Today was supposed to be one of the last warm fall days of the year (it got into the 60's!). It made for a wonderful afternoon of outside activities.
We started off with a fun visit to the WSU Bear Center, which houses anywhere from 5-7 adult grizzly bears. This center was started in 1986 and is the only place in the world to house adult grizzlies for research. The research they do here helps us understand and conserve the declining bear population. We hadn't visited them since the spring when they were super skinny and scraggly. Even though the area to the 2-acre outdoor section was open, they stayed in the cage area, pacing back and forth. At one point they did take a bath, and the kids got a bit splashed. A lot of delighted screaming and running ensued, of course. Sometimes when we visit there is not a lot of action. Today we had a lot to see!
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| Watching the bears take a dip. |
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| Running away from a splash! |
Next on the list, and just around the corner, was the WSU Arboretum. While it isn't very big, the kids love wondering the trails and playing at the pond. The trails are perfect for little legs and lots of exploring.
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| Digging up a pillow stone |
The final stop of the day was Ferdinand's, the WSU creamery. This is always a favorite, of course! It is also just around the corner from the bears and the arboretum. Such a fun corner of Pullman and easy to hit all three in one afternoon! Here is where you can get the best price for their world-famous Cougar Gold cheese. The ice cream is also really good price. The very generously-sized junior scoop on a waffle cone is a little over $2. They have a wide variety of products, including frozen lemonades, which was great for my son who can't have dairy.
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| We lucked out and got to see them making cheese. The employees are always so much fun. One sprayed water on the viewing window a few times and made the kids scream while another juggled for us with hastily squeezed-together cheese balls. |
