A good day

The day started with breakfast. I like to think I have a healthy breakfast. It's low in fat, but high in protein (lean sausage), it's high in vitamins and minarels (Cream of Wheat), high in fiber (whole wheat toast), high in Vitamin C (juice) and high in anti-oxidents (coffee). But I hear now that it isn't a healthy breakfast. It's too high in carbs (which used to be my friend, when I was more active). Fortunatly, I don't follow the current thoughts on food.

In the 70s or 80s, a book came out, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche". But there was a reactionary book which came out later that I liked better. "A Real Man Eats Anything He Damn Well Feels Like." I like that definition better, so I'll keep eating my high fiber, high carb breakfast. Even if it continues to expand my belly (Sorry, my "Norse Gut").

But food wasn't the topic for today. It was my trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. I've been to a lot of zoos, but Woodland Park is really a World-Class zoo. To mangle a phrase, "this isn't your father's zoo". Zoos in the past weren't always a pleasant place for the animals. But this zoo has made great strides toward putting the animal before the public. The exibits are well thought out, as natural as possible, with areas that the animals can go where people can't see them. (Older zoos never offered that, since seeing the animals is what people pay for, but this setup is much more interesting. You have to relax, and wait, hoping to catch a glimpse).

The scenery is also fun for the visitors as well. Each area is set up with meandering paths, instead of straight streets, offering a feeling of being near the area the animals are from. It gives you a more interesting visit, and more relaxing. Especially if you can get there early, before any schools arrive, in the winter, when it isn't filled with tourists. The air is crisp and the only sounds are the animals. And, let me tell you, Siamongs are really loud, elephant trumpets are really cool and distant roaring lions are really eerie.

The exibits aren't perfect, but they are a step in the right direction. Education and conservation are high priorities for WPZ as well. I should add a quick disclaimer. The pictures I used are all from my cameras. The date stamps on the one's with date stamps aren't correct (it took me a while to figure out how to turn it off, much less set it correctly). None of these pictures can be used for commercial reasons, since Woodland Park Zoo doesn't allow private pictures of their animals to be used commercially.