Monday, September 11, 2000. Back on the road again. Just a short drive to Colorado Springs. Skipped the Air Force Academy and the World Figure Skating Museum Hall of Fame and went straight to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Note that the emphasis there is on MOUNTAIN. The zoo is planted right on the side of the mountain and covers an elevation equivalent to a 10-story building.

Once again I went directly to the great ape exhibit and spent time with the gorillas and orangutans. The exhibits are built to give the animals the opportunity to get up close and personal with their adoring public, and some do. After stopping for a snack in the hummingbird garden, I hopped the tram and made my way around the rest of the zoo. One of the special treats at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the opportunity to feed crackers to the giraffes. 

I'm spending the night in Pueblo where I plan to make a quick trip to the zoo tomorrow before aiming my car toward Kansas.

Links

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Images 

(from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)

 

Zoo Entrance

Female Gorilla

Female Gorilla lost in thought

Young Orangutan

Giraffe (they're so photogenic)

Tuesday, September 12, 2000. The Pueblo Zoo turned out to be a real treat.  What it lacks in size and number of species, this tiny zoo makes up for with wonderful, informative signage. The landscaping is also noteworthy. They do have several smaller primates, including a group of cotton-top tamarins hopping around overhead in the indoor rainforest exhibit. I ended up spending over two hours at Pueblo Zoo and hated to leave. 

Then it was into the flatlands; no more mountains visible in any direction. I drove I-50 all the way to Garden City, Kansas. The road switches between 4-lane divided and 2-lane undivided.  The speed limit is usually 65 MPH, except where the road goes through small towns and the limit ratchets down to as low as 20 MPH. Lost an hour as I crossed into the Central Time Zone.

Wednesday, September 13, 2000. Didn't sleep well. Little flies and other bugs in my room. There is also a distinct smell in this part of Kansas. I don't know whether it comes from the grain elevators or manure on the fields, but it seems to be everywhere. You get used to it after awhile.

I started the day at Garden City's Lee Richardson Zoo, a fairly large city zoo in a park on the edge of town. The zoo is open -- and free -- from 8 AM until 8 PM much of the year. I got there while the morning was still cool and the animals were active. When I finally hit the road, the day was heating up. Once again I drove on I-50 and other local roads with windows down. By the time I got to Salina, it was HOT.

Links

Pueblo Zoo

Lee Richardson Zoo

Images 

(from Pueblo Zoo)

Cochin Chicken

Llama (in your face)

 

(from Lee Richardson Zoo)

African Elephant

Black Rhino (marking his space and yours)

Red Panda

Dwarf Zebu Family

Thursday, September 14, 2000. My first day actually working on my project! I spent the entire day at the Rolling Hills Wildlife Refuge. None of Coco's offspring are here, but they have a bachelor group of four former research chimps. Head Keeper Sandy W and Primate Keeper Brenda G were very generous with their time, answering my questions about how this new facility was planned and how the four guys were introduced.

Friday, September 15, 2000. Slept in and got off to a leisurely start. Arrived at Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas, shortly before noon. On my way to the administration building to meet with the Curator, I stopped off to visit the chimpanzee exhibit. Rachel and the girls were in the indoor area. How the twins had grown!

I held up a picture of Coco to the window and the girls rushed over to see. To my surprise, Rachel also came over. She gazed at the picture for quite some time. Then I showed them the other pictures inside my notebook: young Joshua, Rachel's twin sister Leah, and her older sister Delilah. She looked at them all. Last year when I visited she would not come to the window, would not make eye contact with us and would not look at the same pictures.

Curator Ryan G gave me copies of documents about Rachel's arrival in Manhattan in 1982, showed me the old exhibit where Rachel lived until 1997 and arranged to have me meet with other staff members. I then spent a couple of hours touring the small zoo and finding whole areas I missed last year.

Sunday, September 17, 2000.  Said goodbye to Manhattan, Kansas, and headed ever eastward. Stopped briefly -- very briefly -- at the Topeka Zoo. Sort of grim. Stayed off the main road (I-70) and took smaller roads all the way. Another stop in Lawrence, home of University of Kansas. Arrived in Kansas City early enough to stop by the zoo an hour before closing. 

The Northeastern side of Kansas is more scenic than the Southeastern part of the state. Gently rolling hills. Lots of trees. Now I am in Missouri and expect to find new landscape thrills.