I know Jon has already posted some pictures, but he didn't post any from Panaca (a "farm" park). I wonder why. . .? Probably because he didn't enjoy it as much as I did!
Basically we just walked around all day and looked at animals and watched animal shows. All I can say is that I didn't want to leave! I guess I took a lot of pictures (or Jon did), because I had a hard time choosing which ones to put on the web. I'm only including a small sampling :-)!
At the very beginning of the day we bought two packages of food. So, all day we went around feeding the animals. It was fun! Lucas and Ellie learned to do it too. . .put the food on your flat hand and then let them lick it off! It was funny though when we went to the pig barn. There was a big pig there (not as big as at the Iowa State fair, though :-)), and he couldn't lick it off my hand because he had to put his head up to reach. I was nervous about putting my arm down into his pen because of his tusks. However, he must be used to my reaction because what he did was just lift his head and open his mouth like a baby bird for me to toss the food in :-). I got a real kick out of it! Lucas even threw some in!
Jon and I both milked a cow. It was a little wierd to drink warm milk, but it didn't have too bad of a taste. However, I guess we can't just have a picture with no story! As I was milking, the cow got a little antsy and then she decided to poop. Well, it is a long drop to the ground so it splattered all over my pant leg and the pant legs of the rest of the family who were waiting a little ways back. Ellie just about "had a cow"! But, I was quick to reassure her that it was really only grass. I must've been right, because the stains were just as bad as grass stains to get out!
In the small animal area, there was a cage full of guinea pigs and rabbits. The kids were allowed to go in there and try to catch them. Lucas and Ellie had a ball picking out which guinea pig to chase and running all around the cage after it. I felt sorry for the poor little guinea pigs! They were all trying to hide. I'm guessing that they may have received some rough treatment sometimes. But, none of them bit or scratched the kids, so that was good. Here's Ellie with one of her "catches".
I guess we're starring Ellie in this part, because she's also in this next picture. This was her favorite part of the whole park! She loved feeding the baby pigs! It was hilarious. They would all stand up and hang over the wall hoping that you would come by and give them a bottle. Ellie made sure that a lot of them got a sip from this bottle! I had to hold the nipple on the bottle so the piglets didn't suck it off.
At this park they also had a section with bunches of different breeds of dogs. It was interesting to see a lot of the breeds I've read about. However, it was kind of sad because they were all in kennels. They looked fit, I'm sure they got lots of exercise, but you couldn't get up close to them and touch them like you could the other animals. So, that was a little disappointing.
The next part was my favorite. The horse barn! By this time we still had a lot of food so I go to go around feeding all the horses, donkeys, and mules. I love their soft velvety noses! The show was really neat too. We got to see many different types of horses in action. Plus, they even had one of the smallest horses in the world. The Falabella breed (from Brasil I think). It's about as big as my dog! Hmmm...I wonder if that could be a school project pet? Probably not!
Another day we went to a Butterfly house. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the "house" the sun was hidden behind clouds so we didn't get to see too many butterflies flying around. However, the guide did teach us how to pick them up. . .wet your finger and have the butterfly walk up onto it. Lucas really enjoyed "catching" butterflies. Ellie would get nervous and swat at them. The guide put a butterfly on my nose and it sure tickled! Ellie didn't want to try it (no surprise there!).
At our hotel, they had a path you could walk along to get to a Dairy. We missed the milking time, but we had fun looking for bugs and other interesting things. On the way back to the hotel we had to cross a stretch of road that was really muddy; so, we "walked" along on a fence until we could walk on the dry part. The kids really enjoyed that "test" of their coordination!
Then, we got back to the hotel and had "pool time". By that time the sun was going down and the pool was not heated. The water was ICY! Nevertheless, the kids wanted to stay in the pool. I don't know how they could stand it! Their lips were blue and they were shivering, but they still wanted to stay and "swim".
So, we had a great time. There was something for everyone (as they say). We received a flyer mentioning that they are building houses on the Panaca farm and if you buy one you can have a lifetime membership to the park. In the near future you may be hearing that we're moving. . .just kidding! Although, maybe when we retire :-)!
For those of you wondering about Ellie's birthday. . .that is a soon-to-be-forthcoming blog. I had too much to write about and I couldn't fit it all in one "blogging session" :-)!
Sharpening the saw
10 years ago