Zoo-tastic!

We took the kids to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek on Saturday. We've been here before, and, although it's a smaller zoo without the big animals (no lions, no elephants), it is quite nice. We knew it would be hot, and this zoo has copious amounts of shade. Plus, as you'll see, they have a major draw: there's a treehouse type thing where you can feed the giraffes.


Here we're eating lunch and watching our favorite animals: people.






















We caught the gigantic tortoises on the way out.




















Owen checks out the ant sculpture. He really wanted to climb on that sucker, but by this point in the day you could've fried eggs on it, so no go.


























Owen stares down one of the many roaming peacocks.
























Owen riding his tiger on the zoo's carousel. I spent like ten minutes rifling through my wallet, finding the token dispenser, trying to do math with an overheated head, etc. We obviously made it onto the carousel with no issue. On the way out, I noticed the other token machine, with clearer instructions and the ability to take credit cards. Sigh.
























The girls rode on the swan bench. Last time at a zoo (Toledo), we couldn't get Sophie on the carousel at all, so this was progress. We'll take it. Also, last time at *this* zoo, Sophie bawled the whole time on the tram that takes you from the entrance area to the African area. She was a little nervous this time, but no tears. It helped that we described the tram as "like Grandpa's golf cart, only bigger."






















Helloooooooooooooo giraffes.