Safari Photos

As you already know, my kids and I have a season pass to Six Flags Great Adventure/Hurricane Harbor/Safari.  It is a good thing, too, because it has been a great disappointment this year as far as being able to ride most of the attractions. I'd be even madder if I had paid good money to go to the park one day and not be able to board any of the rides or have to wait in line for wait times of  45 minutes to 1.5 hours in the middle of summer.  

Six Flags Great Adventure:  The few times that we have gone to the theme park, it has been packed and just a total waste of time as we can't board any of the rides that we want.  The kids don't even want to go there anymore. I am hoping that I can take them when the temperatures are cooler.  We always look forward to Fright Fest.

Hurricane Harbor: With the heatwave we have been having here in New Jersey, I take the kids at least once a week to the water park.  Again, I have been extremely disappointed with the extremely long wait times to board the rides and the lack of equipment.  For example,  the kids love going on the Taak et esy Creek but they end up having to walk 2 or 3 times around the track before they can get a tube that someone will graciously give them.

I've noticed that there aren't enough tubes or floating devices to accommodate the amount of people entering the park.  I suppose that this is where their other lucrative business kicks in: tube rental. Due to the lack of tubes at the stations, one is "forced" to rent a tube to be able to ride the attractions for which we paid the entrance for.

So, what does one do when one lacks a tube? One has to go to the wave pool or walk the creek.

Safari: I like the safari a lot. My only observation is that the elephants need to be in a bigger enclosure. Yes, I know, that the safari only has so much space, but it seems that they always cluster around the umbrella by the small pond.
I often wonder why the bears walk around slowly and seem to lack energy.   I know that is not the most ideal habitat for the animals, but to be honest, this is the only way that most of us will ever get to see them live, at least, this is the only way that my kids and I will ever seem them.

Anyway, enough griping! Here are some of the photos I took while there.

Female Cardinal that visits my backyard.

Female Cardinal preening herself. Must look good for Mr. Cardinal, you know?!

 

 

White Tail Gnu.

White Tail Gnu and baby.

White Tail Gnu: Up Close and Personal

Male Ostrich

Black Bear in Algae pond.

Brown Bear

Sacred Ibis

Crested Crane

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Safari Photos

Safari/HurricaneHarbor

Seagull minding her own business.

Kay in the wave pool.

Kay and Liam maxin' and relaxin' in the wave pool.

Liam splashing about...

Liam and Kaylie competing to see who could hold their breath the longest.

Goldfish nibbling on the roots of a plant.


The ubiquitous butterfly that I seem to see everywhere!

I think this is a bearded dragon...not sure at this minute. What I do remember is that it is behind a hideous plexiglass that makes taking a decent shot impossible.

Yak

Baboon


Baby Giraffe.





At least, it didn't peck my car this time.


Llamas.

On Monday, we went to the safari and to Hurricane Harbor. The temperature was cool enough that one could walk comfortably. There was a breeze and the humidity was lower that it had been in many weeks. We went to the safari early in order to see the animals out and about. It has been my experience that if we go late, the animals will be hiding from the sun which defeats the purpose of us going to see them.

Kaylie and Liam love the water park and look forward to spending most of their day there. As usual, I took a few photos of them, put the camera away, then joined them later in the day. These are just a few of the shots I took. 9633

Safari/HurricaneHarbor

Computer Down/Great Adventure

Hello,

Just giving you a little update on my comings and goings of late. First off, my computer is down. I need to get it fixed, so I can't scrap or download pictures or do anything.
:( Property taxes are due today, so that payment takes precedence over fixing my computer. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I can get it fixed.

On Satuday, which was 97 degrees at its highest, I took the kids to GREAT ADVENTURE and the SAFARI. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with the idea because the place was packed. sone enters the park, one can see the line of cars leading up to the entrance. I didn't want to stay in line for a long time so I went to the safari first. We were there for about an hour, enough time for the line to come down. The good thing about having season passes and season parking is that one does not have to wait in line for very long periods of time.

--The WHITE SWANS are nesting and should have a family of their own soon. I've been to the safari 3 times already and have seen them sitting on their nest...

--The BLACK SWANS (from Australia) are plentiful this year, I spotted 4 pairs.

--The MANDARIN DUCKS are so cute. They had a whole bunch of tiny ducklings running around.

--The male PEACOCKS were out strutting their stuff, but no hens around. I spotted about 5 males with the most beautiful brilliant plumage.

--We saw a STORK up close and personal - they are kind of ugly and big.

--In BROWN BEAR LAND, the bears were trying to keep cool in the shade, while others were busyly engaged in 'OTHER' activities. As we were looking around for the bears, we spotted a pair of bears in an most intimate position. My kids are very innocent and didn't realize that the bears were not playing, but mating. Liam, who usually blurts out what he is thinking, turns to me and says, "Hey,Mama, check out how that bear is shaking his booty!" I couldn't help, but to chuckled. I told them that the bears were "grooming" themselves, just like the Baboons do. Yeah, grooming. ;)

Right before we entered the LION section, we spotted a humongous, unattended OSTRICH EGG on the floor.

We went to the EXPLORATION STATION where we saw a gigantic albino Boa Contrictor, an Egyptian Fruit Bat, A blue-tongue Skink and a Madagscar Hissing Cockroach.

In Bugs Bunny Land, we watched the BUGS BUNNY DANCE OFF. If featured Bugs Bunny and Lola, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, and Daffy Duck, who was going to be dancing with "BEYONCE." When it was Daffy's turn to dance, Beyonce made an appearance. It was a man, wearing a disheaveled wig, silver gloves and a boa. You should have seen Liam's expression when he saw Beyonce. He was horrified. :) My poor boy doesn't have a sense of humor so clearly he didn't appreciate the impersonation.

--In Wiggles Land, the kids mounted a ride that would take them up high, then drop them little, then go back up higher, then drop them again. Liam even rode it 2 times, which is highly unusual for him. He likes to ride something once, and move on to the next bigger and better ride.

--I loved the topiaries
Tiger Turtle Giraffe

--The kids love riding the RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN, which is a high thrill, fast ride.

--The day was so bright, sunny and hot. I used SPF45 on my arms, but it still didn't do a good enough job of guarding my skin as I still got the itchy rash that I get due to my sun allergy. I guess I will have to ask the doctor what I can use to try to avoid this. With 97 degree weather I just couldn't see myself wearing long sleeves!
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Computer Down/Great Adventure

Safari Expedition: Kinkajou

Mary's Jumpers By Crystal
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=27509&cat=0&page=1
Splatter Graffiti [Borders] Jungle Salvage By Tangie
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=28437&cat=0&page=1
Jungle Salvage Collab W/ Bonus FREE Word Art! By Tangie
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=28436&cat=0&page=1
Century Gothic 8279

Safari Expedition: Kinkajou

Brown Bears / Cottage Life / Alana McCarthy

click to enlarge.
Cottage Life kit by Alana McCarthy @ SBG
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=25500&cat=0&page=1
Studio Tangie Fonts: The Director {CU OK} By Tangie Tangie Baxter @ SBG
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/product.php?productid=24910&cat=279&page=1
Cardboard alpha - ON Designs (retired)

I love watching the Brown Bears at the Safari. They leisurely stroll along the road and frolic in the ponds. Six Flags Great Adventure. Jackson, NJ 08-25-2009 5132

Brown Bears / Cottage Life / Alana McCarthy

Safari - Trip 1

These photos were taken on Friday, June 19th. I went to the safari by myself! I went early, right after I dropped the kids off at school.
Going early afforded me the opportunity to go at my leisure and to lag around as long as I wanted without someone urging me to move along. :)
It was a lovely drive to Jackson, N.J., though very cloudy.
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Safari - Trip 1