San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

The kids and I headed to San Diego over Thanksgiving week to visit the Lewis family. In addition to spending some quality time with dear friends, we wanted to make sure that we checked out the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park. It was a two day adventure that reminded me a lot of our trip to Disney World last year, two moms and lots kids! We'll be going back again soon, (meaning hopefully before baby #3 arrives),  and maybe Josh will even be able to join us next time. I was very excited for the zoo trip. There is something about zoos that I just love! Just as we pulled up and were planning for our trek for the day, I discovered that two of the three tires on my stroller were blown! For a mom with little kids a broken stroller can ruin your day, and it did for a while. Once we got into the zoo I was able to rent a double stroller. Although, it wasn't the one I was use to, it was a lifesaver!

We had a bit of a late start, so the first thing we did at the zoo was take a bus tour. That was great! The zoo was so big there was no way we were going to be able to see it all. The tour let us see a lot more than we would have had if we just walked around. After the tour, we had some lunch and then headed out to see what else we could find in the zoo! Since it was getting later in the day and the zoo closed at 5, we had to prioritize the few animals we wanted to see that day. I was pleasantly surprised with just how much we were able to fit in. Maybe next time we'll get to see the new baby panda!

After spending Tuesday at the zoo we headed to the Safari Park on Wednesday. It's a bit north of the city and not at all what I expected. Although, there were some hills and crazy roads for strollers, it was a great time! Plus, it was really nice having my own stroller that day. Thank you, Aaron, for fixing it! At this park, we rode the safari tram and were able to see all kinds of animals in the (semi) open range. We got a nice view of the lions, saw the elephants from a distance, never did see the tigers, but got a workout my trainer would be proud of getting from one animal to the next after the tram ride. Besides the animals ,I really enjoyed seeing all the trees! The palm trees in Las Vegas were nice in the spring and summer but, I was ready for some fall like temperatures and colors. We didn't get the cooler temperatures, but I was able to see a few brightly colored trees.