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Kilometers
driven.
150
Temperature
at 5:00 PM
87 F
Number
of aracaris spotted from the road
4
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Lesson
Plans
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Daily
Dilemma
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We
started looking for baby sea turtles today,
but we did not find any. Do some research
and let us know where on the beach we should
look for the baby sea turtles.
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Making our way to the Caribbean!
October
28th 7:00 PM Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
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Hoeky's
first journal entry. Day 10 started with a wonderful
hike through the forest to a beautiful waterfall. The
morning is a great time to hike during the rainy season
in Costa Rica, because it is typically sunny with clear
blue skies. We saw many birds and plants along the way.
A fern we passed had an interesting steam rising from
it that was the plant emitting spores, the method of
reproduction for this type of fern.
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Click To Enlarge
Frosty
and Hoeky look up toward the treetops to find an elusive
critter.
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We left the
San Jose area this morning and made our way to the Caribbean
coast. On the way we passed through a cloud forest. In the cloud
forest Pika told us about a plant called the "poor man's
umbrella." This thick leafy plant is a clear distinction
of a cloud forest and is not found in the lowland rain forest.
The poor man's umbrella blocks the rain, helping to control
erosion naturally in the cloud forest. They are also one of
the best plants in the forest at absorbing nitrogen, which then
is processed into a fungus that feeds the soil to make other
plants grow well. What is the name of biological relationship
where two organisms benefit? Post your answers on the Q
& A section.
Click To
Enlarge
This morning we climbed through the forest to find
a beautiful waterfall.
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Upon
our arrival on the sea coast in the Talamanca region
Dave, Frosty and I decided it was time to start looking
for baby sea turtles. We looked high and low, dug in
the sand, and looked in the water, but we were not able
to locate any turtles. Hopefully you will all be able
to help us with some tips for our turtle searching.
Tell us where would be a good place to look for them.
What time of day or night would be the best? What type
of sand do sea turtles prefer?
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The
temperature has changed drastically from the cooler
high altitude of San Jose to the hot, humid sea level
near the ocean. Tomorrow we get to visit the BriBri
tribe in the high Talamanca mountains near the Panamanian
border. It is a great honor to be invited, because most
tourists (or even Costa Ricans) do not get invited to
their villages. These people have had little contact
with the outside world and subsist on the natural food
and shelter found in the tropical rainforest. We have
to take a boat and then hike up a mountain to reach
their village. It should be a great cultural experience.
I cannot wait!
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Click To Enlarge
The huge Umbrella leaves are signals that you have
entered a cloud forest. This particular cloud forest
near Irazu Volcano receives nearly 15 feet of rain
each year, but most of the rain condenses into clouds
that never leave. We were lucky enough to visit the
cloud forest on one of two or three clear days each
month.
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We
certainly appreciate your advice on drinking bottled
water, it has been a life saver in this lowland heat.
(Left)
Searchin' for sea turtles. No luck yet. As we make our
way along the Caribbean coast, we should have more opportunities
to find some nesting sea turtles.
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Notes
from the Trail Index
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