Three Special Days--Day 1

We spent Christmas in Kansas City and not in California with our grandkids.  This year we decided (and their parents agreed) that our main Christmas gift to each of the grandkids would be doing something special together.  We found something that was age-appropriate for each of them and also something we thought they would love doing.

SAFARI WEST--This was a perfect gift for the boy who loves, loves, loves all animals.  It was more interactive than a zoo.  They had more than 900 animals across their 400 acres of land.  We had a 45 minute walking tour to see flamingos, cranes, ibis, guinea fowl, cheetahs, monkeys, porcupines, fennecs and more.  The next part was a 2+ hour riding tour through the park.  The safari vehicle had five seats, four on the lower level and one on the upper level.  They also had a rotation system which allowed everyone to take a ride on the top level.  We were "up" while driving through the giraffe and antelope pens--so cool.  Our tour guide, Leslie, was a walking animal encyclopedia; no question was too tough for her. There were zebras, bongos, kudus, impalas, cafe buffalo, warthogs, red river hogs, rhinos, elands, sables, gemsbok and more!

Here are a few pictures of our day!  It will long be remembered by all three of us.  The final picture is J's amazing drawing of many of the animals we saw and of the jeep he rode in.