Our oldest daughter Carly is having quite the summer. Two days after our trip to see Taylor Swift in Kansas City, she was on a plane to Seattle to take care of my brother-in-law's four-year-old son Landon for five weeks. She has grown up a lot in the past few weeks but has also got to experience some amazing sights in the Pacific Northwest.

Carly either calls or Facetimes us every day. I'll never forget the first video chat that I got from her. I could tell that she was somewhere outdoors. She asked, "Dad...what do you think of my view right now?" Then she turned her camera and showed me where she was.

Carly Brainard
Carly Brainard
loading...

Her view of Mt. Rainier took my breath away. The gondola ride up the mountain nearly took her breath away! Not only did she have a view of Mt. Rainier, but you could also see Mt. Saint Helens. The amazing scenery didn't end there. Carly also got to take a trip to the beach and witness the Pacific Ocean at sunset. Talk about making a landlocked Iowa dad jealous!

Carly Brainard
Carly Brainard
loading...

But perhaps Carly's biggest adventure on her trip happened when they went to a nearby wildlife park. This particular park featured a section that you could drive through and feed some of the animals as they approached your car. You could also keep your windows up, but hey, what fun is that? My brother-in-law Chaz was driving and Carly was in the passenger seat during this excursion. And the video that Carly sent us made us laugh uncontrollably for hours!

Who knew that bison loved bread that much? Carly raved about feeding the beast and being brave enough to touch its tongue. She sure didn't SOUND brave, and neither did Chaz! I gave him a hard time about his scream being louder than my daughter's! Although he did have a bison head and tongue in his face.

Holly and I travel out to pick up Carly in early August. One thing is for sure. She'll never forget the summer of 2023.

97.7 KCRR logo
Get our free mobile app

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

WATCH OUT: These are the deadliest animals in the world

More From 97.7 KCRR