4th Of July 2011

We decided  since we had a "3 day weekend"  that we should take advantage of it and, so it was off to Vallejo  we went !!
Damian had to  work Saturday,  So during the day, Mandy and I got things ready for  us to leave  that evening and drive down as soon as Damian got off ,   with Six Flags Animal Kingdom as our destination ! We love the  park and, how it is run and the staff that works there!!!  Below are a few pictures of the MANY animal's  in the park. It was  SO HOT !!!  The animals were outside,but, they were staying in the shade or Water, whatever the case may have been !!   below are several of the animals I was able to  actually take a picture of  :)  and, also some of the sites throughout the park !!

This giraffe is one of the MANY  Ceramic  animals  we saw !!


We saw this fountain, and,  even though we got to the park  EARLY in the morning, it was already quite warm and  several people standing around thought of "jumping in" the nice cool water!!

The animals were having such a hard time, I actually felt sorry for them , especially if they had FUR coats !!

This "Little" Gator was so HOT , when he wandered back in the water  and laid down  and got his body wet, I swear you could see him SIGH.........Mandy asked me    " Can I pet him"  ( NOT !! )

The lion's, Tigers and other Big Cats were out, but, they had taken refuge in ANY shade they could find , it took me forever to get pictures of them, that you could see !!

This "White Tiger" was Gorgeous, that is til he GROWLED and scared the &^%$#**   out of me !

Shortly after we saw the tigers it was on to see the elephants !! when we walked by their area, their was a trainer in brushing dirt and leaves off of them and also "Playing" in the water . They LOVED it and it was so good to see them  enjoying a cool   way to "Play" !

After the elephants , we could see their were giraffes  not to far away, and they were SO brave....walked right up the the fence, and ate tree leaves that were hanging over , my my they are TALL !!

Mandy was getting a little overheated by this time, and, we spotted a raft ride we thought she would love, so we walked over to let her watch and, see if she'd like it, and she asked Damian "CAN WE GO " !!  so, I held all the cups and they went and got in line , and I found a spot that was perfect for taking Pictures !!  Notice the giggling girl in the raft, SHE had a ball!! and getting wet cooled her off and energized her for another hour  of PLAY !!

 while we were walking through there was an area of "Kiddy rides" and I saw the Frog below, on top of one of the rides, it was closed so the picture opportunity was PERFECT,  if there hadn't been a keep out sign and chain up I would have had Mandy go stand by 1 of the Frogs you ride in!!

Our VERY last stop, was to 

Where I Could have sampled EVERY Flavor :)

After all was said and done, we headed back to the hotel to cool off and rejuvenate , so we'd be ready for FIREWORKS !!! The Wild Kingdom park put on a BEAUTIFUL show, that we could see from the hotel parking lot !! because I am such a beginner and don't know ALL the ins and outs of shooting pics at the right time, and my camera  doesn't allow you to shoot pics 1 right after the other, you'll just have to take my word for it .......  It was GORGEOUS !!

We came home to Redding on July 4th,  with a stop at Jelly Belly Factory !!  Below they had this Jelly Belly  dressed up in an Uncle Sam's Hat !!!!