Zoo Day at the Hogle

I had a nice, relaxing day today. No hiking, just walking. I drove from Orem, UT about an hour north to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. I got caught in a little rush hour traffic, but it only delayed my trip a few minutes. Hogle Zoo is not very big, but they do have a good collection of animals from around the world. The first exhibit I visited was the lions. It was a bit chilly, but they were sleeping and soaking up the morning sun.

 

There were just a couple of elephants, a female and her half-grown calf. It was interesting to see the calf still nursing from its mother. Next door, there were two white rhinoceros, and I was amazed to see two black-billed magpies sitting on the back of one. It reminded me of the African tickbirds who perch on animals looking for insects and such to eat. 

They had animals and birds housed indoors for the year, as it was getting too chilly for them to be outside. Even though I was quiet, they were all looking at me. Or, maybe it was the light on my camera? Here are a burrowing owl and a roseate spoonbill, and the Arabian sand cat was really enjoying its nice, soft bed.

Back outside, the snow leopard and Siberian lynx didn't seem to mind the cool temperatures. The same could be said of the grizzly bear, which looked like it was ready to hibernate for the winter. 

I was just as interested in the non-zoo animals...the native wildlife taking advantage of what food the zoo had to offer. There was the previously mentioned magpies, American goldfinches eating the blossoms of landscaped plants and even a rat scavenging what the birds dropped on the ground!         

After a very tasty lunch at Freddie's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, I drove to Blackfoot, ID to visit the Idaho Potato Museum. This small museum explains how the lowly potato became important food for people throughout history, and how the potato is used in the present day. I was amazed by the wall of potato mashers, and the Guinness World Record potato crisp.

My pit stop for the night is a hotel I had stayed at in the past. I was so impressed by their free dinner, that I decided to stay there again on this trip. And, I wasn't disappointed. Cream of potato soup with bacon, salad, roll and cookies! They also had chili and onion soup, too! 

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to another relaxing day. I will be driving even less than I did today, which is always welcome!