Paragliding!!!

I decided to take a break from my "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" by showing my paragliding pics that were taken last weekend. We woke up really early on a Saturday at 6:15am and headed out toward the Snake River. It is absolutely beautiful out there....It's amazing to think that the city is just 45 minutes away! I was the last "glider" to go in our group so I felt pretty confident that being raised 3,000 feet in the air wouldn't be a problem....

Was I wrong or what?! I am not going to lie...This freaked me out! I have done intense things before, don't get me wrong, but this had to take the cake for being the most intense experience! My adrenaline was going crazy! Intense as it was, you can't but help yourself from appreciating the breathtaking views.

Toward the end of our 40 minute flight I started to enjoy the experience. You feel so relaxed up there in the sky...it is really hard to put it into words. I would recommend paragliding to ANYONE. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that no one should ever pass up!

Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" # 4

Busch Gardens Africa located in Tampa Bay, Florida places # 4 on my "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer." This one-of-a-kind zoological park is home to thousands of species and world-class coasters! Here I am being kissed by two of their Reticulated Giraffes during an Adventure Tour. Look closely and read my shirt!!!

What put Busch Gardens at # 4 on my list was their huge...I mean HUGE collection of reptiles! Right when you walk into the gates you are greeted by over thirty "hungry" American Alligators. What people do not fully realize is that this park is not just a theme park, but an accredited zoo!

This is Sheikra; America's very first "Dive Coaster." Instead of going down at a traditional angle, Sheikra takes riders to the top at 200 feet, waits 5 seconds then drops them at a 90 degree angle! Very scary coaster!!!

Busch Gardens has a HUGE elephant exhibit that encompasses over several acres. Do not worry...this Asian Elephant put this toilet paper on her! This is all part of enrichment that zoological parks do to stimulate their animals.

Look at this fat happy Nile Crocodile!!! This croc had to be the largest I have ever seen at any zoological park! He had such a nice home fit with grassy areas to bask, crystal clear water (filled with fish), and underwater viewing for his visitors. If you want more information about how you can visit Busch Gardens please visit their website http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.buschgardens.com/bgt2/

Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" # 5

San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park located in the San Pasqual Valley in San Diego, California makes Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" at #5. This 1,800 acre park is home to thousands of endangered and threatened species. Here I am feeding an endangered Indian Rhinoceros!

Look at this breathtaking view of the park's African Savannah! If you look closely you can see a Photo Caravan Safari. These behind-the-scenes tours get you up-close and personal with the park's African and Asian animals. My pick would be the Asian Caravan (You get to feed the rhinos)!

What I love about the Wild Animal Park is that they are HUGE on using Animal Ambassadors. Throughout the day you will have a chance to meet cheetahs, kangaroos, an alligator, python...you name it!!! How neat!

Woohoo! Check out this beautiful Ornate Nile Monitor from Central Africa! You can tell the difference between the Ornate and the Common Niles by their strips and the color of their tongues: Ornates have pink tongues, Commons have blue tongues.

You have to love Indian Rhino lips! This was taken on an Asian Caravan Tour. What a sweet girl. Unfortunately these Indian Rhinos are disappearing in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss. The Wild Animal Park has the most successful rhino breeding program in the world.

Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" # 6

Sea World San Antonio located in San Antonio, Texas makes my list at #6 for Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer." It’s the world's largest marine life park at 250 acres! This park is home to thousands of species of marine life including this gorgeous Beluga Whale who currently is kissing me! Belugas or White Whales can weigh up to 3,000 pounds!

Of course you all know this face as Shamu! A little behind-the-scenes secret: Out of all the Seaworld Parks there is not one Killer Whale they have named Shamu. It's just  a stage name! The original Shamu died in the early 60's. These magnificent, intelligent, and inquisitive marine mammals live in all of our oceans. They are the ocean's top predators having no natural threats except humans. When I was there, Seaworld San Antonio had six of these whales. Their names were Una, Haylyn, Tuar, Kayla, Ky, and Kete.

Sea World San Antonio not only has animal attractions...they also host an array of roller coasters and water rides. Here I am riding the Steel Eel. It turned out to by my favorite ride in the park (especially during the sunset). Can you see where I am? Back row LEFT! I have never been able to take good roller coaster photos!!!!

This is Ky and me. Ky is a Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin located behind-the-scenes in Animal Care. He is a famous dolphin, making appearances in Jaws 3! Here I am feeding him a smelt (fish). When I did my career internship here, we had to be at the fish house EARLY in the morning to make buckets for all the parks' animals.

Corbin's "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer" #7

The Bronx Zoo located in The Bronx borough of New York City places number 7 on my "Top Ten Places You Should Visit This Summer." It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States at 265 acres. 2 million people a year pass through its gates to view some 4,000 animals!

This Amur Tiger calls "Tiger River" home. This large, naturalistic habitat is one of the world's finest tiger exhibits. It's so naturalistic, that you often forget you are in the Bronx! This young male was leaning right up against the glass. Not pictured is the tigers' large pool (complete with underwater viewing)!

This picture was taken inside the 6.5 acre exhibit called "Congo Gorilla Forest." This exhibit is truly the most naturalistic, visually stunning exhibit I have EVER seen. It's home to troops of Western Lowland Gorillas, monkeys, reptiles, and tropical birds.

Can you believe that this is in the Bronx? I was so shocked to see how beautiful the Bronx River was during our ride on the Asian Monorail. The zoo itself is so LARGE that I didn't even get to see half of it! I'm looking forward to visiting this zoo soon in the near future!!!