When I was small, I went to the Hogle zoo. I don't remember going, but I have a picture of me there, and I returned again a few weekends ago with Katy and Anna (pictured above fitting her head under the zygomatic arch of an elephant skull). Katy and I made our way up to Sugarhouse for a picnic in the park with Ms. Anna, then we all headed over to the zoo where Anna, a newly-acquired zoo employee, got us in for free. (NOTE: Anna gets people to donate money to help the zoo thrive...that's her awesome job).
Unlike the normal, boring, guests, we got to enter the zoo grounds through a not-so-secret back gate that makes a loud siren noise when it is opening and closing. After opening and closing under our scrutiny to be sure no people or animals entered or exited while it opened, said gate let us onto a Jurassic-park-like back road leading to the zoo.
Highlight of the trip: The baby elephant and the noises her mom made to get her attention.
Weirdest part of the trip: Realizing how much primates resemble humans; I don't think I had ever paid much attention before when I had seen them in person.
Souvenir from the trip: A lovely, quarter-sized rash on my right hand caused by, as the doctor told me, an encounter with a plant that my skin is sensitive to. Awesome. Even more awesome? Anna got one too.
Zuri, the cute baby elephant, acted just like a three-year-old kid. She kept poking her trunk in and out of the holes of the fence, seemingly just for fun.
A molting bactrian camel (two humps), not to be confused with a dromedary camel (one hump).
A molting tree at the zoo. I love it when the trees do this this time of year.
Katy lounging on our picnic adventure.
Anna and Katy staking out our picnic spot for lounging and munching on hummus, pita, cucumbers, pasta salad, watermelon and milanos.
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