Wildlife Adventure

Arnie here: sorry we've been so hit or miss lately, but summer is busy, busy, busy around here. The other day, mom AND dad left us alone the whole day. Dad's on vacation, and they planned an adventure with his sister and his nephew, and we weren't invited! There was a very good reason for that, though. They went to Safari West, and there are WILD ANIMALS there.

They got up at 3:30 in the morning, because of traffic. The park is in Napa, and it takes a long time to get there. They got there with time to spare, so they went to breakfast. They STILL had time to spare, so they walked around Safari West looking at the animals before their tour started.

First, they checked out the birds that just hang out, greeting visitors.


Then, before they knew it, they had to get on their "ride". These are the jeeps that took them around the park.


Mom, dad, sister and nephew got to ride on top first, and the first animals they saw were the giraffes. It worked out perfect, since the giraffes are the tallest animals there! These two boys were "neck-fighting". Mom and dad's jeep was in the enclosure, so they were really close to the


Uh oh......they've been spotted. Get it? Spotted? This guy eyeballed them as they drove past.


Just as they left the enclosure, they saw this little 4-month-old baby, just hanging out.


Next up - the Rhinos. In the wild, these guys would spend their days eating. But since they get room service at Safari West, they mostly sleep. Mom says these guys are crate trained.....and said something about "Arnie and Gracie learning a little something from them".


A little further along, they got to see the Zebras. Their guide said it had been days since a tour had seen them so close, so Mom and dad felt very lucky.


And, another baby, just as they were leaving the area.


For some reason, Mom loves Wildebeast. Here they are in the distance. Which I guess is a good thing, since they're pretty big. And wild.


The tour took about 2 hours, then they ate lunch overlooking the giraffe enclosure. Before they left, they said goodbye to the newest exhibit, the Flamingos. If you look behind the fence, you'll notice the big building. Those are the tents that you can stay in overnight. Mom and dad did that a few years ago, and had a good time then, too.



If you want to learn more about Safari West, or see more of the animals, check out their website:

www.safariwest.com