Tag Archives: animals

Animals, Museums/Events

A trip to the Tulsa Zoo

04/10/2014 Danielle Huddleston 2 Comments

We went to the zoo yesterday!

I really enjoy that we have one close enough that seeing exotic animals is no big deal to my boys.

We also get to be laid back and learn a little bit each time instead of trying to absorb it all at once!

I thought this Forsythia bush was beautiful.

My oldest saw a wasp and did not want to get near it so I made him the photographer instead.

My youngest took my sunglasses and put them on.

He thought he was pretty funny.

We saw new things in the desert area.

I had never seen the lizards.

The boys were not sure about passing this guy.

It let me get pretty close before it flew off!

They have a new Dinosaur exhibit coming this summer.

It does cost extra though.

The boys were pretty excited so I think we will go through it at least once.

This guy was just to get people excited about it I think.

The boys were mesmerized by the video in the new Elephant discovery center.

They watched the whole thing and then my oldest said, “huh, now I know how to tell the difference between Asian and African Elephants.”

We had to stop and see the picture of them that is just before the door to go outside.

The people that made these posters asked if they could use this picture last year.

I guess they were looking for a local place for the shot and this was taken at Redbud.

They were so excited that their picture is in the zoo!

This is my youngest pretending he is the picture…

I quizzed my oldest when we got outside about which kind of elephants these were.

He got it right.

Guess they got something from the video inside.

On the way outside a zoo keeper had this guy out to look at.

It was a great way to end a beautiful morning at the zoo!

What is your favorite animal at the zoo?

Homeschooling, Museums/Events

Eagles!

01/14/2014 Danielle Huddleston 3 Comments

In case you did not know, January and February are the peak eagle watching months in Oklahoma.

You can find out information about that and other things going on in the state at TravelOK.com.

I find it easiest to find cool new things in our state by pretending I am visiting and just a tourist.

You go out of your way to find cool festivals and places when visiting a new place, why not do the same where you live?

The first place we checked for eagles was the Keystone Dam because we had seen them there before.

But when we got there the bridge was closed for construction.

I went to the Keystone State Park right next to it and asked at the vistor center if they had any eagle nests(make sure you ask, they keep close tabs on them usually).

She said that the nest that has been there for years fell down!

She also directed us to old 51 between the park and Sand Springs.

Swift Park is right off old 51 and is mostly just a parking area with a ramp, we did see these two nests across the river.

We only saw these guys and some Great Blue Heron’s though.

We moved on to her next recommendation, River City Park in Sand Springs.

We saw these guys in the park next to the Soccer fields!

I would think they would pick a quieter place than the soccer field but it made it easy for me!

Here is a list of the top ten places to see an eagle in Oklahoma and some tips from the TravelOK site.

You can actually go right under this nest, we tried to maintain a good distance and were very quiet so as not to disturb them.

There is a walking/bike path in this park that goes right by the nest.

After searching all morning for eagles we stopped to get some books at the library.

I told the boys they needed to read them on the car ride home.

They were in the back quietly reading until they read something interesting and than they would read it out loud to share it.

It was amazing.

Proud Homeschooling Mom moment and the easiest lesson I have ever “taught”.

Hiking

Greenleaf State Park, Ankle Express Trail ~Braggs, OK

01/13/2014 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

We went to Greenleaf State Park on Saturday!

We have been there twice but both times it has been VERY hot.

I was looking forward to seeing this park a new way.

You know, not through a delirious haze of heat exhaustion…

We chose to drive into the trailhead off State HWY 10 so we did not have to walk on the Highway.

The road in is really neglected and has a lot of deep ruts so I would not attempt this if you have a low vehicle.

You can always start at the trailhead in the north side of the park.

It will just add some miles to your hike.

If you park at this second trailhead than their are two different places to start.

This one is the first but there is a place further down the road with a better place to park that takes you along the lake.

There were plenty of water crossings.

Much to my boys delight.

They love them.

I did not fall in so I was feeling pretty good about them as well.

Pine forests are my happy place.

This little guy was right next to the trail with a buddy of his!

We always hear Armadillos before we ever see them.

If driving through a nature area or park it is best to have the windows down and be quiet.

That way you can hear the rustling sound they make while searching for food.

This is the closest I have been to one on a hike!

This bridge is where you start the main part of the Ankle Express trail.

The full loop is around 18 miles with two primitive campgrounds.

We took the smaller loop that turns at the Mary Cove Campground and ended up doing just under 9 miles.

Even though the hills tried to kill me I apparently had enough energy left to do the small stunts that impress my boys…

I have to do it while they are still impressed by things like jumping over a log!

The ice on the lake sounded like a windchime.

So pretty.

We ended at that beautiful time right before sunset.

Perfect time for pictures and wildlife viewing!

I was hoping to see an eagle but no luck this time.

January and February are the peak Eagle viewing months in Oklahoma.

For a list of the best places to see one check out the travelok site, here.