South Bend, Indiana - Part 1

The next stop on our journey was South Bend, Indiana.  Adam lived here until he was 7 and his dad and sister still do.  I have never visited this town so it was all new to me.  Our first attraction was the East Race.  It is an artificial whitewater course for rafting and kayaking.  There is also a man-made fish ladder to help migrating fish.   

Don't Jump!!

Next we headed to the local zoo.  Adam has fond memories of his grandmother taking him there.  It was special to relive those childhood experiences with him.

I was really impressed with this zoo.  They had realistic habitats for all of the animals. I hate to see zoo animals in concrete cages. The first guy we saw was this camel.  He was the weirdest looking camel I have ever seen. It is probably his particular breed, but he had the floppiest humps and his fur looked like he had mange.  Even though he was so disheveled, I thought he was majestic and will always remember that weird camel.

Next up was the farm animals.  Alpacas are one of my favorite animals.  I like how expressive their faces are.  Also, they have been touted as one of finest livestock investments in the US.  Hopefully one day I can own a couple.  These babies had just been sheared for the summer.  

There was also a petting zoo in the farm section.  Adam didn't want to brush a goat, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that!  All of these goats were super fat.  They had these huge pockets on their sides that looked like tumors.  I am sure it was their stomachs, but it was gross.  I am glad we don't have those.

Eewww.  Why do they look like that???  Stop eating.

The zoo had kangaroos and wallabies.  Here is a wallaby with a Joey in her pouch.  At first it looked really weird because only a foot was hanging out but then the little guy poked his face out.

PRAIRIE DOGS!!!!!  I could watch them all day!  There were tons of them running around.  I like how they are constantly startled.  

It was a perfect day at the zoo!