Magellen...I am not

We went to the zoo today. Grace, Grace's mommy (Kari), Collin and me. We had a great time. Collin got to have his pacifier. Grace got to play with said pacifier. Collin got to enjoy this game immensely. I think even the gorillas outside this exhibit wanted a little paci of their own so they could try to one-up the cuteness factor of this game, as the little tykes in the strollers were drawing the crowds' attention away from their antics. Their swinging from ropes just wasn't cutting the mustard with these two hamming it up.

Upon entering the zoo, Kari and I promptly tucked our maps away in our respective diaper bags and declared that neither one of us was good at reading maps. This was a mistake. Still, I figured, it's a freaking zoo, right? How much trouble can you get into? There's signs EVERYWHERE! In fact, my famous (what could've been) last words were: we'll consult the map when it's time to find the exit!

How wrong I was about the trouble part. We started off fine, petting some goats, even brushing them. Awwwww. We had some lunch, nutritious of course. And even got a swirly straw that we had to purchase for $3 because they won't give you a straw for free as they could be dangerous to the animals...huh? Apparently $3 swirly straws are less dangerous.

That's when the trouble started. We veered off our path. We veered off any path. Somehow, we ended up on the zoo service road. As hearty travellers in the heat and the seemingly consistent uphill path, it took us approximately 18 miles to realize we were NO longer on the zoo path. Eventually, a ranger took pity on us and noted our existence BEHIND the exhibits and steered us back towards civilization, not before warning us to stay away from the fences "back here because they're lower than in the park and animals can get over them." Eeek.

In reality, we were wandering back there for close to forty minutes or so. Really. That's a long time to be at the zoo but not in the zoo. It was pretty hot, pretty weird and at one point, I thought we might be eaten by the Donner party or maybe a wildebeest. But, it was fun. Grace and Collin thought their mommies were on a great adventure. And, we were.