Friday, July 29, 2011

Adirondack Adventures, Part 5 - The Wild Center

When we were up a couple of years ago, Rebecca took Olivia to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, about 20 miles away. She loved it so much we decided to all go this year. Wow, what a facility! They have miniature ecosystems built inside with the wildlife you would find in the rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps and forests of the Adirondacks, complete with the different types of fish, snakes, turtles and other animals.

Daddy forgot the keys to the car, so the kids entertained themselves while I ran back across the lake to get them. They played a fast-paced game of tag.

Rebecca says she got gifts from each child. Olivia broght a handful of buttercups. Gabe brought a handful of sticks. Ezra? a handful of rocks.

The otters were so cool. They loved to swim and play. If you go to the Wild Center's website, you can see videos of the otters.


Ezra just LOVED watching the fish in the tanks. He couldn't get enough. He started walking consistently the day before this.

Why didn't I bring my fishing pole?!?

It's kind of hard to see, but this 3ft Northern Pike decided he was hungry and snatched a Sunny, but it may have been a little too big. He kept swimming around with the Sunny's back half sticking out of his mouth. The funny part was that the Sunny's tail kept swishing around as if he were trying to back out. Imagine the Sunny's view...



There was also a really neat walking trail around the place that showcased the different plants and insects native to the area. There was also this really cool walking bridge through a manmade pond/marsh.


Sadly, I forgot to get a picture of what has to be the one of the coolest things there: the Solar Array. They have a building that has a roof-full of solar panels that produce about twice the power we use in our house! you can actually see live on their website how much energy the panels are producing. I would love to have the setup they have for our house! :)

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