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Northwest Trek

It's summertime!  We've decided that we'd like to do a bit of staycationing this season, so Phil took his first day off for us all to head south and enjoy Northwest Trek.  We've heard a ton about it, and it seemed like something that the boys would enjoy.  So, after donning on our raincoats and boots (this is the Pacific NW after all) and driving an hour and a half south, we arrived at our destination.





We LOVED it.  Unlike most zoos or even the Wild Animal Park in San Diego, all the animals are local animals.  It was fun to see them in their natural habitats.  It was interesting to also just observe some "normal" animals, like skunks and beavers and bobcats.  Animals you hear people talk about roaming into their yards, but you rarely get a chance to see them up close (nor usually want to!)  Buddy liked the slug that was crossing our path as well. (Funny enough, the park was getting set up for "SlugFest" the next day, and we saw a "wild" one!)



We also took their tram ride to see some of the larger animals.  As the morning was pretty cool and even a little damp, we were given a lot of opportunities to see the animals.  We saw moose, bison, elk, mule deer, mountain goats, trumpeter swans, sheep, and lots more.  Buddy really enjoyed it.  Button got tired about halfway through, but we kept him busy with snacks for the most part.





I've heard that some people think the park is small, but with two young kids in tow, we felt like we barely scratched the surface.  We'll definitely be making another trip in the future.  Button was sure exhausted!



Phil's grandma, cousin, and aunt and uncle live close to the park so we went over there to spend the night afterwards.  Their home is always so inviting, and we were actually able to see one of Phil's other aunts that was in town as well.  Here's a picture of Button with his amazing 92-year-old great-grandma.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any more pictures of the rest of the family, but we had a wonderful weekend with them.


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