Okay, we were supposed to go to the Brookfield Zoo last week while Mark was home recuperating from his surgery, but I was very ill and we didn't make it. So, today it was a beautiful day--80 and sunny.
We left the house at 8:30 and stopped at Starbucks for my coffee and Dunkin Donuts for Mark's coffee. We were done getting the coffee and on the road to the zoo--about 30 minutes from our home. We always park in the South lot rather than the main parking lot because a lot of people don't use it so it is always less crowded. However, when we got to 31st Street, we had to turn right and head to the main lot. It seems after the 7+ inches of rain that we got Friday night/Saturday morning, 1st Avenue was closed from 31st Street on due to flooding.
So we entered the Zoo:
Our first goal of the day was to head to the new "Great Bear Wildnerness" which opened in May. So I told Mark...NO stopping to see the elephants on the way, we were on a mission. So we arrived at the entrance at their was a Park employee standing there indicating that we could see the grounds, but that there were no animals on exhibit. WHAT????? This was the reason we came to the zoo to see this great new exhibit (the commercials just pull you in). As it turns out, the rain was so bad in this area, that they could not get the animals from their overnight habitats to go on exhibit in their new surroundings because of all the water. They were hoping to have the water drained by mid-afternoon but they weren't even sure. We also knew we did not want to be at the Zoo after 1 p.m. or so because iat gets really crowded. So, no bears or bison on this trip.
So we stopped for a bathroom break and started out our trek through the rest of the zoo.
First stop was my absolute favorite: the giraffes. Last year, there were only three giraffes. This year there were 5. Here are a few photos:
Up next, was this cute guy--he was thirsty:
And, then, my smart a** DH, said, here's the cigarettes:
Not sure what this guy was, but he sure had a weird head and the biggest feet:
Up next, could it be a hat?