Get settled in now - this is a very picture heavy post!
Early Saturday morning we met up with some friends and made the 5 hour drive down to Bandon, Oregon to share a once in a lifetime experience together. We went to a place called the West Coast Game Park, where we planned on spending the day checking out all sorts of wildlife, and the most exciting part (and the reason we planned the trip), the chance to pet baby tigers and leopards! We have been so excited for this trip, and the kids were ecstatic that today was the big day. Especially Rowan, considering how obsessed she is with all things big cats right now!
When we first got to the park, they weren't quite ready for the first show so we wandered around and checked things out while we waited. These little wallabies were the first animals we came across. They were so cute and friendly:
Especially this one:
And a couple of his closest friends:
We also saw this beautiful red fox - I had no idea that foxes could be so gorgeous!
We looked at a few more animals, and then heard the call for the baby leopard showing so we rushed over and got a place in line. A few minutes later, the handler brought this little guy out. His name is Bentley, and he is a 5 month old African Spotted Leopard.
The kids were able to pet him a number of times, and really get close to him:
He was super soft, and absolutely full of spunk! The handler said that leopards are very rarely used in shows for the public, because they don't bond with people, and are extremely untrustworthy. He said he was actually the only one who could maintain some semblance of control over little Bentley, but that even he was unable to really control him. Good thing he kept a tight grip on that leash - Bentley definitely had other things on his mind than playing nice with the people!
We wandered around again for a little while, long enough for Killian to make friends with this cute little doe:
And to check out some capybara's, which are so ugly that they are absolutely adorable:
When they announced it was time for another petting session, we headed over to the animal nursery to make friends with some much smaller animals. There was a sweet little ferret to love on:
A cuddly little skunk (descented, luckily!):
And my favorite, the baby opossum. He was so soft and sweet wrapped up in his little pouch:
We made some more friends after that. With a llama:
And a french kissing elk:
And the worlds fattest black bear:
Have you ever seen a fatter bear?! He was so funny to watch, and definitely reminded me of a roley poly circus bear...all he needed was a tricycle!
Then it was finally time for us to see the baby tiger! This was the part that everyone was most excited about, and had been waiting anxiously for - especially Rowan. I don't remember his name, but I know he was 6 months old and just about the cutest thing I have ever seen!
Killian petting the baby tiger:
Rowan and Killian:
Most of our group; Josh, Erika, Amber, Suzanne, Matthew and the kids:
A little bit later, Matthew and the kids and I got to go in by ourselves:
Tickling tiger tummy!
That was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I am so happy that I got to share it with Matthew and the kids. How many people get to actually pet a baby tiger? It was pretty amazing, and I hope its something that Killian and Rowan will always remember!
We checked out some of the bigger cats after that:
And something funny happened when we went to visit the white tiger:
First Killian posed against the fence with her in the background:
As I was taking pictures of him, she got up and started walking across her little log:
Then Killian moved over to the right, and Rowan stood in his place for a picture. The tiger wasn't worried about us taking our picture, she was focused entirely on something to the right of us:
And that something was Killian! She was watching him with all the intensity of a hunter stalking its prey, and I ran around to the other side to catch this picture of her in full stalking mode, hiding behind a rock, eyes focused on Killy:
And then she pounced! I was too slow to catch it on film, but once she got to the fence and could obviously go no further in her goal of catching (!!) Killian, she gave him and Matthew a dirty look and stalked off. It was pretty amazing to watch (and had us quietly thanking sturdy fences):
After a few hours at the game park, we were ready to head back to the campsite. We set up our tent, ate some lunch, and I spent some quality time with my friend Erica, who I met in the most unconventional of ways, but who's presence in my life I appreciate greatly. She is an amazing, inspiring woman, and I am so happy that we got to meet and create a friendship together!
Matthew and the kids, Josh, Amber, and Erica and I decided to take a little walk down to the beach and build a bonfire before heading back to make dinner with the rest of our group. The sign said that the beach was only 1/2 a mile away, and signs like that never lie, do they? Why yes. Yes they do. I don't know how long exactly it was to the beach, but I know it felt like it was about 3 times longer that the sign claimed, uphill the whole way, in the sand. Which, as everyone knows, is no fun to walk in for long periods of time. It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the beach, and once we arrived our visions of bon fires and beer drinking next to the ocean were squashed by the howling winds and flying sand. The boys tried valiantly to start some sort of fire, but it was no use. We flunked bonfire building big time, and settled down catch our breath before making the long trek back.
Which was of course, in the dark, uphill (both ways...did you catch that?), in the sand, with only two teeny flashlights to guide our way. It was an adventure to be sure!
Back at camp, we gathered round the fire, made dinner, and settled in for a long night of great conversation and lots of laughter. I absolutely love moments like this, we had such a great time sitting around and enjoying the company of some wonderful people:
It rained all night, but lucky for us it had stopped by morning and we were able to make breakfast and hang out for a while before packing up to head home. We werent in a big hurry to get home, and it is a long drive so we made a few stops along the way. There is nothing too spectacular about this picture, other than just how handsome my boys are, and how incredible it is that my 11 year old is almost as tall as my 32 year old:
On our way down to Bandon we had gone through the little town of Drain, Or. and caught a glimpse of a really neat looking house. We decided to stop on the way back to check it out, and it was even cooler up close:
I love all the detail and the paint colors! It was a private residence, so we couldn't get out and explore, but while reading the sign out front we learned about another place in town that sounded fun to check out - the "castle on the hill". We swung through their farmers market (which consisted of only 3 booths and not a single vegetable) and got directions to the "castle". Only it wasnt really a castle at all and I would have been more disapointed had the house itself not been so awesome:
The detail in the arcitecture was amazing - can you imagine the time it would have taken to carve all of this out? I admit that I have always been a fan of newer, and much more modern houses but I could be tempted to live in a much older one if it looked anything like this:
On the way down we had seen another place that looked like it would be a good place to stop at - a spot on the highway that was designated an Elk sighting area. We hadnt seen any Elk the first time passing through, and had almost past all of the viewing areas on the way up before we saw a small herd and pulled over quickly. I have never seen elk in the wild like this - they were so peaceful and beautiful:
The rest of the drive flew by, as we reflected on what an amazing weekend we had just had, and how lucky we were to be able to experience things like this together. There is nothing in this world that I love more than making amazing memories with my husband and my children!
Early Saturday morning we met up with some friends and made the 5 hour drive down to Bandon, Oregon to share a once in a lifetime experience together. We went to a place called the West Coast Game Park, where we planned on spending the day checking out all sorts of wildlife, and the most exciting part (and the reason we planned the trip), the chance to pet baby tigers and leopards! We have been so excited for this trip, and the kids were ecstatic that today was the big day. Especially Rowan, considering how obsessed she is with all things big cats right now!
When we first got to the park, they weren't quite ready for the first show so we wandered around and checked things out while we waited. These little wallabies were the first animals we came across. They were so cute and friendly:
Especially this one:
And a couple of his closest friends:
We also saw this beautiful red fox - I had no idea that foxes could be so gorgeous!
We looked at a few more animals, and then heard the call for the baby leopard showing so we rushed over and got a place in line. A few minutes later, the handler brought this little guy out. His name is Bentley, and he is a 5 month old African Spotted Leopard.
The kids were able to pet him a number of times, and really get close to him:
He was super soft, and absolutely full of spunk! The handler said that leopards are very rarely used in shows for the public, because they don't bond with people, and are extremely untrustworthy. He said he was actually the only one who could maintain some semblance of control over little Bentley, but that even he was unable to really control him. Good thing he kept a tight grip on that leash - Bentley definitely had other things on his mind than playing nice with the people!
We wandered around again for a little while, long enough for Killian to make friends with this cute little doe:
And to check out some capybara's, which are so ugly that they are absolutely adorable:
When they announced it was time for another petting session, we headed over to the animal nursery to make friends with some much smaller animals. There was a sweet little ferret to love on:
A cuddly little skunk (descented, luckily!):
And my favorite, the baby opossum. He was so soft and sweet wrapped up in his little pouch:
We made some more friends after that. With a llama:
And a french kissing elk:
And the worlds fattest black bear:
Have you ever seen a fatter bear?! He was so funny to watch, and definitely reminded me of a roley poly circus bear...all he needed was a tricycle!
Then it was finally time for us to see the baby tiger! This was the part that everyone was most excited about, and had been waiting anxiously for - especially Rowan. I don't remember his name, but I know he was 6 months old and just about the cutest thing I have ever seen!
Killian petting the baby tiger:
Rowan and Killian:
Most of our group; Josh, Erika, Amber, Suzanne, Matthew and the kids:
A little bit later, Matthew and the kids and I got to go in by ourselves:
Tickling tiger tummy!
That was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I am so happy that I got to share it with Matthew and the kids. How many people get to actually pet a baby tiger? It was pretty amazing, and I hope its something that Killian and Rowan will always remember!
We checked out some of the bigger cats after that:
And something funny happened when we went to visit the white tiger:
First Killian posed against the fence with her in the background:
As I was taking pictures of him, she got up and started walking across her little log:
Then Killian moved over to the right, and Rowan stood in his place for a picture. The tiger wasn't worried about us taking our picture, she was focused entirely on something to the right of us:
And that something was Killian! She was watching him with all the intensity of a hunter stalking its prey, and I ran around to the other side to catch this picture of her in full stalking mode, hiding behind a rock, eyes focused on Killy:
And then she pounced! I was too slow to catch it on film, but once she got to the fence and could obviously go no further in her goal of catching (!!) Killian, she gave him and Matthew a dirty look and stalked off. It was pretty amazing to watch (and had us quietly thanking sturdy fences):
After a few hours at the game park, we were ready to head back to the campsite. We set up our tent, ate some lunch, and I spent some quality time with my friend Erica, who I met in the most unconventional of ways, but who's presence in my life I appreciate greatly. She is an amazing, inspiring woman, and I am so happy that we got to meet and create a friendship together!
Matthew and the kids, Josh, Amber, and Erica and I decided to take a little walk down to the beach and build a bonfire before heading back to make dinner with the rest of our group. The sign said that the beach was only 1/2 a mile away, and signs like that never lie, do they? Why yes. Yes they do. I don't know how long exactly it was to the beach, but I know it felt like it was about 3 times longer that the sign claimed, uphill the whole way, in the sand. Which, as everyone knows, is no fun to walk in for long periods of time. It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the beach, and once we arrived our visions of bon fires and beer drinking next to the ocean were squashed by the howling winds and flying sand. The boys tried valiantly to start some sort of fire, but it was no use. We flunked bonfire building big time, and settled down catch our breath before making the long trek back.
Which was of course, in the dark, uphill (both ways...did you catch that?), in the sand, with only two teeny flashlights to guide our way. It was an adventure to be sure!
Back at camp, we gathered round the fire, made dinner, and settled in for a long night of great conversation and lots of laughter. I absolutely love moments like this, we had such a great time sitting around and enjoying the company of some wonderful people:
It rained all night, but lucky for us it had stopped by morning and we were able to make breakfast and hang out for a while before packing up to head home. We werent in a big hurry to get home, and it is a long drive so we made a few stops along the way. There is nothing too spectacular about this picture, other than just how handsome my boys are, and how incredible it is that my 11 year old is almost as tall as my 32 year old:
On our way down to Bandon we had gone through the little town of Drain, Or. and caught a glimpse of a really neat looking house. We decided to stop on the way back to check it out, and it was even cooler up close:
I love all the detail and the paint colors! It was a private residence, so we couldn't get out and explore, but while reading the sign out front we learned about another place in town that sounded fun to check out - the "castle on the hill". We swung through their farmers market (which consisted of only 3 booths and not a single vegetable) and got directions to the "castle". Only it wasnt really a castle at all and I would have been more disapointed had the house itself not been so awesome:
The detail in the arcitecture was amazing - can you imagine the time it would have taken to carve all of this out? I admit that I have always been a fan of newer, and much more modern houses but I could be tempted to live in a much older one if it looked anything like this:
On the way down we had seen another place that looked like it would be a good place to stop at - a spot on the highway that was designated an Elk sighting area. We hadnt seen any Elk the first time passing through, and had almost past all of the viewing areas on the way up before we saw a small herd and pulled over quickly. I have never seen elk in the wild like this - they were so peaceful and beautiful:
The rest of the drive flew by, as we reflected on what an amazing weekend we had just had, and how lucky we were to be able to experience things like this together. There is nothing in this world that I love more than making amazing memories with my husband and my children!