What's Up Wednesday #50 - Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

Holy moly, can this healing journey ever be difficult sometimes! Not the healing itself, but what we are healing, and going through setbacks. Running adrenaline for a month straight can really set a person back. I'm so feeling the effects of that now, and of not having enough self-support or stability to really take care of myself properly, in the way my body really needs during this time. 

I'm doing my very best, though, and I'm having some compassion for myself on good days. It's never perfect, but we do the best we can. And we credit ourselves for it - that's so important! Acknowledge how hard we are working in difficult circumstances. It's not perfect but it's pretty darn impressive anyway. 

So this trip hasn't exactly gone according to plan, from the start. We've established that I think in previous posts. I haven't seen my family near as much as I wanted to, and seeing them has been such an incredible gift - it's been like gold. And it made me want more. For myself and for my son. He loves seeing his grandparents -  he lights up when he gets to go see them. Both sides. 

It's been making me think. And it's part of what I talk about in the video.

And So We Adjust

Well, we made it through the first day of Daddy not being here. It was a rough go, let me tell you - no one was happy or settled about it. Frenzie (the cat) was meowing and crying all day at random intervals. Muffins the Pug kept barking at the door. Boy cried off and on missing his Dad. I had to be The Mama and comfort them all.

We were SO tired, we went to bed at the early hour of 9 (I wanted 7 but Boy insisted it had to be dark for us to sleep). We also slept until 8, so we were TIRED. Usually when we go to sleep, Muffins will crawl into bed with me and sleep for awhile, then when Dad goes to bed, he will come in and get her and they will go sleep in the other bed (Boy sleeps with me and Frenzie). So last night as we all piled into the bed, Muffins sat at the foot of the bed staring expectantly at the door, and as far as I know, did this for hours even after the lights were off and everyone else had fallen asleep.

Seeing Muffins staring expectantly looking for Daddy set Boy off, and he couldn't stop crying. Poor guy. The animals didn't understand, and that made Boy's empathy meter go off. Frenzie kept going in and out of the room looking for Daddy, but she finally just gave up and snuggled around my neck like she does when we sleep, and she slept most of the night.

Finally, finally everyone fell asleep, and some time during the night Muffins gave up her watch and came and snuggled by my head with her head on my shoulder, snoring into my ear. As I'm a light sleeper this didn't play well for me, so she moved down between myself and Boy and slept there for the rest of the night.

Well, we made it through. Today is a new day. Daddy is driving the truck all day today, from Washintgon to Montana, where he will again sleep in probably not the nicest motel (but the best $60 can buy!), but it's one day closer to him returning home, where he will likely be bombarded by Boy and the animals in fits of love and snuggles.

Wish us luck! The hardest bit is over, so that's a huge relief. Flight went off without a hitch, truck was rented (early even) and loaded successfully, husband is safe and intact (most importantly), driving happened the first night and got him to Washington safely. All of this is a huge relief. I made him check in regularly, texted him updates of how much everyone misses him, set alarms on his phone for 11:11 and 5:55 to cheer him on and remind him of how much we love him.
By the way, I don't know when Budget became cheaper than U-Haul to move across country, but it was by a couple hundred dollars. Previous to this we've always ended up using U-Haul after comparing all of the options because it always ended up being the least expensive option, but not this time. This time Budget was much cheaper. So, just FYI in case you're moving across the country on the cheap. And PODS was 2.5 times the amount of either of those options, so despite the sort of convenience (you still have to load and unload them yourself), it was just out for us. In case you wondered.

Unlike yesterday where I was dragging all day after getting up so early, today in addition to my morning juice and smoothie routine, I have sucessfully walked the dog, fed both animals, gotten laundry started, given everyone their supplements, washed the dishes, and gotten a huge bag of bananas ready to freeze. I also wrote a blog post and am about to refill our supplement containers, then make pizza for Boy.

 Let's take a minute to reflect, shall we? Fifteen months ago I could not even get up off the sofa to do one thing on that list. I had JUST managed to be making myself a smoothie daily, no more. That act would exhaust me. Yesterday, in contrast, while I was exhausted I still managed to do a load of dishes before I went to bed so I wouldn't have so much to do when I got up. And remember, we're in an RV, so I'm washing those dishes by hand, not loading a dishwasher. This is the difference in the energy I have and the kind of energy I have. Exhausted now means something entirely different than exhausted then. Then it was full on fatigue, exhausted meant I had nothing left in me, nothing to "push past", there was just NO fuel in the tank.

But now exhausted means I maybe can still get up and do what needs to be done. I can be the Mama, I can take care of my space. I can feed my kiddo and myself and the animals, I can get up and take Muffins outside to relieve herself, even though I'm tired. It's worlds apart. I've come SO far. And I never would have been able to even entertain the idea of us being on our own for five days fifteen months ago. No way! My husband was our caregiver, we needed him to do everything. That he can now go away and know we'll be all right without him - well, it's just something that hasn't been possible in a long long time - many years.

I know I keep saying it, and I will continue to keep saying it. Thanks to the information in the Medical Medium books, I have been able to heal. I've been able to be well enough to be in the world again, to take care of my space again, to take care of the needs of all of the people and animals that depend on me again, and I am so grateful for all of that healing information and my ability to follow it. 

What's Life Like for Us in an RV - Part 2

A friend of mine interviewed me, so I'm going to post some Q and A here about living in an RV after 6 months on the road.

For Part 1 of this interview, click here. 

My friend, the interviewer, is M. I'll post her questions bold and green. I'm E, and my answers, as ever, will be purple. J is my husband and K is my son. And now, on to the interview! 

1. How DO you plan? Do you plan as a family where to go?

It varies greatly, actually. For the first portion of our trip, we knew we wanted to go to LEGOLAND. That was the end goal. So we planned everything around going to LEGOLAND, and I researched and found places we'd want to visit in between.

K loves aquariums, so we knew we had to go to Monterey Bay aquarium. We all love beaches, so of course we went to a beach in every place we stopped in California. I'd find places within an hour or two of each other for us to stop in, then find RV parks on rvparkreviews.com or in the Good Sam road trip planning app.

I like rvparkreviews.com because it gives you real people and real reviews for places. But also tells you exactly what amenities are there, what hookups they have, and if your rig will fit. Sometimes a place's website will say one thing and the reality is different, and this site tells you that.

I like the Good Sam road trip planning app because it will tell you the mileage between each RV park, the approximate time it will take to drive there going 60MPH, and it also gives you the campgrounds and things to do in the area if you check those boxes. That helps for the spreadsheet I keep, too.

I keep a spreadsheet that has places we're going, arrival and departure dates, address, phone, email, website, how much it cost us, mileage, deposits, etc. I got this from another Rver who uses it as a template, adjusted it to our needs, and it has been so great.

Google maps also has a feature called MyMaps that I use to keep a map of places we want to go, the RV parks we'll be staying in, attractions and where to get groceries nearby those places.

For the second leg of our trip, K had made a group of online friends, most of whom happen to live in the US. Two of the kids he was really clicking with were in Arizona, so I connected with their Mom and we planned a visit. That's where we are now. The next leg of our trip includes a visit to family in Missouri as we make our way to a gathering in Ohio where a good number of the kids from that group will also be.

From there we haven't decided yet. And a month ago we had no idea we'd be going to this gathering, either. 

2. Who drives?

J does. I keep saying I'm going to learn to drive the RV, but I just haven't yet. I thought I'd really need to because I get carsick when I'm not the driver, but because we've been able to drive for shorter periods, that actually hasn't been an issue at all. So there hasn't been a huge push for me to learn. But I will. 

3. What's the bathroom like (plane bathroom-like?)

It's not like a plane bathroom. It's different in every RV, but ours has a compost toilet in a room of its own. There's a cabinet behind the toilet where we keep toilet paper and such, and a magazine rack that we keep cloth wipes in, and a towel rack. There is a window to the right of the toilet if ou're sitting on it, so you can look out at the view when you're in there. It's actually quite nice.

Outside of that, the shower and the bathroom sink are connected to our bedroom, so the counter of the sink makes sort of a half wall. It makes it feel much more spacious having that "open floorplan". The shower is small but big enough to shower in, so it works. The water pressure isn't like a house, but it still works. The one thing most RVers dream of is having a proper bath and real water pressure for a shower. Oh, and hot water that lasts way too long.

Water conservation is a necessary thing in an RV shower, but you get used to it. 

4. Do you have a budget for accom, gas, food, entertainment?

Basically since right now we're living on savings, I "pay" our checking account out of that every month, the salary my husband was making, and that's what we use for our expenses. So not specifically, but kind of. Our grocery budget is similar to what it was in a house, and although usually we don't have utilities like gas, electric, water, or trash, we have monthly rent and storage fees, and internet and phones and of course fuel. Entertainment varies by where we are. In California it was really expensive, but in Arizona it's been almost nothing. 

5. Does the RV require repairs? Who does that?

RVs always require repairs, yes. There is always something coming apart or needing resealing because of travel and wear and tear. Luckily almost every RV park we've ever been in has a relationship with a mobile RV repair guy, and they will come to your site to do most repairs.

J can do the non-engine or electrical things that need doing like resealing and caulking the roof, and he does regular battery and tire checks, but for things like replacing the radiator tank we call the RV repair guy. We'd like to replace our refridgerator with a residential one, but that's going to take some modification to the inside of our RV, so we're waiting until we're somewhere for a longer spell and can remove the old one to do the modifications. 

6. What Mileage are you getting?

I have no idea, but it's probably something like 6 MPG. It's a 40' diesel pusher pulling a small car, plus all of our stuff, so it's not going to be good. 

7. How is exercising- walks?

Lately because we got sick again, plus the heat, not as good as we'd like. But usually in a new RV park the first think K and I like to do is take Muffins and explore the park. Usually there will be some sort of trails or cool plae to walk to, which has been great. Part of the fun of being in a new place is exploring it, even just the RV parks themselves. There can really be a lot to see!

When we were on the beach in San Diego, at the bay, we'd go every day for walks. everyone loved doing that. We really have gotten out of the habit here, because walking in the desert heat with the sun beating down on you just isn't fun. But there's always the next place!

8.Favorite place so far and why.

Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz. Everything. The aquarium is just spectacular, and they were super ADA compliant, and I felt really well taken care of there. Plus the aquarium itself is just the most amazing aquarium I've ever been in.

The bay and all the beaches are beautiful. It's a smaller place and just feels happy to be in. It has incredible character, and you can tell that the people who live there are there because they want to be.

Santa Cruz is the same. Smaller, gorgeous, artsy, kitchy, fun. I really wished we could stay longer than we did but we were running from the cole weather and the rains. They actually got snow this year!

I'd definitely go back again, it's a place I'd like to live for awhile maybe. 

9. What do you like most- and least- about the RV experience?

What I personally like most is the travel. I really never believed I liked traveling, so it makes it extra weird that I am the one who bought us an RV and said, "Let's go explore the US and see if we find somewhere healthier for me to live."

But it turns out that I don't hate travel, I just hate flying and staying in spaces that might potentially get me sick. I actually really love traveling when we get to bring all of our comforts with us and be sleeping in our own bed every night. If only we could take the RV to Hawaii, Europe or Costa Rica! Then we'd be set.

I love exploring new places and seeing all of the birds, flora and fauna in different places. I love seeing how different the foliage is to the places I've lived. I love feeling sand on my feet on beaches, and seeing all of the different skies and sunsets. And I love that I get to do all of that with my family.

What I like least is the things we miss about having a house. Space - being able to spread our stuff out all over. Separate rooms to go to for privacy and just space alone. Having a garden (although I do currently have a small herb garden in a pot and an aloe plant and am thinking of adding a small tower garden of herbs and leafy greens as well). The trampoline. 

10. Is it bringing you closer as a family?

In ways it is, because when we travel and aren't visiting someone, it's just the three of us (five if you count the pets). It's just us doing stuff together, exploring together, and that's pretty cool. We've always been a pretty close family though, so this is just even more of that I think. Especially right now with J not working and being a part of everything. I think it's helping him understand us better to be so integrated into our daily routine like this, since it isn't usually the case when he has to work 40 hours a week outside the home.

But yeah, it's really nice being this little unit together right now. 

What's Life Like for Us in an RV - Part 1

Wow, I guess it's about time for an update, eh?

Why is it so difficult for me sometimes to write blog posts? I need a blogger support group with tips and tricks on how to make it happen daily. Someone please interview me. What do you want to know?

A friend of mine kind of DID interview me, so I'm going to post some Q and A here about living in an RV after 5 months on the road. She actually asked me these questions over a month ago and because I'm SO organized and prompt, I'm just posting them now. Even though we'd talked about doing this then. Also because of these mad skills, some of my answers have changed. So I'm going to post the answer over a month ago and the answer updated now. To make is less confusing. (/sarcasm)

My friend, the interviewer, is M. I'll post her questions bold and green. I'm E, and my answers, as ever, will be purple. Updates to current events will be in pink, because I love color. And now, on to the interview! J is my husband and K is my son.

M: I'd love to hear more about your RV life and its rhythms, how it works with J working, space, K, chronic condition, etc.

E: J hasn't started working again yet - he is still in decompression stage from the past 5 years of stress. I do think we've finally found a good rhythm. It's definitely a constant learning process.

J has a higher need for outside than K and I do - he can't just hang around home and chill as much as K and I like to. We have more of a need for down time.

I think we meet that need for J a bit by having him run all of the errands like grocery shopping and whatever else we need that we can't wait for Amazon to deliver. I pay attention to what needs doing and keep the lists and then let J know and he checks them off. I can still do things like laundry and dishes. He also takes Muffins out most of the time, although depending on where we are, I like to do that too. But he definitely does it in the mornings and after dark.

Update: J has started doing Tai Chi every morning at this new place in Arizona, and we've been making good use of the pool as well. This has made things much happier for him, having ways to move his body.

M: How does K like the change of lifestyle?

E: K seems to be doing fine with it really. He misses his BFF (who lived 4 hours away in Seattle), but they still game together online, just not as much. We got lucky: he recently got into this game called Overwatch, and his BFF plays but isn't all that into it.

I'm in an online group with BFFs mom called Unschooling Gamers, and often us parents will post for our kids that they are looking to play such and such a game. I posted that about Overwatch and several people answered the thread that their similarly aged kiddos were playing. We all exchanged Skype info and gamer tags for the game, the whole thread did.

K really wanted to play so that won over his shyness about new people, I helped him friend the whole group, and now they have this great group that they play with online. Two of the kids he has really clicked with are in AZ so their parents and I are making plans to meet. The other two he is really clicking with are in Indiana so we're making plans to go see them after we go to Missouri to see our families.

Update (and this is a BIG one!): We are now visiting said friends in AZ and all is going smashingly well (knock wood). While here, we learned that this family and ALL of the families of the other kids who play in this group are going to an Unschoolers Waterpark gathering in Ohio in May. We'd previously thought we couldn't manage to get across the country that fast, but this opportunity seemed too amazing to miss. Having his whole group of friends together IRL in one place for a weekend of fun?

We're going. I worked really hard on the schedule for like three days, and figured out how we could make it and go. And I did. It took a small miracle, but we're essentially driving across most of the country in 45 days, which is breakneck speed for our way of traveling.  But for this opportunity, we have to. Right? Plus the rooms at the resort (yes, resort) where the gathering is being held are just - this really will be a vacation for us. They're amazing. We're all looking forward to it, and hopefully I will find ways to keep my health intact while we travel. (I will).

M: How about personal space? Are you able to get that?

E: Finding (personal) space has been a struggle at times, but we're figuring it out. J doesn't always realize when he needs to take space, so we've talked about that. I'm trying to get him working out again in some way because it has always been an important part of him maintaining his sanity. He's self conscious about doing things outside but he's at least aware of his need now and is thinking about ways to meet it. He used do Tai Chi or work out at lunch daily when he was working in a central location.

Update: I know I said this above, but he's doing Tai Chi again, it's gotten much better.

We do have a back bedroom and a front room that are divided by a door and that helps. K and I are used to being together 24/7 so we don't really bother each other but J isn't as integrated into our mix so we often need time apart. And then there is always the whole outside, but sometimes a person needs indoor retreat space, so we try to meet that.

It's been better than I thought it would be in ways. We're being nicer to each other a lot of the time, but we still scrap in our usual way at other times. It seems to be tricky for us to occupy a space together so much of the time, but I really did think it would be worse than it's been. It's something we're finding ways to get around. And sometimes just being conscious of an issue leads to solutions.

J will take Muffins out when he needs a minute or go run an errand at the store. That seems to work well for now. Or one of us will retreat to the bedroom in back with the door closed. I do that a lot when I want to talk on the phone.

M: Do you meet many people?

E: We haven't met many people, but that's more on us and our tendency to hermit up rather than the lack of people or opportunities. RVers tend to be really friendly and helpful and available for company. Josh meets and chats with people a lot when he takes Muffins for walks or to the dog run area.

(As I wrote this in February) there were about a half dozen kids playing outside and K was in the RV on his computer playing online with his friends.

In a lot of ways, chronic illness taught us to be completely self-reliant and not look for social interaction. It's not like cohousing, where everyone is just outside your door. Most people stopped coming to us a long time ago when I got really sick. So we just got used to being by ourselves I think. Perhaps we will again adjust to being social, and being able to be social, as we travel.

M: How do you decide how long to stay in each place?

E: Amount of time depends on travel needs, etc. We like 2-3 week stretches in places because it gives us time to explore, do errands, have down time, be sick apparently.

When we were first on the road, we started from western Oregon in November, so we were essentially running away from the weather. We'd take 2, 3, 4 days in a place and keep  a close watch on when the weather would change. And we'd go a little further south each time.

Update: Then when the rains had taken over Northern California, we spent time in Southern California. We wanted to stay a lot longer in certain places than we did there, but availability of space and when is what dictated those stays. It was around the holidays, so space was really at a premium. We took what and when we could get. Once we were further down into Southern California our pace became a LOT more leisurely. We stayed in San Diego for about a month and a half.

Part of that was due to getting sick in San Diego (the air is polluted and the toxic overload caused both K and myself to have a big strep flare), which took a big chunk of time. You don't want to try to travel when you're sick. No. And then we wanted to see the things we went there to see. So we stayed a little longer.

Also in San Diego K's friend group seemed to solidify even more, and our plans changed. That was when we decided to fast track it across AZ and spend three weeks visiting K's friends. Plans were made with their parents and off we went! Man, was I glad to get out of that SoCal pollution and into some seriously clean air.

Also of note: I REALLY miss California citrus and the ocean, with all of my heart. This dry air and heat are...well, ups and downs, right? Things dry really quickly, like laundry hanging up. And no worries about mold! But then J gets daily nosebleeds and the heat is "unseasonably warm" for this time of year. So there's that. But the pool is great! And visiting friends is priceless. K is SO happy when he gets to be with them.

Back to deciding how long to stay somewhere. For this next stretch, we leave at the end of the month. (I don't even want to think about the withdrawl K is going to have.) Our schedule was determined by two things: 1) we need to be in this specific city in Ohio by Mid May; and 2) can we make a decent length stop in Missouri to have a good family visit.

Usually we like to drive no more than two hours on travel days. It's just how we roll. We like the locations, but we don't like the driving.  And we REALLY don't like the pack/unpack that we have to do for travel days. I mean we don't mind it at infrequent intervals, but we don't want to have to do it for several dozen days straight, you know? So if we have 1 or 2  one-night stays, that's okay. And we could maybe push the travel days to do a little more, you know, actual traveling. That would also give us a couple of 4 or 5 day intervals where we can see some things we want to see, like Roswell, NM (Area 51).

And I DID it. I was SO crazy proud of myself, because I actually managed us an 18 day stay in Missouri to see our families, and that's a HUGE win. So now we've tried several different ways of planning the route, and I'm SO much more confident with how it goes. Maybe I'll even do a post on how I plan!

When we have more time in a place like 3-4 weeks, we have a to-do list  of things like maintenance and decluttering. The RV gets cluttered really quickly (because we aren't minimalists and our needs change as we go and suss out more ways to use the space better). We're already eyeing places we want to clear out some things and lighten the load. Some of it is just stuff we thought we'd need and didn't, others are electronics we've had to replace and need to recycle, etc.

Update: We have since taken out the old perpendicular table and replaced it with a new bigger parallel one to use for my sewing space. And the fruit that used to sit on the table has now been put into a handy cart with drawers we got from IKEA. It's original intended use? Clothing. It's perfect for our fruit stash! Since this photo was taken we've also added a 5-tray Excalibur dehydrator we got on craigslist in Tucson for cheap!

We have done some decluttering of the bedroom and next want to tackle the living room. All in due time! Sometimes having fun and downtime takes precedence over tasks. To that end, I have yet to sew on my table, but I have a list of projects waiting to be done when I do!

If this post created even more questions, or if you have questions about living in an RV and traveling the country, please let me know in the comments. That's why it's Part 1! I know there's lots more to answer!

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon

I didn't take this photo, but the one I took of the entrance
was blurry, so I'm borrowing this one from the internet. 

One of the places I'd heard great things about and that we wanted to see for ourselves was right on our way down I5 in Winston, Oregon - Wildlife Safari. There are probably a million photos of it online that are better than ours, and more professional, but these are ours - proving we were actually there. So bear with me - haha - bear! The only animal we didn't see, because it was hibernation season.

When you drive into the Wildlife Safari, first you drive down a narrow and winding road - there is enough room for cars to go both ways, but we got there early enough that we didn't drive by anyone leaving as we drove in. You drive through a lovely forested area for about a mile maybe, down down down into the area where there is parking, a gift shop, smaller snimals in smaller enclosures, and a walk-through area. You drive up to the window where a super friendly employee of the park tells you all the rules: 

1) Drive slow, not more than 10 mph (we did more like 5, as did everyone else there)

2) It's fine to have your windows down as you drive through, but if an animal approaches the car, roll your window up

3) DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS

4) Stay at least 4 car lengths away from the Rhino

5) You can drive through twice as long as you reach this window again by 4 PM (it was like 11 AM at the time). 

That's what I remember. They also give you a sheet that tells you what animals are in what areas, so you understand who you're looking at. When you drive in, there are arrows that point the direction, but they're not always perfectly clear, and at slightly unclear points there are also rangers in towers who kindly point the way for you (and are probably also making sure that people do NOT get out of the car, because sadly, not everyone listens to the rules ("But the Lions are behind fences! How else am I going to get the best photo?)

The variety of wildlife throughout the park - it really was consistent with animals one might see on a safari in Africa - all of the animals except the one Asian elephant I think - were really from Africa. And they seemed to do a good job taking care of them and keeping them safe - everyone looked fed and happy, and with the exception of the overly curious ostrich, none of them seemed more than bemusedly disinterested in the cars driving through.

The Rhino, to our relief, was WAY at the top of the hill when we came through, so we were much more than 4 car lengths away from him. Apparently Rhinos like to climb. Who knew?

Wildlife Safari also has what I think I remember to be one of the most successful cheetah breeding programs in the country. Apparently it is SUPER difficult to get cheetahs to breed in captivity, but when we were there, we saw a proud (and slightly irritated/protective) cheetah Mama and she had FIVE adorable fluff ball cubs. I'd call that successful! I do NOT think she was enjoying her babies being on display so openly though, considering how far back into the woods they go to breed. Mama was pacing like she really wanted to take the cubs back to the protected area, not be so vulnerable here where the humans drive by.

Make no mistake, the cars get nowhere near where the cheetahs are - but it's still through a chain link fence rather than being hidden in the forest as it should be. But you know, I get it, considering it's a huge place to support, and I'm pretty sure baby cheetahs are a pretty big draw for the public - I mean there was so much cooing in our car that you'd have thought a cute bomb exploded in it. It did, in the form of our eyes taking in the sight of 5 baby cheetahs rolling all over each other playing and hunting each other. 

SO. CRAZY. ADORABLE. 

And all of the animals are ones one doesn't just see any old where in North America, that's for sure. Zoos, some of them. Others we'd never seen before in real life. The whole experience was amazing for us. When we first drove in, after the lions, we came upon the giraffes. I've never been that close to a giraffe - you can really see the evolution from the dinosaurs when you're that close. At one point I thought this guy was going to sit on our car, but he just walked  by the front - so close!

I was so blown away. 

At all of the animal areas they had little huts like ths one, full of hay and whatever else they ate. 

Sorry for all the spots - it was raining off and on and there were water droplets on the windows, which as you remember, we were instructed to leave up if the animals walked up - which the male giraffe had.

Some of the other animals we got to see:

The zebras - my people. They hold a special place in my heart. 

These. I think they're elk?

The smiling llama. He was just chillin' by the side of the road. 

The lovely emu.

The hippos. Again, you can see the dinosaur origins. So amazing. 

Two African elephants and an Asian elephant. I'm not sure about their space, like is it back behind this building? All of the other animals had ample space to roam, so it's difficult to imagine that the elephants remain in such a small area, but it was so far back and you cannot leave the car, so there was no way to tell from where we were. 

White deer that I am forgetting the name of. 

My favorites of the big cats.

There is also a smaller walking area after the drive-through one, and a gift shop and snack bar. We of course bought a plush from the gift shop, because the kiddo loves his plush. And my husband fell in mad love with these little floofers: 

Obviously it's an experience we highly recommend for anyone who likes animals at all. It's so cool to get that experience up close. If you're going through Oregon, definitely stop in Winston for this experience. 

today

For you, my lovely friend, Denise :-)