A Trip to the Zoo

My little family took a trip to the denver Zoo a few months ago on a free day. We got there two hours after opening, so it was REALLY crowded. We had to park half a mile away. Good thing I had both my stroller (where we put one kid in the seat and another in the lower basket) and my husband (who carried the third on his shoulders).

Once we got through the gate, we took a left, away from the largest crowds. Really, the hordes of people weren't as bad as I had expected. The kids were able to stand right up against most of the fences and glass, getting the best views possible. The girls were excited to see the giraffes, lions, tigers, camels, elephants, peacocks, and more. Blake, once he was out of the stroller, didn't want to get back in. He was literally climbing the walls to see the animals, and because I hadn't thought to bring his harness, one of us was constantly chasing after him, making sure we didn't loose him.We stopped for lunch and bough some reasonably priced hot dogs (because we had forgotten our lunch in the car), sat down under a tree (the tables were all taken), and watched a gazelle and toucan in the near by pen. Bailey decided that she had walked enough and settled herself in the stroller. Blake danced all over the place while eating his hot dog, and Sierra stared around her in contemplation.

By that time, we had only made it about half way through the Zoo, and we knew that our kids were starting to wind down and get tired. So, we decided to finish the loop that we were on (where we ran into some friends) and end over by the elephants. We didn't get to see the primates or penguins, but that's OK. We were able to make it back to the car before we were grumpy. Besides, it gives us a good reason to go back some time.

All in all, the free days weren't as bad as I had thought they would be. We had fun. We saw lots of stuff. And it only cost us thr price of a few hot dogs and gas to get there. Not too bad, says I.