Oldsters Visit The St. Louis Zoo

Reliving a dream trip

While we were camped at Longview Park near Independence, Missouri, our trailer slide malfunctioned. Fortunately, when it quit working it was closed rather than extended. We had planned to visit Topeka, KS and then head back to Texas via Oklahoma City to see the memorial. However, we did not want to trust the trailer slide to just any RV dealer.  So instead of traveling south, after visiting Kansas, we elected to go to the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio.

As we contemplated our route to Ohio across Indiana, Gloria told Jerry of her first visit to Missouri at the age of 16. She, along with her 17 year old brother, Carroll, at the wheel, and her grandfather drove all the way from their farm in Northwestern Ohio to Scott Air Force Base. The purpose of the trip was to visit Carroll and Gloria’s cousin, Kay, and her Air Force husband. Gloria went on to say that one of the highpoints of that trip was a day at the wonderful St. Louis Zoo. Now decades later she was saying that she would like to relive that memorable zoo experience and see if the monkey band was still a feature. So we made the zoo visit a goal.

The Hungry Hippo

We had not been to any zoo since our daughter, Courtney, was small. Courtney is now age 34. Zoos have changed a lot in 30 years. No longer are many cages visible. The animals live in what resembles a natural habitat. As well, the circus-like monkey band that Gloria had enjoyed as a teenager is a distant memory. This is a huge improvement in animal care, and most of the animals seemed content with their healthy lifestyle. 

No longer a star performer in the monkey band

As we visited the various habitats, we noticed something strange. We were easily the oldest visitors at the Zoo. However, age notwithstanding, we were having as much fun as the kids and their parents. It was a good day to be in St. Louis, mingle with the animals, shoot some photos, and smile at the gleeful children. The next day on our way out of town we could not take our eyes off the awesome St. Louis Arch rising into the white, swelling clouds. Gloria got to relive a special teenage dream trip, but she still missed seeing the monkey band.