Feb 19 - Every winter, we make a trip to Hardware Ranch. This year we waited so long, we thought we might not make it up there, but we finally found a weekend to go and it was even snowing so there were lots of elk to see! We usually invite lots of family up to go with us, but this year we went kind of spur of the moment, so we went with just us. It was a fun day! First, we stopped at the Visitor's Center.
Avery showing Daddy some of the animals. She was really curious about the HUGE stuffed elk in the middle of the room.
There was a little station where you could touch some antlers and different furs and things. The kids really liked trying this antler on themselves.
Avery checking the antlers out.
Cute little Avery. I love watching her toddle around. She thinks she is a big kid now!
Avery really wanted to pet the elk.
There was a big sandbox with different little wood stencils that the kids could use to make different animal footprints in the sand. There was also a leg from an elk and they could use the actual hoof. Kind of grossed me out! The kids loved it though and played there for a long time!
The kids with the giant elk that Avery was so mezerized with the whole time.
Then, we were off to see the real thing!
It kind of looked like a big storm was coming, so we decided to hurry and take our sleigh ride before the weather got bad. All the benches were wet from snow, so our bums got wet but it didn't rain or snow too bad and was pretty much done by the time we finished our ride. I was worried we would freeze, but it wasn't too bad.
My favorite people ready for their sleigh ride!
Logan loved his ride! He was really into it this year and wanted to learn about the elk from our guide. He even raised his hand and asked a couple of questions. He was so little and right in the front, so the guide didn't usually notice him, but he would say "Excuse me, sir" until they called on him. It was cute! The first time, he asked "How big do the males get?" I love that he asked just about the males and used that word instead of just asking about the elk in general! His favorite books are all about animals and he is so curious about that kind of thing. We learned they can be up to 900 or 1000 pounds. A little later someone asked about wolves, so a few questions later, Logan asked if there were bears in the area and we learned that there was! The guide said there was a brown bear that covered that area quite frequently and Logan thought that was so neat!
Rylee was just happy to be along for the ride! She loved the baby elk.
Avery wasn't too sure what to think at first, but she did really well and sat still for the most part, which is big for her. By the end, she wanted to get down really bad, so we were glad when it was over! I don't know if she knew what to think about all the elk. She really liked the horses that pulled our sleigh, though.
This elk had a piece of electrical fence stuck in his antlers. They said it had been there all winter! Poor guy! They can't get it off for him, but luckily he should shed his antlers soon and that will solve his problem!
Our family at the end of the sleigh ride
Checking out the BIG horses!
Avery showing Daddy some of the animals. She was really curious about the HUGE stuffed elk in the middle of the room. 
There was a little station where you could touch some antlers and different furs and things. The kids really liked trying this antler on themselves. 
Avery checking the antlers out.
Cute little Avery. I love watching her toddle around. She thinks she is a big kid now!
Avery really wanted to pet the elk.
There was a big sandbox with different little wood stencils that the kids could use to make different animal footprints in the sand. There was also a leg from an elk and they could use the actual hoof. Kind of grossed me out! The kids loved it though and played there for a long time!
The kids with the giant elk that Avery was so mezerized with the whole time.
Then, we were off to see the real thing!
It kind of looked like a big storm was coming, so we decided to hurry and take our sleigh ride before the weather got bad. All the benches were wet from snow, so our bums got wet but it didn't rain or snow too bad and was pretty much done by the time we finished our ride. I was worried we would freeze, but it wasn't too bad.
My favorite people ready for their sleigh ride!
Logan loved his ride! He was really into it this year and wanted to learn about the elk from our guide. He even raised his hand and asked a couple of questions. He was so little and right in the front, so the guide didn't usually notice him, but he would say "Excuse me, sir" until they called on him. It was cute! The first time, he asked "How big do the males get?" I love that he asked just about the males and used that word instead of just asking about the elk in general! His favorite books are all about animals and he is so curious about that kind of thing. We learned they can be up to 900 or 1000 pounds. A little later someone asked about wolves, so a few questions later, Logan asked if there were bears in the area and we learned that there was! The guide said there was a brown bear that covered that area quite frequently and Logan thought that was so neat!
Rylee was just happy to be along for the ride! She loved the baby elk.
Avery wasn't too sure what to think at first, but she did really well and sat still for the most part, which is big for her. By the end, she wanted to get down really bad, so we were glad when it was over! I don't know if she knew what to think about all the elk. She really liked the horses that pulled our sleigh, though.
This elk had a piece of electrical fence stuck in his antlers. They said it had been there all winter! Poor guy! They can't get it off for him, but luckily he should shed his antlers soon and that will solve his problem!
Our family at the end of the sleigh ride
Checking out the BIG horses!
This is what the big field of elk we rode through looked like from far away. They told us they get up to about 500-600 elk there in the winter time.
Yeah for a fun winter outing! I think we were starting to get a little stir crazy at our house!
Yeah for a fun winter outing! I think we were starting to get a little stir crazy at our house! 
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