Don’t Eat The Grapes On The Ground

Monday morning, three of my fellow tangenteers and I piled into my Sunfire and headed South for two days of fun!  Nice to be driven in my own car for a change.  I didn’t even mind sitting in the back, strangely enough. Plus, it saved C&L from driving their gas munching min van.  We were all set, car packed, ready to pull out, when suddenly and without warning someone shouted out “WHERE’S the KEYS!”  I had given them to C who soon realized that he had locked them in the trunk.  Not to worry, I crawled in the back, pulled the cord that released the back rest and found the keys.

Traveling down I75, we stopped at a McDonalds which had what was called their “Fun Place”  (zone, or whatever).  It had an assortment of interactive, touch screen games all but one of which seemed to be working.

We arrived at the Cincinnati Zoo, which is larger than her sister zoo in Toledo and it really showed.  Even I was worn out after our tour led by taylhis.  I love going to zoos especially with someone who appreciates every type of animal imaginable and researches them giving us insight into them.  I have to say that my favorite animal were the manatees CC Baby and Turner, they were fascinating to watch.

To beat the heat, we went to a 4D theatre experience through the Dark Continent.  Not only 3D but with the added thrill of sensory stimulation.  Seats moving, animals “breathing” down your neck, being “sprayed” and being poked by a rhino’s horn.  Now, I ask you, who would not have wanted to got to the Dora and Diego movie, instead?

Also part of the experience was the petting zoo.  Upon entering one of the pens, the attendant warned each of us not to pick up the “grapes” left by the animals.  Not part of the actual petting zoo was the lorikeet exhibit.  One of us decided to get close enough to pick one of the colorful birds up and was given a surprise.

After the exhausting, yet very fun tour, we found our accommodations for the evening.  Wouldn’t ya know, it was right next to an establishment called Rhino’s that I would not have minded checking out (JUST KIDDING!)  It’s a good thing that justj and I were not in the building closest to the club with the thumping music emanating from it.  We had our own noises to contend with.

After getting some sleep, we needed to be at our day two point of excitement fairly early the next morning.  But we were treated like Kings and a Queen.

Jamy Shaffer