(I’m trying out the new wordpress editor, still figuring out how best to share photos with it.)

One of the last things we did before the shelter-in-place order back in March was a visit to the zoo. They opened to the public again last month. I got a reservation for us to try them again this week, as a fun change of scenery for the kids. While Ben and I run errands regularly, the kids have been mostly home, day in and day out, all summer.

The zoo website said they had a lot of precautions in place for safety: reduced crowds, staggered reservation times, masks required for everyone (this was before the governor made masks mandatory in public for Colorado), all indoor spaces were closed, pathways are all one direction now, and extra sanitation stations and portable toilets set up everywhere.

It was fun overall. The kids say they had a good time and were glad we went. But I felt like it was not a great success. Mask use was pretty good, I’d say over 90% wore them well. But there was still the occasional family with noses and even mouths exposed. Anyone walking while eating and drinking had the mask off too. Also, it was more crowded than I would have liked. Because of the one-direction traffic flow, there were lots of clumps of people around visible animals, and traffic jams when someone stopped in the pathway.

I don’t think any of us were at risk for infection. The kids were excellent at keeping their masks with filters on on their faces. They didn’t touch handrails or signs, and asked for hand sanitizer when they made a mistake. We swerved away from people whenever possible.

The other problem was, of course, it was the afternoon of a hot July day. Can’t be helped 🙂 I packed water and hats and a cooling towel. We took lots of breaks to rest and had ice cream and juice to stay cool and hydrated. No matter, it was still sweltering. There weren’t many animals out because of the heat.

So it was a fun change of pace, but I don’t think anyone is clamoring to return until the weather cools and the crowds thin.