On Another Day In March..

..much fun was had worth remembering.

We packed up the household and found ourselves cruising into SF for a day of fun at the zoo. After making it through the obstacle course of a Freeway.. Two bicycles fell out of a truck in front of me on the freeway. Fortunately they only took up half a lane and I was able to quickly maneuver around them.  Greg coming up behind me, didn't have as much reaction time but also managed to maneuver it. In the mean time the truck owner stops in the middle of the slow lane to get his bikes so that lane was responding to their own emergencies. It could have been bad! And it left my nerves a bit jangled. Later we would come around an off ramp to find a car stopped in the middle of the lane as well. I think it was a good reminder to our up and coming drivers about being a vigilant driver who always pays attention to the road. So anyway.. we hit the zoo... all of us.. alive and well.

 The kids are getting older and we figured that this may actually be the last time any of them ever go to a Zoo at least as children.  I expect they may take their own someday but its not likely that they will have this type of experience again for a while.

Now my initial emotional reaction is sort of down on the whole Zoo idea. Animals trapped in cages for human entertainment. It is sort of sad. But as I wandered the Zoo I realized just how many of the animals they have in captivity were rescued from severe and often crippling injuries. When I take that into consideration, I can appreciate the experience  much more and realize that while not ideal, these animals do have a decent quality of life.

There was another thing I liked about this zoo. The habitats are well thought out for both the animal and the viewer. We felt like we were able to get rather up close and personal with the animals and yet for the most part they seemed very content with the amount of space and design of space that has been set aside for them.

 half a giraffe...

Geese and Goslings

 

 





Greg had a great time playing with the camera. He captured many wonderful photos.. too many to share here. The best one he captured by far ended up being a fluke of reflections on glass but it really captures the juxtaposition of being the observer and the observed.

The drive home was uneventful with the exception of hitting the cheesecake factory for dinner on the way home. It was a excellent day trip and everyone had a lot of fun.