joana Sousa. This was a driving trip set up by one of Wendy Perrin’s country based WOW agents. We flew into Porto and departed from Madrid after spending time in the Duoro Valley the traversing northern Spain from west to east. This post will cover the key elements of the trip, taken by driver and van plus guides as appropriate. Later posts will provide more detail on key activities along the way. First stop was the city of Porto, Portugal.

Porto

We flew into Porto via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. and stayed three nights at the Pousada do Porto on Rua das Flores. This charming little hotel was on a very busy pedestrian street just down the road from the train station. The first evening we had snacks (tapas) at a small nearby cafe. The next day our guide Sofia walked us down the street to a building known as the Stock Exchange. This building was the basic place of financial transaction in the past, and serves now as a center of cultural life in the city.

After touring this beautiful building, we drove out to the “foz”, or mouth of the river where it flows into the Atlantic.

And then around town a little.

After a rest, we enjoyed a dinner at a little cafe called Ostras and Coisas, where we were served a delicious variety of fresh seafood.

On our second day we drove to a nearby town called Matsosinhos, where we met our guide for the day, a sweet gal named Maria. She was actually a marine biologist by training and experience who has started a guiding service with her husband. She accompanied us on a tour of a sardine canning factory named Conservas Pinhais. We had the pleasure of seeing the sardine cleaning, packing and canning, all done by women. At the end we were able to taste the different sardine offerings, which were excellent given the top quality and freshness of the fish.

Maria then took us to a local market focused on fresh seafood and vegetables.

This was followed up with lunch at one of Maria’s favorites, O Valentim. This restaurant entrance was dominated by a huge grill, apparently utilized for virtually all served within. The dining was superb. A sampling:

Eventually we departed, returned to the hotel and rested. We knew the evening would be long as we had reserved a 7:30 pm seating at Villa Foz for a tasting menu. This is a one star Michelin restaurant housed in an old mansion situated downstream from Porto alongside the Atlantic Ocean. The menu shows 11 entries, but the meal had several additional amuse bouches! The service and food was exceptional. We left the table at 11:30 pm after a four hour experience.

The next morning we checked out, and headed with our driver to the Duoro Valley for our next stop. Here is an image of the iron bridge built in 1887 and called the Ponte Maria Pia.; it was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Bear Country USA

By now we needed a slow day. So we headed out to Bear Country USA, located about 10 miles south of Rapid City. This is a drive through wildlife park and zoo in the Black Hills. Founded in 1972, the park is noted for its bears, but offers other wildlife including wolves, elk, mountain lions and bison on 200 acres of rolling hills. The park is very well done. It also includes a half mile walking loop with smaller wildlife, including raccoons, skunks, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, arctic wolves and foxes, young bears and so one. Well worth a couple of hours.

Badlands National Park

Located about an hour east of Rapid City, Badlands NP protects almost 250,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the US. W The park was established in 1939. The park was originally a reservation of the Oglala Sioux Indians. The US assure the Indians that the land would forever be Sioux property, although that promise was broken in 1889.

We approached the east entrance to the park by driving Route 44 from the city, and got great long views of the hills, and the resident herd of bison. We started our tour at the Ben Reifels Visitor Center, which contains a ranger station, a movie theater, a museum and a gift shop. The we drove along the Loop (SD 240) Road, which wanders along the base of the hills, the up and down through the outcroppings. The geology is quite fascinating, and the dozen or so overlooks and trailheads offer differing, unique views and a number of hiking trails. Unlike many parks, Badlands allows hiking anywhere within the park. We then drove a few miles beyond the paved area along Sage Creek Overlook road, which offers several overlooks with views of grasslands, bison and lots of prairie dogs.

Wildlife Loop Road

Custer State Part is famous for its abundant wildlife, including one of the world’s largest publicly owned bison herds (about 1400), and its stunning scenic drives like the Needles Highway and Wildlife Loop Road, which wind through diverse Black hills landscapes featuring towering granite spires and lush prairies. On the Wildlife Loop Road, the bison can often be seen, along with pronghorns, elk, mule deer, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep and the famous “begging” burros. The roar is an 18 mile route through open grasslands and pine-speckled hills.

Mammoth Site

The Mammoth Site is a museum and gerontological site near Hot Springs, SD, in the Black Hills. It is an active paleontological excavation sire at which research and excavations are continuing. The facility encloses a prehistoric sinkhole that formed and was slowly filled with sediments during the Pleistocene era. The sedimentary fill of the sinkhole contains the remains of fauna and flora preserved by entrapment and burial within the sinkhole. As of 2016, the remains of 61 mammoths, including 58 North American Columbian and 3 wooly mammoths has been recovered. Mammoth bones were found at the site in 1974, and a museum and building enclosing the site were established. the museum now contains an extensive collection of mammoth remains.

Elephants at Elephant Havens

A collection of images from our July visit to our favorite place on earth.

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial

Located about an hour west of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore is a massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Completed in 1941 under the direction of of Gutzon Borgium and his son Lincoln, the sculpture’s roughly 60-ft-high granite faces depict US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The site also features a museum with interactive exhibits, and a very good video.

The memorial can be reached by driving the Iron Mountain Road, a 17 mile scenic byway known for its 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, three pigtail bridges and three granite tunnels that offer framed views of Mount Rushmore. Constructed in the 1930’s, the road winds through Custer State Park.

Rapid City Adventures

We recently spent a week in the Rapid City, SD area with our National Park Group. From a rented house situated on Rapid Creek about ten miles west of the city, we visited most of the well known attractions in the area. The terrain shifts from desert-like in the east, to rolling hills covered with evergreen trees, and encasing lovely meadows and massive outcrops of granite, in the west. Yes you can easily spend a week here and have a great time. Here is a summary of our activities, each of which will be subjects on my ongoing blog.

Day 1: Mt. Rushmore

There are three beautiful drives within Custer State Park. We drove up the Iron Mountain Drive, some 20 miles of curves, switchbacks, bridges, tunnels and forests to reach Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Several times along this road, one is able to glimpse the four faces of our famous presidents. We then spent two hours at the Monument, which is very impressive. The video is very good. Following that we headed to Hill City for a German lunch at the Alpine Inn.

Day 2: Mammoth Site and Wildlife Drive (Custer State Park)

We drove down to Hot Springs, SD to visit an unusual attraction called the mammoth Site. This site has excavated a very old pit containing the remains of a significant number of mammoth bones. We worth the visit. Next we drove through a meadowy area of Wind Cave NP, and then picked up the Wildlife Loop Drive, contained within Custer State Park. This is a paved road through 18 miles of open grasslands and speckled hills. The park’s resident herd of bison were seen, as were numerous pronghorn antelope, multitudes of prairie dogs and cute and carrot hungry wild burros.

Day 3: Badlands National Park

About 50 miles east of Rapid City, we toured Badlands National Park for several hours. The badlands are special for their striking eroded landscape of buttes, pinnacles and spires, a rich fossil record, and one of the largest protected mixed grass prairie lands where bison and prairie dogs thrive. The unique geology offers incredible views, hiking op[opportunities, and wildlife viewing. We finished the day with a brief stop in Wall, SD, home of the old and spread out Wall Drugs.

Day 4: Bear Country

Local Rapid City attraction, Bear Country is 200 acres of a variety of wildlife contained in subtle fenced areas that one can drive through at one’s own pace. Very well done and a recommended visit.

Day 5: Deadwood

No this is not Deadwood. It is Bridal Falls along the Spearfish Canyon Road, a recommended prelude to visiting the old western town of Deadwood. That town is famous among other things for the killing of Wild Bill Hickock, and the burial location of other western characters including Calamity Jane.

Day 6: Crazy Horse Monument and Needles Highway

One must visit the Crazy Horse Monument. Unfinished by awesome. Excellent museum of Indian history. Good entertainment. And the statue in the mountain will be stupendous if ever completed.

We followed this up with lunch in Custer (Custer Wolf 4.5), and an awesome drive on the Needles Highway. Pictures are impressive but the reality is incredible.

Elephant Havens Visit

We have been a supporter of this wonderful charity since the beginning. And we try to visit the facility annually. Our first visit was in May 2019, when they were caring for one elephant, MmaMotse, who is now about eight years old. The nursery was contained on less than 20 acres. On our visit this June, we were looking after 21 little elephants (all under five years) at the nursery, and another ten at the soft release. Many of the latter will be released to the wild in a couple of years. The nursery is now on about 140 acres, with another 900 at the soft release. Here are photos of the nursery elephants as of June 2025. Many thanks to Mayo, who guided me one morning to each one so I could take these images.They are all available to foster through the website at http://www.elephanthavens.org.

Bird Walk

While we were staying at Muchenje Safari Lodge, we had an opportunity to go on a two hour bird walk with a bird expert, Stone Muzila. He does regular walks in the treed area at Muchenje Campsite and Cottages in the town of Muchenje. Stone is very knowledgable and a delight to be with. This property is located along the Chobe River. We saw quite a few birds, along with an unusual sighting.

First, the birds.

And the unusual, Africa is home to the well known Big Five. But it also has the Ugly Five and the Little Five. The latter includes the elephant shrew, the ant lion, the rhinoceros beetle, the buffalo weaver and the leopard tortoise. On this walk we learned more about the ant lion.

The ant lion is the larval stage of the lacewing fly. They construct conical pits in soft sand and wail at the bottom for prey (typically small ants) to slide in. Prey are taken in strong jaws and sucked dry.