Day Four, The Zoo.

The Detroit Zoo. It wasn't a warm day, but we were going to the zoo no matter what. So, we grabbed the gloves, hats and blankets for the strollers and off we went. It was closer than I knew and we got there within 30 minutes. The air was brisk, and Tyson wasn't too sure he wanted to see the lions and tigers, and he told us that repeatedly during the car ride, but we were still going to brave the zoo.
This was the only animal that Tyson really wanted to see. I was amazed at how afraid he was of the animals at the zoo. He was worried that they were going to "get him". I think it stems from the time back on St. Marteen when we went to the zoo there and a big white bird squawked and scared the crap out of him. He now associates that scary bird with the zoo and so he thinks that all the animals can "get at him". It took all day to convince him that wasn't going to happen.
The Article Place was so cool. They had a glass dome you could go into and watch the seals and polar bears swim. The polar bears were scarce that day, but the seals were "showing off." Tyson was scared at first, but when he realized that they weren't going to swim into him, he thought this place was pretty cool. Taryn was asleep all during this time. She didn't see anything except the back of her eyelids.The only polar bear we saw that day. The rest must have been napping.Here is a bear napping. It took several minutes of coaxing to get Tyson this close to take a picture. He was sure the bear was going to eat us. Once I got him close enough, and he could see the big ravine between us and the bear, he was a little better about being that close to the animal.Aren't they gorgeous? I think that Bald Eagles are the most magnificent birds. They are my favorite. Very bold, very beautiful birds. Tyson liked them too. Especially when we read the plaque that said that they couldn't fly.Look at the size of that giraffe. It is awesome! Tyson did like this part of the zoo, because he has watched the movie "Madagascar" so many times, this giraffe looked like Melman on the show. Tyson didn't mind getting close to them.

The sleeping Rhinos. They blended in so well with their open area, that at first they were hard to find.This is where Tyson was ready to bolt out of sight, and probably would have if he wasn't strapped into the jogger stroller. Even the sleeping lion scared him. He was convinced that they were coming to get him. He didn't want to stay and look for very long.I have never seen a gorilla this close and real before. He just sat there for the longest time and didn't move. He looked almost like a statue. Then he yawned and I could see those big teeth and I knew he was real.

This Siberian Tiger was such a beautiful cat. WOW! He even roared for us while we were there, which scared Tyson....big surprise there. But the roar was so deep and cool. I could have stayed and watched him for a long time.Even though Tyson was scared, he did have a good time. We were there for 5 and 1/2 hours and totally forgot about lunch. Needless to say we ate in the car on the ride home. We had packed a lunch, but just got too busy to eat it. The one place Tyson didn't want to be in was the reptile house. He didn't want to see the snakes and hid his eyes when we were looking at them. And as much as he likes the fake crocodile at the mall, I just knew he would love the real ones at the zoo...not-so-much! In fact he threw a fit when I tried to hold him up to the glass to see it. He used to not be afraid of anything and then he got older and realized that some things are scary.
It was a great day and we all enjoyed ourselves, even Taryn, who slept through it all!