Spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous daytrips were something I remember fondly about my childhood. My Dad loved to surprise us with an excursion to the Catwalk, Tombstone, AZ, the Space Museum in Alamogordo and even Carlsbad Caverns one time! They were always so much fun! Saturday morning, Colin and I decided to make the most of our day and take the kids to Albuquerque for some fun before they have to go back to school on Monday. We didn't leave here until almost 10, so we were good and hungry when we got there. After a lunch at Red Robin's, we headed to the zoo. The Albuquerque Zoo is great and you can bet I have lots of pictures to share! 
We always enjoy the flamingoes - so beautiful: 
Next up were the primates, where we encountered two of the three main highlights of the day! First of all, there was a baby orangutan, named Reese, who was so precious! She came running out of the back of her habitat with a mouthful of something (peanuts?): 
The apes were next and they provided a lot of entertainment:
This one above, climbed to the top of a tall pole and then proceeded to beat its chest!!
Then it just sat down and watched all of us:
That had to be one of the neatest things we have ever witnessed at a zoo!
This one above, climbed to the top of a tall pole and then proceeded to beat its chest!!Then it just sat down and watched all of us:That had to be one of the neatest things we have ever witnessed at a zoo! Then, there was this ape:
It just sat in the same spot, against the wall and did not look very happy! In fact, at first it looked annoyed and mad, then it looked like it was pouting! Too funny!
It just sat in the same spot, against the wall and did not look very happy! In fact, at first it looked annoyed and mad, then it looked like it was pouting! Too funny! Then came the scary-looking gorillas:
The beautiful zebras (with a baby, too):
The koala was being extra-bashful and unfortunately, this is all we saw of it:
Snow leopard with the gorgeous eyes:
Then came the lion - the other highlight of our visit! It started out that he was just lying on top of the rock, yawning and licking:
Then, as we were turning around to see another exhibit, he stood up and gave the longest, loudest roars ever!! Gave me goosebumps! Very exciting - except that he roared the opposite direction and I never got a good shot of him.
The beautiful zebras (with a baby, too):The koala was being extra-bashful and unfortunately, this is all we saw of it:Snow leopard with the gorgeous eyes:Then came the lion - the other highlight of our visit! It started out that he was just lying on top of the rock, yawning and licking: Then, as we were turning around to see another exhibit, he stood up and gave the longest, loudest roars ever!! Gave me goosebumps! Very exciting - except that he roared the opposite direction and I never got a good shot of him. Next were the giraffes: 
The polar bear who was just chillin' instead of playing in the water:
Some of our favorite feathered-friends included the parakeets:
The majestic Bald Eagle:
And a Macaw parrot:
In he reptile house, I loved this Monitor lizard (my 7th grade science teacher had one named Monty, and there was a picture in the Silver City Daily Press of me holding it!):
Also in the Reptile House were, what else? Snakes! And lots of them! I HATE snakes and usually stay as far away from them as possible - even when they are behind glass. This time, I made myself be brave (so I could practice some shots in difficult lighting) and I got some of the snakes:
Finally, there was the cayman (very small and alligator-like reptile) looking cute and posing for a picture:
It was a very fun and exciting visit to the Rio Grande Zoo! That's why I love zoos so much - you never know what the animals are going to do!
Some of our favorite feathered-friends included the parakeets:The majestic Bald Eagle: And a Macaw parrot:In he reptile house, I loved this Monitor lizard (my 7th grade science teacher had one named Monty, and there was a picture in the Silver City Daily Press of me holding it!):Also in the Reptile House were, what else? Snakes! And lots of them! I HATE snakes and usually stay as far away from them as possible - even when they are behind glass. This time, I made myself be brave (so I could practice some shots in difficult lighting) and I got some of the snakes:Finally, there was the cayman (very small and alligator-like reptile) looking cute and posing for a picture:It was a very fun and exciting visit to the Rio Grande Zoo! That's why I love zoos so much - you never know what the animals are going to do!Afterwards, even though it was late and we still had a 3-hour drive ahead of us, we took the kids to IT'Z Pizza. It is a very fun place with a lot of food and fun! I took the kids there, along with my sister-in-law, Tammi, a couple of years ago, but it was Colin's first time.
There are different themed-rooms to eat in and Colton chose the Hollywood Room because there were movie posters of John Wayne, like this one of "The Quiet Man": 
Here is our Little Miss Hollywood:
The great part i that my brother, Jeff and his family, who live nearby in Cedar Crest, joined us for dinner! They didn't tell their kids where they were going, so Trevor and Jaycelyn were very surprised to see us all sitting there when they walked in. Here is Trevor with the kids - Jayce needs a little bit of a warm-up period:
After the food, it was time for the fun! The kids started with Bumper Cars:
It was Trevor's first time, and as these pictures show, he loved every minute!
Cady joined Aunt Tammi and Jaycelyn on the roller coaster:
Then time for some games:
The clear favorite thing to do at IT'Z (2nd only to the bumper cars) is the miniature bowling alley. That is where we finished up the night.
Cady was giving Jaycelyn some pointers:
We didn't get home until midnight, but it was worth it! We had a fabulous day and got to see family, too! What a busy and fun Spring Break it was - especially since Colin got to be here for the last weekend!
The great part i that my brother, Jeff and his family, who live nearby in Cedar Crest, joined us for dinner! They didn't tell their kids where they were going, so Trevor and Jaycelyn were very surprised to see us all sitting there when they walked in. Here is Trevor with the kids - Jayce needs a little bit of a warm-up period:After the food, it was time for the fun! The kids started with Bumper Cars:It was Trevor's first time, and as these pictures show, he loved every minute!Cady joined Aunt Tammi and Jaycelyn on the roller coaster: Then time for some games:The clear favorite thing to do at IT'Z (2nd only to the bumper cars) is the miniature bowling alley. That is where we finished up the night.Cady was giving Jaycelyn some pointers:We didn't get home until midnight, but it was worth it! We had a fabulous day and got to see family, too! What a busy and fun Spring Break it was - especially since Colin got to be here for the last weekend!
It is a place that I used to frequent back when I worked with the 4-H program - with my little cowboy Colton tagging along. It had been a while, though, and the kids always love visiting.
I love the way she looked up from eating, when I took a picture of the kids - just like she knew what she was doing and wanted to make sure she was looking into the camera:
Next it was on to see the rest of the livestock:
The brown around his nose and mouth looks like he was just drinking chocolate milk!!
This one was caught giving its Mamma a kiss:
It was just a guess, but I do believe this one is the Daddy:
A quick stop at the playground near the artsy water-tank:
Then onto browse through the antique farm implements:
I can't resist an old wagon:
We then took a picture break:
Colton took the one above and then I took some of Nana with the kids:
As I am sure you have already noticed, I absolutely LOVE the windmill they have there by the main building and try to capture it whenever I get a chance. Here is a shot with both the windmill and the Historic Green Bridge that was built over the Pecos River near Roswell in 1902. They moved it to the museum a few years ago:
Then it was time to move indoors and check out the galleries. There was a very interesting exhibit on The Dust Bowl that took place in the thirties. Here, Cady is looking through the door on a little house they had set up with that exhibit:
These shots were all taken in the main gallery:
Cady is getting her finger "milked" to see that it doesn't hurt the cows:
The corn grinding is a favorite museum activity of the kids:
As is practicing milking ol' Bessie in the Kiddie Corral:
It was a great morning! The Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is one of Las Cruces' greatest treasures. If you haven't visited it yet, we highly recommend it!