Out of Africa

Wednesday we spent the day here:

We had a great time on the Safari, feeding the giraffes carrots by hand. Some people took advantage of the option to let the giraffe take the carrot from their mouth, which resulted in a sticky giraffe kiss. None of the Schrag's took advantage of that option (gross!).

We got an up-close look at some zebras. I'd never been so close to one before and was pretty mesmerized by the pattern and texture of their stripes.

I didn't know the black fur was a different height and texture than the white fur.

Levi was not so sure about the safari bus that didn't have windows. He made sure to follow the instructions about not sticking his elbows or hands outside the bus when we were near the zebras or ostriches.

This is a terrible photo of the Watusi cow, but since we see these guys on a farm right outside Goessel it was also fun to learn a bit more about them. For instance, their horns serve as an air conditioner for the animal. Right near it's head the horns look pinkish and that's because blood flows there and heat escapes out the end of their horns providing a way for the animal to cool down in the hot sun.  Pretty cool, huh?

Lunch was a picnic out in the parking lot (no food allowed in the park). The boys had fancy seats and a table while the adults had to stand. They thought it was pretty cool even though the photo doesn't show it.

It was cool when we got to the park in the morning, but in the afternoon it was in the 80's - just a bit warmer than we're used to on the day before Thanksgiving.

So then we walked around the rest of the park. Here are some of the wolves with some of their caretakers. Yes, those are wolves and yes those ladies are simply sitting there petting them and visiting about their Thanksgiving plans.

The Bengal Tiger was beautiful.

The hyenas were very, very interesting. Much bigger than I thought they'd be, kind of gross looking, yet their faces had some endearing qualities.

We watched the Tiger Splash show.

Watched some tigers and bears hang out in the sun.

Ventured into the reptile building - not my favorite, but amazing none-the-less.

And then during the snake show we got to learn about this Reticulated Python.

And after giving it some serious thought, Noah decided to touch it. It was fascinating to watch him work up his courage to actually touch the snake. I'm not a fan of snakes and didn't venture in the ring to touch the python myself but I was proud of Noah for going for it.

Ben took Levi in and he touched the snake briefly and then was ready to get out of there.

The weather was perfect for walking around and exploring the park. It was great to follow the roads and just see what was around the next corner.

These black cheetahs had to work for their snacks.

Mama lion hanging out.

And we saw a bunch fat prairie dogs.

It took us over an hour to drive to the park, but it was totally worth it. What a great way to spend the day together - and learn a lot about animals!