Zoo Day

The next stop on our trip was Star Wars day at the LA Zoo. We were excited to show Esmé all the thrilling beasts at the zoo and get to enjoy a festival of Star Wars regalia at the same time. It was a winning idea! However, we failed to take a few things into account when planning this little outing:

1. Traffic in LA is inevitable. YES, even on a Saturday morning. Driving from Anaheim to Griffith Park didn't seem like such a big deal until we realized we'd be moving at ten miles per hour the whole way...

2. Believe it or not, we were able to find a place in California that was actually hotter than Houston. We got rolled by a heat wave. The scorching black asphalt and perpetual incline of the zoo did not ease the heat.

3. We don't like sweltering heat and neither do most thrilling beasts. We moved from place to place searching for animals. Most of them were curled up and hiding from the heat and the people. It was difficult to explain to Esmé that the unmoving blob that looked like a rock was not actually a rock, it was a hippo. She didn't really get it.

4. Star Wars Day at the LA Zoo consists of about six guys dressed up in storm trooper gear walking around.

At the entrance. It was really hot.

Showing Esmé a meerkat.

Flamingos

The giraffe was pretty perky and easy to see. We liked him. 

We were so lucky to have Grandma Tutu with us at the zoo. She pushed the stroller, entertained the baby, and maintained a great attitude, which is more than I can say for myself. Once we made it to the elephant sanctuary only to see no elephant, I was done with the zoo. Esmé had dumped water all over herself to combat the heat, and she just seemed happy to be out and about. Roo was determined to make the best of the day and pushed us to continue. But by noon, we were all ready to be done. I did not envy the hordes of little families and sweaty kids who were just entering for the day. No offense, LA Zoo, but we gave you our best effort. You could have at least had ewoks...