January 18, 2012

Denver Zoo

Isaac and I took Jonathan to the Denver Zoo today.  It was a free day so we took the opportunity and went.  It wasn't too cold even though it was mid- January.  Jonathan, like most children, love the animals at the zoo and we haven't taken him to the zoo very often.  He's only been to the NC Zoo and now the Denver Zoo.  We were fortunate that the weather wasn't too cold and most animals were out in view.  It's a nice zoo and of course Jonathan had his favorite parts of the zoo.  One of his favorite spots was the Tropical Discovery. We entered Tropical Discovery walking through a darkened cave past waterfalls as if we were in  the jungle.  you could feel the warm air and mist in the air recreating a humid type climate like that of the rainforest. We walked through and past coral reefs with a variety of fresh-water and marine fish. We saw exotic turtles swimming in the 2,250-gallon cerulean blue pool. As we wandered around we came across a cypress swamp and balmy tropical marsh through the world's largest indoor Komodo dragon habitat before exiting through the Discovery Center.

As we strolled along, we enjoyed seeing the Big Cats.  They were out of their dens but were mostly lying down.  They are extraordinary animals.  Jonathan just stared at them, waiting for the moment one of them would stand up and run or something.  Finally, they did roam around a little.  We were satisfied.  In fact, most animals cooperated and fulfilled our wishes of seeing them in action.  The penguins were sooo cute as they always seem so well behaved and are entertaining even for the 2 year old.

 Of course another highlight of our day was lunch.  We grabbed some hot dogs and chips.  To our surprise, they had a special because it was a free day.  We had visitos for lunch and Jonathan wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  No matter their beauty, Jonathan was still a little timid around them.  He wanted to share with them but stayed his distance.

 After lunch we went on a fun adventure.  We rode on the little red train and saw some sights.  Jonathan likes trains but he hasn't yet gotten really crazy for trains like Thomas the train like his brother Dylan did at his age. 

Bird World was another fun place at the zoo.  These birds were so beautiful.  From the Toucans to the flamingos.  There were close to 200 species of rare and endangered exhibited in Bird World.  Each area featured naturalistic habitats, Which are always my favorite type of set up whether at the zoo or at the museums.  What was cool was that the birds were able to fly freely among those who visited the zoo.  the exhibits were without barriers. 

  A few more of our favorites are the Polar bears, Giraffes, and the Cheetah, and the good 'ole Hippos.  I have more pics that I can't seem to locate right now.  We also loved looking at the Bird's of Prey like the Eagles, Condors and I think the vultures but I'm not sure we saw them.