So, like I said... months ago... I am way behind on my photography. Like, WAY behind. In 2017, the summer after I "Graduated" (I'm still working toward the degree, I just need to finish my internship and then I'm totally done) my cousin Sarah and I went on a series of excursions, all around Iowa, and a bit of Nebraska. I took tons of pictures, and then never did anything with them. I started editing some of them, for use in my portfolio, and the rest ended up just kind of languishing in folders.
But I'm trying to change that! I have sorted through all my pictures, put them all on a thumb drive, and I am slowly but surely editing them while I work my overnight shifts. Sometimes. Occasionally. Okay, the pictures in this post were sitting on my work computer for like 2 months before I decided to actually get to work on them.
Anyway, let's not dwell on my failures, let's just keep moving forward, and celebrate the fact that I actually accomplished something with these pictures! And not just these, I actually made a whole other post on my photography blog! I edited those pictures for use in my portfolio and my photography blog, but they only made it into the portfolio at the time. I have finally got them up on my photography blog, so make sure you check that out when you're done here.
So to begin with, for those of you who don't know, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo owns a wildlife safari park in Ashland, Nebraska. This is a wildlife sanctuary that you can drive through and get up close and personal with all kinds of native, American wildlife. Bison, Eagles, Elk, and more! It really is a cool experience, and I highly recommend it.
Back in 2017, Sarah and I wanted to do something that summer, and since we didn't have money for an actual, proper vacation, we decided to get out and do as many free and inexpensive things close to home as possible. The first place we went was the Wildlife Safari Park. We've always loved the zoo, and we knew that they had this park, but we'd never been there before. We didn't really know what to expect, but we wanted an adventure, so we went anyway.
The first thing we discovered was that you actually drive through this place. There are places you can get out, but for a lot of it, you need to stay in your car. Exhibit A.
These things are right off he road as you're driving. They're fine with the cars on the road, but I would not get out of your car.
I have a long lens for my camera, so I was able to get some great shots that would otherwise not be possible.
After the Elk, there is a place you can park, which leads off to a variety of trails you can walk.
The birds weren't part of the official display, but I love getting good bird pictures when I can.
There were several flocks of pelicans around the park. It seemed weird to see them in the middle of Nebraska, but many of the animals at the park are being rehabilitated, so maybe that had something to do with it.
It's always cool to get to see an eagle "Up close."
These weren't quite as close as they seem, my lens helped a lot here.
There was also a hill you could climb to see a couple of bears.
Obviously these were secured a bit more than the Elk, and other herbivores.
One of the coolest exhibits was a valley of wolves. There was a high walkway that went up and over them, so you could watch them down below.
They could also watch you.
It was really cool to see them running around.
I got a lot of great pictures here.
The wolves would also howl. And they were LOUD. I wish I would have thought to take a video of them. Oh well. Maybe next time.
In another part of the park there was a huge tower you could go up and look down to see a ton of different waterfowl.
Cranes.
More pelicans.
After the parts you could walk around in, you get back into your cars, and then drive some more.
There is another herd of Elk. Unless the first one moved, which I suppose is a possibility, we were there long enough.
And then you get to the main attraction. The bison.
There is even a white one!
After that we saw a whole bunch of wild turkeys.
And that was all for the main park itself. After that you get to another parking lot where you can find their main buildings, including the gift shop. We were in the park long enough that all the main buildings had closed, but we did find one more attraction.
Prairie Dogs.
They were really cute and fun to watch.
I think this was my favorite picture of them. :)
And that was it! This park is really fun, and if you're an animal lover like we are, you definitely need to check it out one day. If you'd like some more pictures from that trip, I saved some of my best ones for a separate post on my photography blog. You can find that post HERE.
And as much as it feels like I've neglected this blog, only posting once or twice a month, that one hadn't been updated since 2016! And the pictures I'd posted were from 2014! I really hope I don't let it languish like that again, I'd really love to get back into photography, plus I have plenty more from 2017 I can work on, I just need to actually do it.
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