Wildlife Safari
written by strangelilgirl
on August 21st, 2009
, 2 comments
(2 votes)
My boyfriend and I stopped here along the way to Portland for his big 21st birthday bash, and at first I was concerned that this would be a bit juvenile for us, mostly because of what we were really heading to Portland for. It was hot outside, Anthony was half asleep, and I was anxious to get to the city, but I had planned a stop here and I wasn’t going to drive past it without at least attempting to have some fun. What we experienced was magical to say the least: as you approach, giant paw prints lead the way, along with signs that taunt you about what you are approaching and the dangers that may come. You pay ($17 for one adult), are given a map and a quickly spoken set of rules, and suggested that if anything should “go wrong,” just honk your horn and a ranger will be right over. At this point and soon after, I think scenes from Jurassic Park were playing in both of our heads!
Right off the bat we were up and filled with energy, driving so slow and soaking up so much animal glory that cars had to pass us to continue on. The windows were rolled down, and the hot air was pouring in, but we barely even noticed as we passed cameras back and forth and took turns pointing and shouting exclamations such as “look, oh my gosh” and “how cute! Can you believe it?” Our first sights including an emu practically sticking his head into our car window, a giraffe crossing the road in front of us, and bears following next to our car as we cruised along in their den; I’m not sure if we were more curious about them or if they were more curious about us, but we all looked equally happy!
After the driving part (which for us was a quick 3 hours that flew by out of nowhere) you can park and visit an area that includes reptiles, a petting zoo, a café and souvenir shop, and other various stands and activities. You can even pay small amounts of money (all under $20) to do things such as ride camels, help feed lions, or take your car through an elephant car wash!
This place was my favorite stop during my two week session of The Great LC-A Race, but hopefully I am just repeating what the pictures will tell you!
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