Day 2 at Safari West

Today is our safari ride! We awake to the sound of RAPTORS! A certain bird there makes that scary, authentic dinosaur noise, and we walk to the food hut to grab breakfast,

while I try to wake up...

...and Gramma looks after Kai, with coffee cups in hand.

Greg and I get on one of these safari vehicles. Our ride were purchased from EBay- a converted old Korean war vehicle!

The ostrich hide their heads, kidding. Don't' fight with them, the middle toe can slice your insides out in mere seconds.

Video: Giraffe fight! And the zebra won't get out of our way!

The markings on their hind quarters, in this case an "O", helps the animals to stay with their own kind, especially in flight. New Guinea Fowl called New Guinea Fools if they fly into the cheetah territory.

I learned that Peter Lang, the owner of Safari West, is the son of some director who made the movie "Flipper". He had traveled all over the world with his father and learned a lot about animals. For work, he would transport livestock and would be paid at times with animals. So he purchased 400 acres of land without even checking it out! How nice it is to have so much money, you don't need to survey land.

His wife is also an ornithologist and has the license to acquire birds from anywhere around the world. Today a flock of flamingos are being shipped in after quarantine in New York!

Check out the horns on this thing!

We see new babies on this tour, must be the season. This calf is less than a day old!

Did you realize when an animals horns are cut off, they don't grow back like fingernails? The blood flow through it, if severed can make the animal bleed out, and to death.

Crane that tried to escape its area of confinement.

Upon our return from our 3-hour safari, Kai took responsibility and parked the vehicle.

Spoonbills.

In the rosebush lurks danger!

Kai enjoyed his moments with this calf. Gramma said he's been petting it gently.

My almost- 40 birthday retreat- on a safari !

Safari West established in 1989, consists of 400 acres of over 400 exotic mammals and birds in the heart of California's wine country. Safari West is part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, one of only six private facilities in North America to belong to that prestigious organization.

With Gramma in town, we took advantage of our British nanny and reserved an overnight stay in a 5 star tent/lodge overlooking a lake teaming with chicken eating catfish. (See the video!) This was a great place to reminisce of our safari adventure in Kenya in 1995, and I ached to do another safari once more. And I would have to say, it brought back a lot of good memories. I love Africa- and I can't wait to take Kai there again to do another safari and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro once more!
Video: Our Accomodations


You can creep up on these (metal) giraffes easily.

On check-in, we loaded our bags into their 4-wheel drive and were taken to our tent-lodge
.
Gramma was lucky to get her own tent-lodge next door. There she would have privacy and some shut-eye away from Kai (who hollered half the time for "Gramma!" from our porch to hers)

Blue and red macaws, perched outside quite content. Just don't walk under their roost- you may lose a digit, or other body part!

Kai finds a big hole to squat in. Is he toilet training himself again? or hiding from this cheetah?

Cheetah focused attention on Kai alright. Lemur painting to mark our tent-lodge. Who needs house numbers when you got a great painting?

Stork-looking thing with knees that bend backwards, it apparantly was comfortable sitting like that for quite a long time.

Hornbill and tortoise.

Video: The Hornbill Beak Fight!

Gramma and Kai hold hands on their way down to grab some grub at the food hut!

Tonight, we eat a catered meal outdoors with roasted and succulent chicken. YUM!
Kai made several trips to the lemonade table and was tall enough to grab a cup and serve himself. I had a lot of exercise trying to deter him from doing so. The birds begin to roost for the night...

Vulture roosts next to its buddy the tortoise. Makes me think of that B.C. comic of the bird on the turtles back!

...while the noctornal animals come out from in-hiding, such as these porcupines.

After dinner we feed quartered raw chicken to hungry catfish! I never knew they could eat big chunks like that- I don't think I will be swimming in that lake.

Video: Catfish eat Chicken?