Metro Richmond Zoo

With nothing planned this weekend, we decided to take a last minute road trip to the Richmond Zoo.  We looked it up online, it looked pretty exciting and big.  We mapquested the directions (we haven't bought a GPS for the van yet) and instead of it being an hour away like someone told Clay it was over two hours.  We packed snacks and headed out the door.  It was late morning, and we were hoping Gabby would take a good nap during the drive.  We put on some audio children stories I have had for a while but had yet to listen to (they are little old for even a 2 year old to sit and listen to).  Alice and Wonderland was first on the CD and to my surprise Gabby seemed to follow most of it and enjoy it.  After it ended she fell fast asleep, and slept almost the entire boring 2 and a half hour drive! She really has been getting back into napping, which is a huge relief because for a while she wouldn't take them at all!  She is too young to not take a nap, especially with me needing to rest and then when the baby is here we will all need some quiet time!  

   Taking the exit towards Rocky Mountain, NC (which we missed at first b/c who would have thought to go that way) we eventually pulled up to this small country looking zoo that was RIGHT behind an elementary school. At this point Clay and I were saying, "did we really just drive this far to come to this??"  It looked nothing like its website.  When we bought our tickets, we also got a cup of food to feed to the animals.  Best $2 money can buy!  We walked around and saw the birds (always my least favorite), flamingos, then the lazy kangaroos, bats (stinky and not my thing) and then we saw a few different varieties of monkeys.  Loud Macaws and parrots were fun to watch, then we moved towards the big animals.  A few llamas, some deer, little penguins (not as cute as usual), two wart hogs.  

   Next came the petting and feeding part of the zoo.  Sheep (big and small, brown and white),a cow, goats, 3 small donkeys, 2 chickens and a ZEBRA!  Yes, we really got to pet and feed a real zebra! It was a fairly young zebra and very tame and even more gentle than one of the greedy goats. He ate the food grains right out the palm of your hand.  Opposite these animals were the camels, both dromedary and bactrian. The one hump variety were very loud and grumpy, while the two were kissing the man cleaning out their area (and he was kissing them back!).  Further down the path were three huge bison, just right next to you with only a little wood fence between you and them.

   Another area of the zoo had giraffe.  The path was set up so that you walked level to their long necks and heads.  They weren't too interested in our food, more into their hay, but we did get to touch them and pet their heads!  That was so unbelievably amazing!  Who really gets to pet a real giraffe? We did!    

   The rest of the zoo consisted of 3 rhino, 3 lions (hiding away from it all in the back of their cage), zebra, lots of lemur monkeys, huge tortoise, flamingo, chimps, orangutan, and a few other things.  Clay was disappointed that his favorite animal the American Alligator wasn't out for viewing, it has to be above 50* at night for them to be in their outdoor inclosure (their pond gets too cold and they "burrow" in the ground making the zoo keepers have to go in after them).  

   After seeing everything, we went back to the zebra, sheep and goats to visit once more before leaving.  They got the last of our food. Gabby loved petting the sheep, and even tried kissing them!  I got out the hand sanitizer a number of times.  The animals kept coming up to us thinking we had food for them (we were the only ones over there since it was almost closing time).  Gabby kept telling them "I sorry animals, we have no food for you!"

   Our last stop at the zoo before leaving was a ride on the carousel.  Gabby picked the giraffe, and was the only one on the ride (well besides me standing next to her).  After it was over she cried and wanted to go on it again!  Last week Madagascar the second movie came out and we bought it.  We had seen it right before leaving Japan and the animals are something we talk about all the time.  Seeing so many of the same animals in real life at the zoo was great, and they all got the names from the movie.  It was quite a long drive for such a short time at the zoo, but well worth it.  I even got to drive home!  

   As we left the zoo, and made a stop in the gift shop we left with an animal doctor kit.  PERFECT for Gabby these days, not only is she obsessed with Diego the animal rescuer she loved the Dr kit at Grandma Rose's house.  The whole car ride home she wanted to play doctor, and kept asking me if she could be doctor to me when we got home.  Once home I was the patient.  First thing in the morning it was instantly back to playing doctor. I have gotten shots (she sticks the "shot" in my bellybutton), had my heart and belly listened to, and gotten hit with the hammer to check my reflexes.  Every doll she owns has gotten the same treatment as well!