Right then. It’s been a bit since the release of Meyer’s Creek state park and it’s about time I finished it. Apologies for my lateness, I got a bit distracted by re-doing my species list for Africa for some awful reason.
Anyways, let's get into it!
And by 'it' I mean the tunnel...
We return to the Hunter’s cabin of Meyer’s Creek. Inside are multiple educational signs on North America and it's flora and fauna (some/most of them disguised as posters, similar to the signage in Wildlands’ Raccoon Creek). Also included here are the mounted basses that I showed earlier. There’s more jokes but in all honestly this was all I could come up with. In the corner of the cabin is a large viewing window into the back of the Black bear enclosure.
From inside the cabin you have two choices: You can go through the side and follow the platform path down into the forest, or you can go to the back of the cabin and enter a long hallway. Today we will be going into the hallway.
Immediately following the first corner we come across two windows. One views to outside, where your view is partially blocked by the waterfall in the Black bear habitat. The other is a large aquarium holding a pair of Hellbender salamanders, as well as multiple fish species, including Rainbow darter, Creek chubsucker and Black bullhead.
The hallway continues to show a large barn / storage room behind large mesh. These are actually two large nocturnal enclosures. The smaller enclosure holds two owl species: Barred owl and American barn owl. The larger enclosure holds Eastern spotted skunks and Virginia opossums. Both enclosures have a lot of random items and some fallen planks, to provide perches, climbing structures and enrichment. Every now and then the interior is moved around.
(The enclosures would be way larger and messier than what is shown above)
You walk through a heavy door and come into what seems to be an outside area (1). You walk 'out' of the hallway and onto a wooden porch. Below the porch is a wooded wetland. Here, you can find Mexican house finches, Treefrogs, Anoles, and multiple Turtles and Fish. The frogs and anoles can’t get onto the porch itself. The roof in this area lets a lot of light shine through, which is then partially obscured by leaves, providing the illusion that the area is outside. You continue over the porch and see a large terrarium to the side. This terrarium is another wetlands habitat, holding Frogs, Tiger salamanders and Mosquitofish.
(I HAD a perfect picture, which came from Zoochat. But then I didn't save it like an idiot and now I can't find it again so you'll just have to imagine it...)
Through another door you get back into the hallway. This area has a pretty large aquarium all the way along the left wall. The aquarium has a lot of large rocks covering the bottom, as well as a few wooden logs. This aquarium holds two species of gar, as well as other fish, such as Largemouth bass, Longear sunfish and Yellow perch.
(The above picture is to show the interior of the aquarium, the exterior is still wood)
Multiple corners make sure you can’t immediately see the hallway’s main tank. This way the giant, floor-to-ceiling aquarium comes into view all at once. This tank also has huge wooden logs and a bottom filled with large, rounded stones. This tank holds a lot of different fish, including a few quite large species. Species include Mississippi paddlefish, Longnose gar, Walleye, Smallmouth buffalo and Atlantic sturgeon, among others
From here, you can go in two directions. On the route towards the lumbermill you first walk past a large viewing window into the marsh enclosure we saw earlier near the porch. After this, you come across a terrarium themed to be like an off-road track, with large tire tracks filled with water. This terrarium holds Eastern newts and Fowler’s toads.
Next to this is a larger paludarium that holds endangered Blanding’s turtles, as well as multiple fish species, treefrogs and skinks. (Area 2)
The other hallway (toward the otters and badgers) also has a terrarium and a paludarium (Area 3). The larger terrarium on the right holds multiple Massasaugas (rattlesnakes), along with a few Eastern box turtles. The Paludarium on the left holds Copperhead snakes and painted turtles, as well as a few fish species. Further into the hallway you also come across the indoor holding of the Badgers (4), which is themed as a den with tree roots going through it.
All of the terrarium areas (in Areas 2, 3 and 4) are themed to be like windows into the “outside”. Hidden from the visitors are also the indoor holding for Black bears and the Bald eagle aviary.
In general, the hallway is styled as a mixture of an old mineshaft and the interior of a barn.
The hallway will be lit by an interesting energy-saving system. The roof of the building is covered in solar panels, which power most of Meyer’s Creek (Pumps for the creeks, Filters for the aquariums, temperature control, etc). Between the solar panels are a few chimney-like structures. These aren’t chimneys, of course. These are the entrances to a system of tunnels filled with mirrors. The ‘chimneys’ will collect sunlight, which will bounce around the tunnels, which are connected to orange-tinted lights inside the hallway. In a few spaces inside the solar tunnels there are regular lights (powered by the solar panels’ batteries) that turn on in case the tunnel gets too dark.
Also: Yet another fun fact I had forgotten to mention last time. Most of the signage in the outdoor region of Meyer’s Creek SP doesn’t include a pictures of the animal. Instead, some of the signs will be paired with a wood carving of the animal.
This is the case for the following animals:
- Bald eagle
- White-tailed deer
- American black bear
- Groundhog
- North American tree porcupine
- North American river otter
- Long-eared owl
- Northern raccoon
- American beaver
- The fish in the Beaver pond (these will be included together in a single, large carving)
Signage for other animals are disguised as informational posters you might see around a campsite. These include:
- American black bear (at the indoor viewing)
- Northern raccoon (only in the town area and in the restaurant)
- Striped skunk
- Multiple songbirds
- Virginia opossum (In the hallway)
Another one: The American English / European English jokes continues in the French signage, where French Canadian is used (I have no idea if there are actually any differences but it’s the thought that counts).
Let's be honest here, there's probably gonna be more of these fun facts I have somewhere in the back of my head that I'll suddenly think of later.
Anyways, let's get into it!
And by 'it' I mean the tunnel...
We return to the Hunter’s cabin of Meyer’s Creek. Inside are multiple educational signs on North America and it's flora and fauna (some/most of them disguised as posters, similar to the signage in Wildlands’ Raccoon Creek). Also included here are the mounted basses that I showed earlier. There’s more jokes but in all honestly this was all I could come up with. In the corner of the cabin is a large viewing window into the back of the Black bear enclosure.
From inside the cabin you have two choices: You can go through the side and follow the platform path down into the forest, or you can go to the back of the cabin and enter a long hallway. Today we will be going into the hallway.
Immediately following the first corner we come across two windows. One views to outside, where your view is partially blocked by the waterfall in the Black bear habitat. The other is a large aquarium holding a pair of Hellbender salamanders, as well as multiple fish species, including Rainbow darter, Creek chubsucker and Black bullhead.
The hallway continues to show a large barn / storage room behind large mesh. These are actually two large nocturnal enclosures. The smaller enclosure holds two owl species: Barred owl and American barn owl. The larger enclosure holds Eastern spotted skunks and Virginia opossums. Both enclosures have a lot of random items and some fallen planks, to provide perches, climbing structures and enrichment. Every now and then the interior is moved around.
(The enclosures would be way larger and messier than what is shown above)
You walk through a heavy door and come into what seems to be an outside area (1). You walk 'out' of the hallway and onto a wooden porch. Below the porch is a wooded wetland. Here, you can find Mexican house finches, Treefrogs, Anoles, and multiple Turtles and Fish. The frogs and anoles can’t get onto the porch itself. The roof in this area lets a lot of light shine through, which is then partially obscured by leaves, providing the illusion that the area is outside. You continue over the porch and see a large terrarium to the side. This terrarium is another wetlands habitat, holding Frogs, Tiger salamanders and Mosquitofish.
(I HAD a perfect picture, which came from Zoochat. But then I didn't save it like an idiot and now I can't find it again so you'll just have to imagine it...)
Through another door you get back into the hallway. This area has a pretty large aquarium all the way along the left wall. The aquarium has a lot of large rocks covering the bottom, as well as a few wooden logs. This aquarium holds two species of gar, as well as other fish, such as Largemouth bass, Longear sunfish and Yellow perch.
(The above picture is to show the interior of the aquarium, the exterior is still wood)
Multiple corners make sure you can’t immediately see the hallway’s main tank. This way the giant, floor-to-ceiling aquarium comes into view all at once. This tank also has huge wooden logs and a bottom filled with large, rounded stones. This tank holds a lot of different fish, including a few quite large species. Species include Mississippi paddlefish, Longnose gar, Walleye, Smallmouth buffalo and Atlantic sturgeon, among others
From here, you can go in two directions. On the route towards the lumbermill you first walk past a large viewing window into the marsh enclosure we saw earlier near the porch. After this, you come across a terrarium themed to be like an off-road track, with large tire tracks filled with water. This terrarium holds Eastern newts and Fowler’s toads.
Next to this is a larger paludarium that holds endangered Blanding’s turtles, as well as multiple fish species, treefrogs and skinks. (Area 2)
The other hallway (toward the otters and badgers) also has a terrarium and a paludarium (Area 3). The larger terrarium on the right holds multiple Massasaugas (rattlesnakes), along with a few Eastern box turtles. The Paludarium on the left holds Copperhead snakes and painted turtles, as well as a few fish species. Further into the hallway you also come across the indoor holding of the Badgers (4), which is themed as a den with tree roots going through it.
All of the terrarium areas (in Areas 2, 3 and 4) are themed to be like windows into the “outside”. Hidden from the visitors are also the indoor holding for Black bears and the Bald eagle aviary.
In general, the hallway is styled as a mixture of an old mineshaft and the interior of a barn.
The hallway will be lit by an interesting energy-saving system. The roof of the building is covered in solar panels, which power most of Meyer’s Creek (Pumps for the creeks, Filters for the aquariums, temperature control, etc). Between the solar panels are a few chimney-like structures. These aren’t chimneys, of course. These are the entrances to a system of tunnels filled with mirrors. The ‘chimneys’ will collect sunlight, which will bounce around the tunnels, which are connected to orange-tinted lights inside the hallway. In a few spaces inside the solar tunnels there are regular lights (powered by the solar panels’ batteries) that turn on in case the tunnel gets too dark.
Also: Yet another fun fact I had forgotten to mention last time. Most of the signage in the outdoor region of Meyer’s Creek SP doesn’t include a pictures of the animal. Instead, some of the signs will be paired with a wood carving of the animal.
This is the case for the following animals:
- Bald eagle
- White-tailed deer
- American black bear
- Groundhog
- North American tree porcupine
- North American river otter
- Long-eared owl
- Northern raccoon
- American beaver
- The fish in the Beaver pond (these will be included together in a single, large carving)
Signage for other animals are disguised as informational posters you might see around a campsite. These include:
- American black bear (at the indoor viewing)
- Northern raccoon (only in the town area and in the restaurant)
- Striped skunk
- Multiple songbirds
- Virginia opossum (In the hallway)
Another one: The American English / European English jokes continues in the French signage, where French Canadian is used (I have no idea if there are actually any differences but it’s the thought that counts).
Let's be honest here, there's probably gonna be more of these fun facts I have somewhere in the back of my head that I'll suddenly think of later.
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. But I can compare it with the 
. The designs and species lists are extremely impressive).
