A Day at the Zoo

Today we went to the zoo. Of course, we didn't get far before we had a pitstop for a minor injury.
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David stubbed his toe while checking out the orangutans.

I think we provided a couple of laughs for this little guy, although he doesn't seem to have our sense of humor - he's still trying to decide if we're funny enough to laugh at.

He used the sprinklers to wash off the blood.

Toe semi-cared for. Check.

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Sunscreen. Check.

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Sunglasses. Check.

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Hat. Check.

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And we were back on our way to see and discover more exotic animals like this peacock.

Isn't he gorgeous!

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He was hungry so we fed him some goldfish. Birds eat goldfish right?

. Then he opened up and shook his tail feathers.

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Incredible. Amazing. We were so close I could have plucked one of his feathers. I should have. Except up close they have really sharp beaks. We probably would have had another injury - this one probably not so minor.

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One of the best things we did was ride the Skyfari. It's a new attraction - sorta like a ski lift but it takes you over the animals. VERY COOL.

Grace seemed to really like it. She scared us a few times though when she tried to stand up, but David had a good grip on her.

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The views were incredible. This is of the Desert Dome - it's the largest in the world.

We saw rhinos for the first time. Rhinos at this zoo, not the first time ever. Actually this was the first time Grace saw rhinos. These were the size of cars. Biggest rhinos I've ever seen.

We also got to see the giraffes. I love giraffes and their spots. They remind me of freckles.

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We were very glad we decided to try this out when we did - look at the line when we got back! And this was on Friday morning - imagine the lines on a weekend! I shiver just thinking about it. I abhor lines.

After the Skyfari, we walked by tthe Butterfly House on our way to see the penguin feeding. As I took this picture I walked into a pole. Oops. David and a few strangers got quite a laugh. Glad I was able to provide them entertainment.



Inside the aquarium they had the Touch and Feel display set up. Grace refused to touch any of it. Apparently, she doesn't like the look of stingrays or urchins. Can't blame her there.


Off to the penguin feeding. Boy, those penguins were LOUD!

Then we were off to the petting zoo.
Grace made a new friend.
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She's a loyal friend - she stayed by his side for more than 30 minutes. We practically had to drag her away.

And she fed him, and fed him, and fed him. Then she followed him when he tried to get away.

If we ever live on a farm, we'll have to get her a little African pygmy goat like this one.
We finally got her to leave when we let her play on the spiderweb play area.

Then we had a little water break - you have to stay hydrated in 90 degree weather. It was hot, so hot. How are we ever going to survive in Alabama?

After our little break, we took a quick peek at the bears.

And then Grace had a mini-meltdown.

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She decided to try and hide from us so she could take a little nap - under a park bench.

So we decided to leave for the day but before we left we made a quick run through the Kingdoms of the Night. It's a fascinating exhibit. It's the largest nocturnal exhibit in the world and housed 70 feet below the Desert Dome. You can walk through caves with bats flying around (behind nets, of course) and through a place that reminds me of a Louisiana bayou. The coolest thing is that the day-night cycles are reversed so you can see the animals in their natural dark environments. But it's so dark inside, you can't take pictures...

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Finally we left the zoo and as soon as we put Grace in the car she crashed.

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She even slept all the way through lunch.

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Of course, after an exciting day discovering and seeing all those extraordinary animals, I can see why she konked out. I was pooped, too, but we had a lot of fun and made some wonderful memories that we'll always treasure at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.