Barnette Family Happenings: North Carolina Zoo

Ever since we moved to the Tarheel State, Tim has wanted to check the NC Zoo off his "Cool Things to Do in North Carolina" list. So with spring knocking on the door, yesterday seemed like the perfect day for a Friday Field Trip to Asheboro.

GO HERD!!!

My favorite animal that we saw yesterday was the bison. The zoo's bounty of bovine brought back fond memories of my alma mater, Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, home of the Thundering Herd. I'm the Class of '97. I'm not entirely sure, but while I was standing there having my picture taken, I thought I heard those big guys behind me whispering...

We are...Marshall

The kids were impressed with these life-like alligator statues. Until they moved! These alligators were so light in color and so still that we thought they were just concrete. Boy, were we shocked when one of them started wiggling and crawling!

A neat illustration of how God protects and provides for His Creation is the picture below. Look at how the alligator sunning itself on the right looks almost identical to the fallen tree on the left. That alligator's predators probably couldn't even tell the difference. Pretty cool, huh?

The kids and I also enjoyed finding a playful otter, because the four of us are currently reading together The Willows in Winter by William Horwood (sequel to the classic The Wind in the Willows by Kennethe Grahame). We now have a better idea of what the characters Otter and Portly look like...

But no trip to the zoo with Tim Barnette would be complete without a jaunt through the snake exhibits. This exhibit caught his eye. It's a rattle snake warming itself with a copperhead: the top and bottom are the Eastern Diamondback, and the middle is a Northern Copperhead. We jokingly referred to it as a "copperhead sandwich," or more coloquially, "Kara's worst nightmare when she hikes."

And just for fun, I snapped this picture which housed some information about reptile myths, because my mother will never stop believing that sprinkling moth balls around your house repels snakes. Sorry, Mom. The zoo doesn't think it works. But it helps you sleep better at night... :D

The funniest story of our time at the zoo came from our visit to the polar bear. The zoologist on site was answering questions, so I asked what the polar bear thought of the hot summer weather in Asheboro. The zoologist said that the bear actually hates the cold weather. A few weeks ago when Asheboro got 4" of snow, the polar bear went into her house and wouldn't come-out. That's funny!

(We took a little break mid-day to play-off some energy...)

Enjoyed walking through the desert exhibits.

The lion was cute, but the lion's sign was cuter.

Our family spent years visiting the Cincinnati Zoo, which is a beautiful, well-funded zoo. And I must admit that I am missing the flowers and bulbs that the Cincy Zoo always displays in the spring. However, the Cincy Zoo is an inner-city zoo, so it is cramped for space. In Asheboro, by contrast, they have plenty of acreage. The land animals in the NC Zoo - such as the elephant to the right - have as much area to roam as those in Animal Kingdom at Disney did, and the NC Zoo uses the exact same electric border system. Way to go, North Carolina!

The most photogenic species of the day was Miss (or Mr. - I'm not sure) Ostrich. I'm pretty sure she was posing for the camera. I think she was working the "green carpet."