The Wandering Disciple

A tiger yawns as it wakes up from a cat nap. Jungala at Busch Gardens Tampa is home to several big cats that can be seen playing or napping in their interactive habitat. (Photo: September 21, 2019)

Tampa, Florida: In the heart of Jungala, you can get up close to Busch Gardens streak of Tigers. The park is home to nine tigers total. In the wild, tigers are solitary but here the separate habitats in Jungala allow them to display more than one tiger at a time. If you want to get even closer to the tigers and learn a little more about them, Busch Gardens offers a Tiger Insider Tour. Today we decided to embark on the insider tour to learn a little more about the Tigers that call Busch Gardens home.  When we got into the park, we headed over to the Adventure Outpost and booked a spot on the 1:30 tour.  We headed over to Jungala a little early and were greeted by a playful Bhutan who was splashing around in the river. They ask for you to check in for the tour about 15 minutes early in the Tiger Lodge.  Once the entire group was assembled and the keeper staff was ready, we were lead to the Tiger House.  The Tiger House was located beneath the walk-ways of ...

The cheetah can accelerate from zero to sixty in just three seconds. That is faster than most of the exotic sports cars on the market. But a cheetah is a sprinter and not a marathon runner, only capable of these blazing speeds for short durations and can take up to a day to get the strength to do it again. (Photo: September 21, 2019)

Ever wonder what its like to a be a cheetah on a hunt? Well find out for yourself and hop aboard the Cheetah Hunt roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa. Accelerate from 0-60 three times on this coaster that mimics a cheetah on a hunt. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

A spotted hyena lurks in the shadows of the Edge of Africa at Busch Gardens Tampa. The hyena hunts in packs and together take down prey by biting into it and dragging it to the ground. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

An American Alligator shows its toothy smile as it sticks its head out of the water. A gator has almost 80 razor sharp teeth in its mouth and are capable of growing new teeth as they wear. A gator can have over 3,000 teeth in a lifetime. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

The curse of Snake King Venymyss dooms the Viper International Survey and Excavation as they excavate an ancient site. The curse causes the train cars to do abnormal things like fall backwards and twist around and around on the tracks on this one of a kind family coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

A long and flowing mane on an African Lion at the Edge of Africa at Busch Gardens Tampa. The mane is a sign of the dominance of the male lion. It starts to appear at about one year of age and grow darker with age and dominance. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

Two chimpanzees chatter amongst themselves at the Myombe Reserve at Busch Gardens Tampa. Chimps are highly social and communicate using vocal and visual cues. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

A sloth shoots a chill grin as he hangs around in a tree at Busch Gardens Tampa. The sloth spends most of its life hanging upside down in trees in the rain forest. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

Tampa, Florida: On the way home from the zoo, I took a look at Flightradar24 and saw that the More to Love livery from Alaska Air was due into Tampa International within the hour so we decided to make a stop on the way home. During the hour waiting for it, I managed to shoot 27 aircraft with 21 of them being new to me. Included in today’s aircraft photographed are: HB-JHQ – Airbus A330 (Edelweiss Air)  N18NY – Gulfstream V  N197PQ – Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900 (Endeavor Air) #  N211WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N231JB – Embraer 190 (JetBlue Airways)  N247WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N344AG – Saab 340 (Silver Airways)  N455WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)  N493AS – Boeing 737-900 (Alaska Airlines/More to Love)  N520JB – Airbus A320 (JetBlue Airways) #  N550FX – Bombardier Challenger 300 (FlexJet)  N554NW – Boeing 757-200 (Delta Air Lines)  N648NK – Airbus A320 (Spirit Airlin...

Lost in translation, that is how the White Rhino got its name. The Africans had initially named the Rhino "weit" meaning wide in reference to their wide mouth. But in the English translation, they took "weit" to mean white and that became their official name. (Photo September 14, 2019)

Who says you can't teach on old dog a new trick. That's exactly what Busch Gardens Tampa did. They took hundred of dogs and cats that were abandoned at shelters and gave them a second chance. They taught them tricks and together they put on the Critters Inn Charge stage show at Pantopia Theater. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

Wildife and wild rides, Busch Gardens lives up to its reputation with its newest coaster, Tigris. Tigris opened in 2019 and features speeds of up to 62 miles per hour as your train teeters forward and backwards before finally making it 360 degrees around the track. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

For almost forty years, the Scorpion has been thrilling riders at Busch Gardens Tampa. The oldest remaining coaster at the park opened in 1980 and features a sixty foot drop into a single loop followed by 900 degree helix. While it does not compare in intensity to its neighboring coasters in the park, there is something special about riding on a coaster that was built the same year you were born. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

While the cheetah may look timid as it lurks in the shadows, don't let the look deceive you as this big cat is the fastest animal on land. A sprinting cheetah can reach speeds of over 60 miles per hour but they can only maintain that top speed for a short period. You can see the amazing speed of the cheetah up-close at Busch Gardens Tampa as they perform a cheetah run daily to showcase the blistering speeds of this feline predator. If you are in the mood for thrills and want to experience what its like to be a cheetah on a hunt, head over to nearby Cheetah Hunt and experience the 0-60 mile per hour acceleration as the coaster speeds through the Serengeti Plain. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

Look at me, I'm a male model. A kangaroo poses provocatively at Kangaloom. The interactive exhibit at Busch Gardens Tampa takes you to the bush of Australia where you can feel and interact with kangaroos and wallabies. (Photo: September 14, 2019)

A Sea World trainer dances in the water with a dolphin during a performance of Dolphin Days at Sea World Orlando. The exciting show features the oceans most playful resident, the bottlenose dolphin. In this exciting show, the dolphins show how fast and powerful they are as they perform a high energy show from start to finish. Dolphin Days takes place several times daily at Dolphin Theater at Sea World Orlando (Photo: September 8, 2019)

Many people head to Sea World to see the ocean animals up close. But the native Florida wildlife tends to make an appearance throughout the park, looking for a fast meal. From the birds trying to steal a fish from the sea lions at Pacific Point Preserve to the Great Egret here that found a lizard along the path to Dolphin Stadium, there are plenty of animals to see both in the exhibits and naturally occurring. (Photo: September 7, 2019)

Two orca whales share a sweet moment as they give each other a kiss during the performance of One Ocean at Sea World Orlando. Despite their nickname, Killer Whales, these amazing whales have quite the personality ranging from intelligent to sweet to funny. You can see all of these traits during the show performed daily at Shamu Stadium. (Photo: September 7, 2019)

A colorful clown fish looks more like a missing puzzle piece as it swims in the Manta Aquarium at Sea World Orlando. When you think of a clownfish, the first image that pops in most peoples minds is Nemo from finding Nemo. But there are over thirty species of clownfish ranging from this one that looks like a puzzle piece to maroon ones. (Photo: September 7, 2019)

For 343 brave firefighters from the New York City Fire Department, tomorrow would never come. They gave all in defense of the city and to try and rescue the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They ran in when every sense in their body told them to stay out. They lost their lives giving everything they had to the city that day and we must never forget them and all the heroes of 9/11. To honor these heroes, JetBlue pays tribute to them with the "Blue's Bravest" aircraft, a daily memorial to those that gave their life on that day. (Photo: November 10, 2014)

As millions of Americans kissed their loved ones good night on September 10, 2001, they never knew that the world would forever change in the morning. 23 of NYPD's finest would never see their families again when they headed in to shift in the morning. To honor their memory, JetBlue flies "Blue's Finest" a tribute to the brave police officers that would lose their life serving the Big Apple. (Photo: June 21, 2018)

A sea lion gives off a big yawn to start the week. Who isn't extra sleepy on a Monday morning as we head back to work and school after a weekend off. It is even tougher to get up and motivated after having such a fun filled weekend at Sea World Orlando. (Photo: September 8, 2019)

Clyde and Seamore take their hi jinx to the lunch table as they take a lunch break during a busy day of learning and playing at Sea Lion High. Join this pair of California Sea Lions as they test the patience of the principal during the Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High comedy show at the Seal Lion and Otter Theater at Sea World Orlando. The sea lions are joined by an Asian Small Clawed Otter and a walrus during this hilarious show. (Photo: September 7, 2019)

A dolphin smiles as it passes an underwater viewing window at Sea World Orlando. The underwater window is just one of the ways Sea World gets visitors closer to the amazing marine animals and see them interacting within their habitats. (Photo: September 7, 2019)

Forget thirty minutes or less delivery times, this Osprey takes delivery to a new meaning from river to dinner in a blink of an eye. Most fisherman spend hours along the banks waiting to catch a fish but Ospreys like the one pictured here make it look easy as they swoop down, snag the fish and enjoy their catch. (Photo: November 15, 2014)

The Sarasota area is known for a few talented marching bands. One of them is the Mighty Sailor Band from Sarasota High School. The Mighty Sailors are over 60 members strong and winners of several distinctions. Here is the 2014 band performing during a parade in downtown Sarasota. (Photo: November 11, 2014)

A raised boardwalk winds through the mangroves and out to the bay at the Sarasota Baywalk on City Island. The hidden oasis near Mote Marine is a great place to take a stroll along the mangrove ecosystem along Sarasota Bay. (Photo: November 11, 2014)

A pair of wading birds hide in the tall grass along the banks of the Myakka River looking for their next meal. Wading birds like the Great Blue Heron and Great Egret are just a sample of the wildlife that can be found along the river. The river is a source of life in the park, bringing animals to its banks for food and water. (Photo: November 11, 2014)

If you are around an airport, you get used to seeing the familiar colors of the aircraft. But most airlines have a few specially painted aircraft like this SkyTeam livery from Delta Air Lines. If you enjoy watching planes like I do, seeing one of these special livery aircraft at the airport is like opening a pack of baseball cards and finding a special insert card. (Photo: August 31, 2019)

The big block V8 of the Chevy Chevelle is just one example of the American Muscle car of the late 60's and 70's. This 396 cubic inch V8 engine was inside a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS on display at the Veteran's Day car show at Ideal Classic Cars in 2014. This powerhouse was capable of turning out a mean 350 horsepower. (Photo: November 9, 2014)