Natural Bridge

Pete and I decided to take the kids for an overnight trip to the Natural Bridge. As you can see, Kylee brought along all of her gear -- binoculars, magnifying glass, and camera. She was a little girl on a mission carrying everything around too (for most of the walk anyway.) The kids had a good time walking around and we were lucky enough to spot some snakes and fish down in the water for them to see.

At the bottom of the stone wall that went along the path there were a bunch of holes. Kylee thought it was helpful to point out each of these holes to Ryland; Ryland however, thought it would be interesting to try and use the holes to get closer to the water. We had to stay close by for sure since he would have definitely fit down the hole (well his body would have ... not sure about his head! ha!) : ) On the walk back we picked up some rocks and let the kids stand on the wall to toss them in. Ryland kept saying "more, more."

We walked to the section where the Indian Village was set up. There were animal skins, houses, workshops, fire pits, and some demonstrations going on. Kylee and Ryland were most interested in the random bench in the middle of the village though. Kylee kept trying to get Ryland to sit next to her so they could get their picture taken ... it turned into quite a photo shoot. This was the best we got.

The main reason we decided to go to the Natural Bridge was to go to the Safari Park. We had been there a few times in years past but this was the first time this year. We decided to take the Jeep instead of the van. I just wasn't comfortable having the van doors open and the kids strapped into their seats while feeding the animals. I know people do it and it would have been find but maybe that will be when the kids get older. There were a few animals that Kylee wanted the window up for anyway so I don't think she would have been a fan of the open doors. When we got there, we took out the kids carseats and I sat in the back with them. This worked out great because they were both able to reach the window to help feed the animals.

Kylee did a great job feeding the animals. Our favorites were the emu and the ostrich. The first time around we stayed away from the camels. Kylee didn't want them coming in her window but the second time we drove through she was ready to try. He did try to steal our bucket which made a bit of a mess but other than that it wasn't too bad. We'll see if we try and feed him again next time or not. : )

Ryland was definitely a fan of the no car seat concept. He loved looking and pointing out the window as we passed by some of the animals.

After the drive through part we went to the farm area and used up the rest of our food first. Kylee fed as many goats as she could. Ryland tried to catch the chicken that was running around. The chicken quickly hopped back into the fenced area to get away. : )

The little pictures to put your face in was another big hit ... who knew?!? I think the two of them could have stayed and played at the llama picture all day!

It turned out to be a great little trip and one that we are hoping to make again soon!