Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A trip to the North Carolina Zoo!

Any trip to the zoo must occur while the stink's on ice. That's long been my
rule concerning our visits to any zoo. Because as a kid I thought there was
very few things worse than hot, stinky zoo smell. And, true to my rule, my
boys cannot say they've ever visited a zoo during a time that was not fall or
winter. We've long wanted to visit the North Carolina zoo but the first time
we went happened to be a day one January when the zoo was closed due to
the worst ice storm the area's seen in fifty years. Of course, explaining to the
attendant that I preferred to visit the zoo in the bitter cold did not get us any
closer to being allowed through the chained gates. So we drove home and did
not attempt to make the trip again. Until today that is... Because the beauty
of a stay-cation is that you can sleep in and operate on your own schedule...
And, that's exactly what we did this morning!
The forecast indicated a mildly warm day, no humidity
and only a slight chance of an afternoon thunderstorm...
Perfect for an afternoon of zoo-animal viewing!
However, I must tell you that unlike my hometown zoo in
 There aren't any stinky monkey or lion houses here!
Nope! The North Carolina zoo is situated on a
1,500-acre tract of land in the Uwharrie Mountains...
And, the area developed as our nation's largest
natural habitat zoo is nearly 500 acres...
Therefore, you won't find any cages or concrete enclosures!
Just wide open spaces. Translated... No stink!
It also means a whole lot of...
Walking!
So much walking in fact, I felt absolutely no guilt...
Skipping my spin class this evening!
The walking aside... The best part of our trip
to the zoo today was the company we had!
We didn't plan it but when SpaBoy called me to see what
we were up to and I said, We're off to visit the zoo...
He said...
We are too!
So we met at the zoo!
His sisters and a friend are visiting from Kansas and Nebraska...
All three quite lovely girls...
And of course, they are all as wonderful as our sweet SpaBoy!
We celebrated his 50th birthday in Durham together last
Saturday night and went to see Wicked too! It was fantastic!
The opportunity to hang out together
again today was an unexpected treat!
You know how much I love a plan that comes together!
Especially plans that require no effort whatsoever!
That slight chance of an afternoon
thunderstorm chased us into the aviary...
Which was just fine with us!
With over 3,000 gorgeous tropical plants and dozens of exotic birds...
There was plenty to take in while the storm blew over!
It was difficult to pick out a favorite view today...
Although the Giraffes held my attention the longest!
Now that we've been to the North Carolina zoo...
And I know it's not stinky at all...
We'll be back!
In terms of when...
I'm thinking late next year...
If you'd like to learn more about Wilhelm, the NC zoo's polar bear, click here!
Needless to say, Wilhelm's made my list!
In fact, there's a whole calendar of events happening at the zoo all year!
A little something...
For everyone!
Especially those wishing for a long, long walk!
So I say, check out the zoo!
Just make sure the weather is to your liking...
And, do pack a lunch and take plenty to drink!
And know this...
If Dinosaurs are your thing, you'll want to visit between now and October! 

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful, interesting gem! Your pics are gorgeous!!

    LJ

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  2. Beautiful pictures, as always!! So green there!! What kind of camera do you have? If you don't mind! :)

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  3. Wonderful pictures! So glad ya'll took a break from yard work.

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  4. How nice that you and Spa Boy (and company) were at the Zoo at the same time. You certainly took some gorgeous photographs. Thanks for sharing your day with us.

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  5. I about died when I saw your giraffe pictures! I just love them! So sad to read about your yard! You always post such beautiful pictures of it!

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  6. What a beautiful day you must have had. I can't imagine enjoying anything better than good friends getting together for an outing like this one. The pictures are stunning and makes me feel like I'm right there looking at the animals. I thought for a moment I could reach out and touch those vibrant pink feathers on those flamingos. It is so sweet of you to share with us and I thank you for brightening my day.

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