Our Hurrication: A Day at the Zoo

Since our area of Georgia was evacuated due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Irma in mid-September, we decided to take no chances and leave town.  I was mostly afraid of the flooding that would occur in our area if we did suffer a direct hit from a major hurricane.  Even though the hurricane did take a drastic turn to the west and went over central and northwestern Georgia, our area still saw some major flooding from the rain and some downed trees from the winds.  I can only imagine what a major hurricane would do to this low lying area.  Our backyard already stays wet most of the year.  I am glad that our house sits a little higher off the ground. 

We still see the evidence of a pretty significant hurricane event from Matthew last year.  We made a smart choice to head up to Columbia, SC to stay with Eddie's Aunt who lives alone now that her children are all grown and moved away to other parts of the country so we enjoyed getting to spend some time with her.  She went way beyond her necessary hostess duties and cooked some yummy meals for us.  I had brought some food for us so we wouldn't be an inconvenience, but she had stocked up on a lot of goodies to feed us.  She also provided us with some entertainment for the two days we spent in Columbia while she was working.  She had purchased yearly passes to the Riverbanks Zoo for when her children and grandchildren visit, and her office had passes to the South Carolina Museum. We spent two very full days enjoying these South Carolina treasures. 

The Riverbanks Zoo is a very nice zoo with lots of interesting animals with nice habitats.  I really do love going to visit the zoo because it gives my children and I a chance to learn about and see many animal species we would never see otherwise.  Zoos are also a way for humans to help protect and conserve species that are on the verge of extinction while allowing people to see them and appreciate them and help fund their care.  I just happened to finally watch The Zookeeper's Wife movie based on the bestselling book, and I just cried and cried both over the human loss and the animal loss that was shown in the movie.  So much senseless violence and tragedy occurred during the Holocaust and World War II and is still occuring in parts of our world today.  Sigh.  Okay, I will try to move on to happier events like our zoo trip.

The must have picture in front of the zoo.  Daddy didn't want to be included. 

My sweet Mattox was ready to head off and explore. 

He and Brody lead the way. 

The first stop was to see the otters who were all snuggled up in a tight ball sleeping. 

Then, we saw the big bears. 

Ignoring us and scavenging around for food. 

One of the bears finally came closer to the windows to get a drink of water. Daddy compares his hand to a bear's paw. 

The baboons are always entertaining in their fun habitat. Mostly, they were picking bugs off one another. 

The majestic lions.  Only the females were visible...or maybe that was a young male?  

The Siberian tiger was hidden way up in the fartherest corner of his exhibit. 

Next, we saw some adorable sleeping koalas.  Apparently, koalas sleep a lot because they only eat eucalyptus leaves which don't give them much energy.  I really wanted to give them an energy bar.  Ha! 

Sweet baby Grayson with the koala...as close as he could get anyway. 

The large komodo dragon was a little hard to photograph because he was camouflaged with his surroundings.   And ewe to that green tree python.  I do not want to encounter him in the wild. 

We got to feed some lovely birds.  

Brody and Mattox loved feeding the birds. 

Mattox's happy face is the best!

Look at that cute little hand holding out the food.  He was not afraid a bit. 

He didn't want to let Brody have a turn. 

If only you could hear his laughter in these pictures. 

We loved this beautiful carousel with the gorgeous painted animals.  

Evan decided to skip the ostrich this time and picked the black panther.  

I just loved all of the animals. 

Daddy and his boys on the carousel. 

The pink flamingos are always so bright and colorful even on a cloudy day. 

They are really funny looking when they stick their heads into the water sideways to eat.  

Very pretty and unique birds. 

The boys loved the giant tortoises. 

The giraffes are always my favorite zoo animal.  I love how those top two look like they are kissing. 

Brody was fascinated by the giant tortoises. 

Ostriches, crocodiles, and zebras too. 

One of the zebras finally came closer.  Evan is such a good big brother. 

I do have a special place in my heart for the elephants, especially the mommies and babies. 

We sat and rested and watched the sealions swim. 

Mattox and Brody were tired.  We got many "compliments" on our unusual stroller.  Eddie didn't think we needed the double stroller on this trip and left it at home because we had a full car with the dog, and he didn't want to have to put it on top.  He forgot that we would be spending the day at the zoo.  They do have these strollers to rent, but they aren't made for infants.  We strapped the carseat onto it with the seatbelt straps so it was secure, and Mattox could happily climb on and off by himself. 

Stopping for an ice cream treat. 

One of the best exhibits is probably the penguins.  I mean, who doesn't love penguins right.  "Cute and cuddly."  Haha!  That is from our favorite Madagascar movies. 

The boys enjoyed this little viewing tunnel. 

Mattox was just running around being silly. 

Trying to get a picture of us with the penquins swimming by was pretty hard because they swim by so fast. 

There were other pretty birds in the aviary exhibit too. 

Gorilla butt!  Haha! 

Brody and Mattox got a little personal interaction with the gorillas. 

Evan and I decided to attempt the high tree climber again.  Our last experience was in Myrtle beach several years ago, and we both failed.  Evan was much more brave this time and would have gone to the top.  I, on the other hand, still battled with much anxiety and fear of heights. 

We had just enough tickets left for Brody to ride the train.  He still loves a train. 

There he goes.  

He is getting so big.  Sniff. 

We also always think of the Madagascar movies when we see lemurs.  

The last exhibit we saw at zoo closing was the chimps who were being fed.  They turned their backs to us and ignored us.  I do love that quote on the sign which just summarizes how I feel about zoos.