I woke up to a little drizzle this morning in Salinas, CA. There was rain in the forecast and I changed my plan for the day accordingly. I started things out by making a short drive to the tiny town of Castroville. I wanted to check out the old Japanese School House located in the corner of a small park. In the 1920's and 30's, Japanese families immigrated to the area to work in the agricultural fields. The school was created to teach the Japanese language to their children. It was closed during World War II after the Pearl Harbor attack and the local Japanese community was sent to internment camps. The building is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Continuing on my theme of historical things, I was planning to visit a museum in Palo Alto. But, as I drove north, I saw that skies were beginning to clear and I could see blue sky. So, after a leisurely lunch at Baja Fresh Mexican Grill...my first time eating there...I changed my plans. I decided to I would rather see animals, so onward I went to the Oakland Zoo. After all, who doesn't like animals? When I got there it was still drizzling a little on and off. I wasn't going to let that stop me, though.
There were school buses in the parking lot when I arrived at the zoo. But, the kids were all leaving, so I had a few hours of peace and quiet to enjoy the animals. I think the animals liked the silence, too. So, are you ready for animal pics? Let's start out with those in the primate family. The chimps were making good use of their blankets, maybe to cover up during a rain shower? On the other hand, the ring tailed lemurs were definitely taking shelter. After all, who wants that beautiful fur coat to get wet?
The pair of white-handed gibbons were displaying their acrobatics in the trees, and the baboon troop welcomed the sun peeking through the fluffy white clouds.
I was very impressed by their collection of Malayan flying foxes, which are the largest bats in the world with wing spans that can reach six feet! And, in their reptile and amphibian house, I was admiring their large chuckwalla lizards.
The Oakland Zoo is one of the most progressive in the country when it comes to caring for elephants. They have one of the largest elephant enclosures at six acres, and treat their pachyderms with positive reinforcement rather than bullhooks and chains. The elephants I saw looked pretty content.
Besides elephants, the zoo also had the always popular lions...this male was roaring up a storm. Then, there were the beautiful zebras, and the comical, but ever so alert meerkats.
Tomorrow, the weather forecast looks simply wonderful. I'm planning to spend a little time in and around San Francisco, then continue my slow drive north back to Washington.
There were school buses in the parking lot when I arrived at the zoo. But, the kids were all leaving, so I had a few hours of peace and quiet to enjoy the animals. I think the animals liked the silence, too. So, are you ready for animal pics? Let's start out with those in the primate family. The chimps were making good use of their blankets, maybe to cover up during a rain shower? On the other hand, the ring tailed lemurs were definitely taking shelter. After all, who wants that beautiful fur coat to get wet?
The pair of white-handed gibbons were displaying their acrobatics in the trees, and the baboon troop welcomed the sun peeking through the fluffy white clouds.
I was very impressed by their collection of Malayan flying foxes, which are the largest bats in the world with wing spans that can reach six feet! And, in their reptile and amphibian house, I was admiring their large chuckwalla lizards.
The Oakland Zoo is one of the most progressive in the country when it comes to caring for elephants. They have one of the largest elephant enclosures at six acres, and treat their pachyderms with positive reinforcement rather than bullhooks and chains. The elephants I saw looked pretty content.
Besides elephants, the zoo also had the always popular lions...this male was roaring up a storm. Then, there were the beautiful zebras, and the comical, but ever so alert meerkats.
Tomorrow, the weather forecast looks simply wonderful. I'm planning to spend a little time in and around San Francisco, then continue my slow drive north back to Washington.
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