Wildlife Prairie Park

We spent the first of Kellan's teacher work day holidays this year at the Peoria Wildlife Prairie Park. I enjoy these extra "holidays" in the fall, but ask me again in March when I have to take yet another random day off work and the weather has been cold and wet for months and I'm ready to jump off the nearest mountain if only they actually had anything like topography in Illinois and... Oh, sorry about that. Side tracked. Anyway, it was a great day for the prairie park. The weather was gorgeous and all of the fall colours are starting to show. We stayed until they were closing the park, at which point Kellan asked if we could please return again the next day. He loves it there.








Because the park wasn't busy on a Friday, the engineer asked Kellan if he would like to drive the train. Thrill of thrills! So, Kel got to drive (with assistance) the entire route, as well as sounding the horn at crossings and getting a lesson on the local landscape and vegetation from the knowledgeable park volunteer. Here he is before we started, at the controls.





I'm not sure how many photos we have to take with dog statuary before Daddy gets the hint. Notice that boys with dogs are happy. Hint, hint.





Kel loved the old time farm machinery at the Pioneer Village exhibit.





He could happily have played in this caboose all day.





In the play room at the train depot. I'm not sure who did that painting on the wall, but, um...





These are truly awful, but at least proof that I was there! Setting the timer doesn't work so well for adjusting focus, light settings, etc.



Strategically hiding my ugly ortho shoe under the bench. Horribly washed out photos.





Some wildlife shots. It was a wildlife park after all!