A day at the zoo

The San Diego Zoo

My favorite location for the trip was the San Diego Zoo It is not surprising this is the number one Zoo in the nation. The zoo is huge and impressive housing 3500 animals from 650 different  species,  We also learned that most of the food provided to the animals is grown on one of the  2 zoo locations. 

Collin and I loved all the animals but the most amazing part of the day was seeing the Koala Bears. On the day of our visit the food supply was delayed which though disheartening to these adorable marsupials was a wonderful experience for us.  During the hour we watched these adorable animals we were able to observe a large variety of animal behaviors including climbing, vocalization, grooming, eating, and sleeping behaviors. We also were able to watch keeper and animal interactions. 

The keepers at the zoo were very knowledgeable and we were able to learn a lot about the zoo operations and animal care. This day certainly  increased our desire to one day be able to provide care to exotic animals such as these. 

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon National Park 

Our Second stop on the trip was to the Grand Canyon National park. It was so much bigger and wider then I had imagined it to be. We walked the trail and it was beautiful, as were the plants and trees that were growing there. I loved the little squirrels and the chipmunks that would come up to you looking for food. 
The wild life was so use to the people that the elk grazed right in the middle of the walking trails. We watched a mother and her calf for a long time, and we were able to get some amazing close up pictures. 

It is amazing to think about the fact that a river carved this enormous canyon. 

        The plant life growing within the canyon was impressive.  

 The land took so many different forms throughout the canyon and seeing the effects of the rock cycle was fascinating. 

 

This little guy was looking for a free meal and new friends, but it is important to the health of the animal and the balance of the ecosystem, as well as your own health to not feed the wild life.

These little Rock Squirrels are responsible for the most reported injuries at the Grand Canyon. 

If you love to hike the park has challenging trails. 

 

The animals are so acclimated to the people that these elk grazed on the trail while the tourist stood around watching them. The mother would however make a charging motion if anyone would reach out or approach her calf.