Grand Canyon...

This was our first trip to the Grand Canyon.  It really is a spectacular and breathtaking sight.

 

 

The walkways were covered in snow and I'm looking at the railings where there are gaps thinking, people can fall over that!  And don't think there is anything to catch you over that railing, it is a vertical fall right over it!  I was too paranoid to really enjoy any sightseeing.  All children were properly supervised or handheld and not allowed any where near the railings.

We stopped at this view point where Steve got out to take pictures and when he came back he said, "Good thing we didn't take the kids out, there were no railings!"  CRAZY!!!!

 

Then we found this book in the gift shop.  Yes, people have fallen to their deaths from that very spot.

 

 

Beautiful, but don't step close to the edge!

Bearizona...

On New Year's Eve we headed off to Bearizona to see some animals.  It is a drive-thru wildlife park but we weren't sure what to expect in winter since bears hibernate right?

 

 

First stop was the Rocky Mt. Goat.  There were three of them and one walked right up next to the car.

 

Next were the American Burros, they were all huddled up here next to the feeding station.

 

American Bison were next and they were spread out sitting in the snow and wandering around.

 

Alaskan Tundra Wolves and the Arctic Wolves were the next stops.  They were very active chasing each other around and very fun to watch.

 

 

I see Jacob!

White Bison, looked more tan than white, at least to me.

 

And then we were looking for Black Bears and found some!

 

This guy looked like he was trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

 

This guy walked right up next to the road by our car and gave us a little show.

 

We saw a total of 4 bears!  Some were sleeping, but a few were wandering around.

 

 

After the driving tour, we watched their Bird of Prey show.

 

They had falcons, hawks, and owls.

 

And a de-sprayered skunk!

 

It was freezing, but so cool to see the birds up close.

Then we walked around their animal area where we saw bear cubs, foxes, raccoons, porcupine, and a big fat beaver.

 

The kids went in the barnyard area where they could pet goats, pigs, and chickens.

 

Their Happy New Year Bear!  The kids loved it so much they wanted to drive through again, so we got back in the car to warm up and see the animals again.

 

This time we saw the Dall Sheep and the Rocky Mt. Bighorn Sheep up close.  They were off in the distance when we drove through the first time.

 

And then we got attacked by a big White Bison!  We thought it was funny when he was bothering the car in front of us, and assumed we would be able to sneak past him when they finally got around him, but he had other ideas.  He put himself right in the middle of the road and rubbed up right against the car.  You start to worry about car damage when he starts to head butt the car with his horns!

 

No damage, but he did wipe up against our dirty car.

And it was thrilling to see more bears again!  Great time at Bearizona!

Polar Express...

We took the kids on the Polar Express Train.  They were all very excited to ride the train in their pajamas.

 

 

 

It was very festive and decorated for Christmas.

 

Mr. Conductor came and punched our tickets and once we were on our way, the chefs brought us hot chocolate and cookies and danced in the aisle.

 

Then we went through a time tunnel that took us all the way to the North Pole!

 

It was so exciting!  On the way back, we sang Christmas carols and waited for a special someone to come through the train.

 

SANTA!!!  He gave each of the kids a special bell.

 

The kids LOVED it!

 

We can hear the bells!  We believe!