2017 Midwest Vacation Road Trip - Day 3

2017 Midwest Vacation Road Trip - Day 3 - St. Louis Zoo

Day 3 of our vacation was totally focused on St. Louis. I'll save the overall road photos from today and Day 4 for a separate post and focus on our trip to the St. Louis Zoo. All four of us joined Maggie's aunt, cousin and her two twin daughters for a great day exploring the St. Louis Zoo.

The origins of the Zoo date back to the 1904 World's Fair. The Flight Cage was a walk through bird cage exhibit that was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. Just prior to closing of the exhibition, the city of St. Louis bought the Flight Cage for $3,500. The purchase of the Flight Cage which kept the structure in Forest Park is considered the start of the St. Louis Zoo. Over the next decade, a zoological society was formed and debates over where the zoo should be located took place. Late in 1913, the issue was settled as a zoological board of control was formed and over 70 acres of land in Forest Park were granted for the location of the zoo.

Today, the St. Louis Zoo attracts over 3 million visitors annually. The zoo was recently named the Best Zoo and America's Top Free attraction by USA Today. Obviously, that makes one of the best parts about the zoo is that it is free to the public. Of course, there are certain exhibits and attractions at the zoo that require paid tickets. But as you will see from the photos below there is plenty to see and do without spending a dime.

For the whole photos set on flickr - head here. Below are some my favorites from the set.

This has to be my favorite and most fortunate photo (cell phone image also!) I caught this hippo as it was waking up to catch a breath of air! HELLO HIPPO!

Not sure what the penguins are doing here - they almost look like they are stuffed!

This giraffe is doing its best Leaning Tower of Pisa imitation.

What I liked the most about the Red Rocks area Antelope yards was how close you were able to get to the zebras and other animals within these exhibits.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Adam,

You know who this is, roadgeek with the same date of birth as you.

As it so happens, my current place of employment, and even that's a misnomer, because I'm now in business for myself, is visible from the St. Louis Zoo, or rather, certain parts of it.

10:50 PM

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80. This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail. Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range. The first documented wagon crossi...

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River. Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207. Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939. Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune . Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903. The postal name was sourced...

The William Flinn (not Flynn) Highway - Pittsburgh's Misspelled Street

For decades if you traveled along PA Route 8 in Pittsburgh's North Hills suburbs, you would have noticed signs that read "William Flynn Highway" at every intersection. Even today, many businesses and residences have their addresses listed as XXXX William Flynn Highway. However, it's not William Flynn Highway, it is William FLINN Highway - and the gentleman who it is named for has a long and storied past in Pittsburgh's infrastructure history. William Flinn was born in England in 1851; however later that year, his family emigrated to the United States and would settle in Pittsburgh. A 10-year-old school dropout, Flinn grew interested in politics and would join the Allegheny County Republican Party in 1877 as a ward commissioner and a seat on the Board of Fire Commissioners. Flinn would serve in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and Senate from 1877 to 1902. (1) Flinn along with James J. Booth would found the Booth and Flinn construction firm ...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog