Trekkin' through the Great NoWest

Took Rach, Annie & Cait with us on another outing, this time to nearby NoWest Trek for another zoo experience au naturale. We met our friends Kristie with Seth (Cole's buddy from preschool) & also shared the adventure with new friend Allison who brought her 2 boys Abe & Henry. Had about an hour to wait before the next tram ride, so we said hello to the bald eagles...& spent quite a while in the Cheney Discovery Center. Cole & Dane love it there 'cuz there are skins from lots o' animals, books, puppets & skeletal features to make it up close & personal. Here they are pretending to be "in the rut":















Probably not the manliest accessory, but they all wanted to have ladybug headbands too:) Should've gotten a pic. of the whole group together-oh well!













I'm always amazed by the working beehive so I made Dane pose by it with his wings on:)I was most excited for everyone to become one with the wildlife as we drove through right next to 'em 'cuz the boys & I were the only ones who had done it before. Unfortunately we got separated from the other two families on board, but we still had fun...

What a relief to hear that they got another male moose in the park so the ladies weren't so lonely:) I was seriously sad after we were told last time that a big wind storm killed the only one they had a couple of years ago:( I'll probably leave out some of the stars of the tour, but I can remember seeing caribou,mountain goats,buffalo,deer & elk (sorry latter not pictured instead 'cuz their sheer size is more impressive than something we can see on a city st. in WA:))

You can't see 'em very well, but I was trying to capture a couple swans (obviously white in back) & a heron (on logs in front) too?!Our driver/guide was a bit cheesy, but we're never disappointed with the animals who come out to play with us! Made the rounds afterward to greet the bears (you could tell that one of 'em knew he had fans & took a dip for us:))plus usual foxes/wolves, beavers (though just huddled together in their den this time vs. hard @ work-even lil' guys-on a dam!), wolverines & other small four-legged friends. Skipped out on the owls-seen one, seen 'em all, eh?-& called it a day considering it was after 4p anyway!