Up, feeling almost human. Last evening, we drove thru McD’s to grab supper since it was after 6 and we were all exhausted and starving. The drive to the zoo took slightly over 2 hours (due to a backup caused by a road repair that took 2 lanes down to one) but coming home, including a potty stop and the McD’s stop, took almost 3 anna half hours.
But, it was a nice time seeing animals, despite much of the work going on leaving several habitats empty. Most disappointing was the giraffes - poor Tobias - he talked about giraffes all morning. Fortunately, Daughter got a membership, so they can go back whenever they want. (Admission for age 2 and up is $33, so for the 4 of us, it would have been $132 (or maybe a bit less - I think they had a geezer discount.) Membership for 2 adults and 2 kids is $180. That’s what you call a no-brainer! If they (or we) go only one more time before next March, it has more than paid for itself.)
They had a Zoo Lights event the I bet is gorgeous at night. There were scads of fabric sculptures of animals and plants that apparently had lights within. Daughter took a bunch of pics - may steal a few for my FB page. Most of them were between the entry and the start of the occupied habitats - I suspect the empty areas are being rehabbed for future critters. Anyway, it was a colorful start to our wanderings.
I remember my folks taking us there as kids, back when displays were essentially big concrete boxes surrounded by bars. Slowly but surely, they were replaced with more natural, much larger areas where the animals could wander and even interact with other critters. And luckily, since it was a cooler day, the animals were out and about rather than seeking shelter from the sun. We got really good views of the leopard and the cheetah and the lion.
There’s a carousel and a train, and while they used to require tickets, they’re now included in the price of admission, so the kids took 2 spins and one train ride. Not that the train ride is much - it’s a straight line with loops at the beginning and end. But Tobias loved it. And when they were in line, Roxy saw another girl who had the same kind of shoes she was wearing, approached her, and said “We have the same shoes - do you want to be friends?” So they rode together!
There’s also a petting zoo of sorts where the kids can brush goats. Apparently the goats are really chill about it - they were lying on the ground within easy reach of the smallest kids. (I only know this from pics - at that point, I planted myself on a bench and let Daughter herd her spawn around.) There was a sliding board in a “silo” in the petting zoo area, as well as a giant tree slide - a huge trunk (not sure if it was real) hollowed with a sliding board in it. The kids enjoyed both.
In my defense, it wasn’t the walking that wore me out. I was also pulling the wagon that held the lunch cooler, my purse and daughter’s backpack, and the layers of clothing that were shed as it warmed up. There were many slopes - none steep, but still some uphill stretches. But also many benches where I could guard the wagon while they explored. And thankfully, it wasn’t hot and/or humid.
Plus there was a shuttle that took us back to the entrance when we were done, as it was a bit of a trek between the gate and the animals. That was most welcome - we might have been caught in even worse traffic otherwise. The Zoo is pretty much in the thick of Baltimore and to get from there to the highways south required a drive thru downtown. We had to do some meandering a couple of times for reasons - thank goodness I know downtown somewhat. And when things started choking up on the BW Parkway towards DC, I knew how to get to a less congested route home and avoid the beltway. There was still a lot of traffic, but not as much as there might have been. And we got home before sunset, so I count that as a win.
Today I just need to convince FCD to put off our boat work till tomorrow. I missed laundry day, and I’m still tired, despite a solid 8 hours of sleep. I may not have too difficult a time, as he hurt his back yesterday. Here’s hoping.
OK, that’s way too much of a post. Move along - nothing else to see here. Happy Saturday!
