A Zoo Adventure

One minivan, six friends.  We had many adventures on our Texas trip, but one in particular burned an enduring smile into my mind.

We woke up in our Holiday Inn hotel room, met downstairs for some coffee, and decided to leave our small town to head to the great city of Austin to spend the day.  I had grown up in the area, but hadn't spent time in Austin since moving to Michigan over seven years ago.

Kelly, the blond beauty of the group, had brought along Jim's Garmin so we would have an easier time traveling.  She had bought her husband this piece of much needed technology for his birthday two years ago, and we lovingly named the Garmin Judy.  As we set out on our journey down Hwy 183 out of town, we asked Judy to find some day attractions in the Austin area.  She had a whole list!  Kelly read each item to us as Mike, my Yankee boyfriend, steered our tan minivan as the rest of us prayed for our safety.

"Botanical Gardens, the Zoo, museums," she said with excitement.

"I didn't know Austin had a zoo!?" I exclaimed as I interrupted her mid-list.  spending most of my childhood in this area, I was quite surprised I had never heard of a zoo in Austin.  We all decided that the zoo was the place to go for the day!

So, we kindly asked Judy to provide us with directions, and off we went...or so we thought.  Apparently, Judy's owners had not updated her in about a year or so, and she became quire confused as we traveled down the 183 toll road, much to our dismay, but we are crafty and savvy women, so this was no problem.  We picked up a an old fashioned map at the next gas station we say because it must have attractions listed on it, and we gave Judy a rest.  Kelly and I proudly displayed our $5 map on the hood of our van as Jenn and the boys peered through the front windshield at us, and we began to inspect the attractions list.  Odd, no zoo listed.  We searched the map looking green blobs which represented most significant places such as parks and other attractions, but still could not find the zoo  Of course, the boys decided we couldn't find it because girls don't know how to read maps!  This simply made us more determined to find this silly zoo which was nowhere to be found on our archaic map!!  Kelly and I jumped back into the van, and  took the wheel praying that Judy could find herself, and show us the way!

Judy indeed redeemed herself within about a mile,and we began following her flawless directions, leading us to the southeast side of Austin; yet still no signs for a zoo.  We all looked at each other, and commented how odd it seemed to see no signs.  Back in Michigan, the zoo is kind of a big deal. You can't miss it, and there are certainly signs the closer you get.  There's even a water tower with a mural of the zoo painted across it that can be seen for miles!  Maybe it's a Texas thing.

We kept driving because it had to be around somewhere.  Surely Judy couldn't be wrong about a zoo!  We turned down a country road leaving the city behind, and joked how off the beaten path we were getting, and still no signs!  Anothe rtun led us to fewer houses and more pastures.  Then, finally, a sign!  An old wooden board about three feet wide and one foot tall with the word "zoo" painted on it, and all we could think was "Oh my God! What are we getting ourselves into!"

At almost eh same time, one thought came to all of our minds, and then to our lips.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre!"  as laughter erupted.

I continued driving down the winding country road, barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and came to a stop at a little cabin that had an old wooden sign above its welcoming porch that read "Austin Zoo."  Nervous laughter filled the van as I parked, and we strolled inside.

It turns out the Austin Zoo is a sanctuary for exotic animals that have been rescued and brought here to live out their lives in better conditions.  All entry fees got to the care and well-being of these animals.  There were lions, tigers, a puma, fox, a bear, monkeys, birds, miniature horses, and pigs.  You name it, and it was probably there.  Many of the enclosures were a little worse for wear, but these animals had a better life than from there they came.  Two of the tigers had actually been chained in a junkyard.

We ambled through the sanctuary, took lots of pictures, had a great time, and left feeling good that we had helped as best we could to  make the lives of these animals a little better with our entry donations.  Life was good.