Rocky Shores

Being a person who is a frequent visitor to our Hogle Zoo, I have been keeping an eye on construction on the new Rocky Shores exhibit for something like 2 years now.  It was so worth the wait.  I love it!  Sheri, my zoo-happy sis-in-law planned a trip up here just for the opening.  Of course, opening morning itself was kind of a night mare.  The zoo turned the ribbon cutting ceremony into a big old pain for all the families there, making us sit in the hot sun while people we couldn't hear all said a bunch of stuff which I'm guessing was all kind of the same thing but since we couldn't hear, I'm not sure.  Once we actually got into the new area we were very pleased with the incredible displays and enclosures.  They are pretty amazing, and there is a big group of new animals.  What is really neat is the back story of each animal.  They all have stories and reasons why they're being cared for by a zoo.  The best has got to be Big Guy, a big old sea lion that was found in the wild after he had been injured somehow.  He is blind in both eyes, and after capture he was supposed to be euthanized but he was so calm and mellow and happy that they couldn't do it.  He has been able to cope and thrive in captivity and so has been brought to our zoo where he swims happily in circles, memorizing the geography of his enclosure.

Despite the rough start to our Rocky Shores visit we decided to come back with our husbands and my two older children on Saturday morning first thing.  (Whoever shows up to the zoo at 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday on the 2nd day of a new exhibit when it is 90+ degrees outside, I don't understand you.)  Our Saturday morning visit was much more pleasant and we had wonderful views of all the animals.  I can't wait to go back, actually, but you will only find me there at 9:00 a.m. on the dot or not at all.  Good job (mostly), Hogle Zoo.