I still get excited thinking about day 4... We went to Kentucky Down Under, and I think I loved it the most. It was like my Disney World!
First we had to trek up a huge hill to get to the attractions. We saw dingoes on our way. I was worried we might not make it. But once we got to the top, the walking was fine. We signed up for a cave tour of Kentucky Caverns. While we were waiting, the kids each got a bag of dirt to sift for rocks. It was much more fun than I was anticipating.
Megan didn't want to go on the cave tour, but since it was included in the admission, we talked her into it. This cave was much more interesting than Outlaw Cave, and both kids enjoyed the tour. David was also very impressed. Me - eh, I guess caves just aren't my thing.
After we left the cave, we stumbled upon a beautiful nature hike. It was on our map, but no one had mentioned it. Cam especially enjoyed wandering in the woods.
Next we headed to the walkabout. I was so excited I could barely sit still. I asked the tour guide before she let us in "Can we touch them? Can we touch the kangaroos??" Yes, we could. And the emus. And we saw a joey moving around in a pouch. Holy cow, I just love animals.
We all turned in our tickets to feed the lorakeets. I'd done this before, at the Newport Aquarium, but it just doesn't get old for me. And these beautiful birds were quite hungry. One tried to eat David's neck.
We caught a show on Australian aborigines' weapons and instruments. Sounds dull, right? The guy was really interesting, and even the kids (well, not Cam, but the older kids in the audience) were rapt. Right after the show it was time to watch the sheep herding / cow milking / sheep shearing show. It's amazing how one little dog can move such a large group of sheep.
After the sheep show (neither kid would milk the cow), David took Cam back to the cabin for his nap. Joyce and Ron stayed with Megan and I. I almost volunteered to take Cam back, but I'm so glad I didn't. I really enjoyed every second of KDU.
We grabbed lunch. I had a hot dog. I was planning to share Megan's pizza, but she ate every bite. Here she is with the crust on her head (she thought it looked like a crown). But after the pic, she ate that too.
We wanted to see "Scales and Tails" but we were 20 minutes late so we decided to catch the next show. In the mean time, we did the Walkabout again. This time we saw a peacock, and the joey poked his head out! Too cute!
The "Scales and Tails" show was done by the same person as the Aborigine presentation. He was very funny, and we got there early and just relaxed in the shade and chatted with him some. He showed us a snake, a skink, and a kimono dragon. He said he wouldn't put the dragon down because it would get up on its hind legs and run. He said "if you see me running in this park, you better run the same way I am!"
I can't remember the name of the last show we saw. But before it started we met a huge dog laying under the bleachers. His job was to protect the sheep from animal predators. He mostly rested during the day, and he was perfectly happy to let us pet him. We also met a camel, who had a surprisingly cute personality. He tried to steal Megan's KDU mug.
We had two extra tickets for the birds, since Cam and David left early. So we fed the lorakeets again. It was slower at the park in the afternoon, and they were lonely and hungry. Megan put on a brave face, but I think the ones on her head freaked her out a little. When we went to feed the finches, she didn't want to come in.
We headed toward the exit, visiting the Australian birds on our way. There were some strange looking owls, and a Kookaburra. I was talking to David on the phone as we were looking at the Kookaburra, and he said when Cam and he went by, Cam exclaimed "Kookaburra!" When we asked him to laugh for us, he did! Twice! Very funny.
We stopped at the gift shop on the way out. I bought Megan a bag of stones she could pick out herself. We also got one more bag of dirt. I told Megan she had to share with Grandma this time. Joyce was very interested in the gem mining.
The finches were near the exit, and we turned in our remaining tickets to feed them. At first Megan wouldn't come in at all. When she did, she wouldn't accept the seed we'd saved for her. She wanted "just one" to land on her finger, but none cooperated. They seemed to be tired of us by then.
We loaded ourselves into the car, tired but happy. Cam was just waking up when we got back to the cabin, and we picked Cracker Barrel for dinner. We used up the last of the wood on our campire.
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