So I found out that the Hogle Zoo has been doing a free day the last Wed of the month. Not sure if it's every month or just in the winter but either way.... it's free! So I thought even though it wasn't going to hit 40 degrees out it'd be a great opportunity to get out of the house with Charlotte and have some fun. So my lovely little girl was actually up at 6:30 am but I didn't drag myself out of bed until 7. Last minute I had to give a kid in our ward a ride to school. He woke up late and missed the bus and his mom had to work. So I got him there 5 min before school started. Woohoo! Go me! Then Charlotte and I came back home and got all ready. I packed a lunch for us and loaded up the stroller.
So as we're leaving we're out by Stansbury coming around the curve towards Lakepoint and what do I see? The most amazing bird flying around. A bald eagle! I had seen one once before on the backroads and I remember not too long ago there was one injured out by the Deseret Chemical Depot and they got it healthy again. So I knew they were around but didn't think I'd ever see one in the Tooele valley. It was awesome! Wish I could've taken a pic. Oh well.
So we made it to the zoo and I guess when we all got that bit of snow yesterday the east bench did too. But more snow and it stuck. So they were trying to plow walkways and shovel. It was tricky pushing that stroller around in some slush but I got a good workout on some of the hills. I took more pics this time. Charlotte was pretty good for me. She got to run around and play a little more. We went to the discovery area so she could run her little heart out. I tried to get there right at opening so it wouldn't be too packed. It was perfect and we were able to see so much more. In the reptile area where they have the rain forest in the middle, we found the sloth sleeping really close to the walkway in a basket. Normally he's high in the trees. We found the bats finally. They were all bunched in a tree. I had never seen them in there. Oh yeah and in one of the primate exhibits a zoo worker had a chinchilla she was letting the kids pet so Charlotte and I got to pet the chinchilla. We didn't get to see the gorillas or orangutans. It was packed when we made our way over there... we started at the back of the park first. Charlotte also threw a fit at this time so we left that area. It was a bad moment but we survived it.
I think Charlotte had a lot of fun. She loves the animals. I do to. The tigers were getting a little freaky though... must be mating time for them. You could tell who the dominate male was. He was big and did what he wanted. So here's my animal pics from the zoo. Oh and some of miss Charlotte. I took some of her this time!
Some of the birds and the giraffes. The giraffes are so cute. They were eating Christmas trees today. Didn't know they ate pine trees like that.
So after we saw it all I decided to eat our lunches in the car. Of course Charlotte hardly ate but she had been snacking on craisins and pretzels. So once I finished we were going to head home but then I thought.... I've never driven up Emigration Canyon before and since I'm right there I want to. So we took a drive. There are some amazing homes that way. If I had the money I'd love to have one of those homes. There are tons of homes with tree houses and forts. The area is so gorgeous and just full of trees and greenery. It kind of reminds me of the cabins at Wildwood. But the homes are much bigger and theres a lot more space between them. It's a pretty area though. I found a historical marker that I took a picture of. Then I went driving up towards East Canyon I think it was. Whatever road it is that takes you across to Parley's. There was another marker up there. Plus an amazing view of what I think is a reservoir frozen over. I don't know the area well but it was a cool view. I need to go back in spring. But one thing I saw got me thinking. They said you can drive the majority of the Mormon trail now and see a lot of historical markers. I love stuff like that. I love road trips and I love driving. Hence my side trip after the zoo. So I told Scott I want to drive the Mormon trail someday. So yeah. I'm gonna plan it out so when the time comes and we have money.... I'm so doing it! I also discovered that its only a 10 hour drive to Mt Rushmore. Another place I want to visit. We could do a 3 day trip and see it all. When we have money and Scott can take a Friday off.... I'm so there!
Okay so back to my road trip today. So at one point I realize Charlotte is asleep so I get back on I80 up Parley's and head back to Foothill. Then I drive that down to the Avenues and go for a drive up there. I love to drive around and look at the homes up there. My mom and I used to do it in Beverly Hills area where she used to work. I just love all the different types of architecture. The Avenues is awesome. So many different styles of home. Some that look more modern and remind me of some of the beach houses out in Ventura. Some are like the classic brick homes from like the 60s or 70s. Some are colonial looking. There is just an amazing variety and I just love to browse and take in the amazing views of the valley. So we drove around there for like an hour before finally heading home. It was a long day but fun. I like to explore and be adventurous so its fun to have Charlotte join me in my adventures. Oh and I took a few pics so here they are.
I love the capital bldg. It's amazing. I snagged a couple pics of it while in the Avenues.
No comments:
Post a Comment