An Animal Nature Hike

Grace wanted to go on an

"Animal Nature Hike"

so we went to the

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge!

 We saw deer!

 The deer were my favorite animals

of the day!

 We found a Tarantula which

worked right into our recent

science studies! Grace befriended

him right away!

 She knows just how to hold him.

You have to GENTLY coax him onto your

hand. Grabbing him might scare

him and if he's scared he might bite!

 Only - I think HE might be a SHE!

This spider is much bigger than ours

at home!

 We saw Prairie Dogs!

 Prairie Dogs are really cute and Olivia

loved chasing them into their holes.

I'm sure if caught they would bite,

but I doubt we really have to worry much

about Olivia catching one.

And chasing them is so much fun!

 We found a hiking trail and hiked!

It started out wide, and smooth and easy!

 But it eventually became rocky and rough.

I was glad I dressed Olivia in jeans.

She was tough and hiked most of the

way without help.

 Grace liked the tougher areas of the trail,

but when it got really rough,

I carried Olivia!

 We saw a lizard!

This was Grace's favorite animal

of the day! She loved watching it and

even tried to catch it, but it was

too fast!

And we saw this big guy!

A buffalo!

This buffalo was standing right in front

of us scratching his bottom on a rock.

Grace tried telling him that it was not

proper to be doing that in front of GIRLS,

and Olivia just laughed and laughed.

Then we went to the Refuge Visitors Center,

and Olivia told everyone she saw about that

buffalo. She thought it was the funniest

thing she'd ever seen and she even

chose a toy buffalo from the

gift shop to remember it by!