Talk to the Animals and You'll See

Monday, May 8

Having napped a little and gone to bed fairly early (2am EST), it was easy to get up early on Monday, but neither of us was quick to get out of bed. After a few Sportscenters, a few episodes of Cribs, and a few chapters of "King Dork" and "The Mind of Bill James," we crawled out of bed and hit the library (our third) by 12:30. Jill printed out directions to Tuesday's balloon ride, while I went back to the room for the forgotten zoo tickets and camera and called Enterprise to reserve a rental car.

It was after 1 by the time we walked across town to the Balboa Park Tram, rode to thecenter of the park, and reached teh zoo, so we were nervous that we might not have time to see everything we wanted to see and still pick up the car by six, when Enterprise closed.

No such problem. We opened our zoological adventure with a ride on the Skyfari Animal Tram, a luxury afforded us by our deluxe adventure tickets (thanks, K,T&L). The views were unspectacularuntil we caught some tapirs and dik-diks at the north end of the park, which is where we started our self-guided walking tour.

The next 3 1/2 hours offered more beautiful, homely, endangered, unthreatened, majestic, filthy, rare, and ubiquitous animals than this medium recommends that I describe. We saw hippos, meerkats, elephants, lemurs, giraffes, fishing cats, lions, rhinoceroses, and even mating turtles. We watched them sleep, swim, fly, eat, roar, and mark their respective territories every way possible. We even had time to eat a better-than-average lunch and leave the park before 5:00. And on this, the only day of the trip when the camera was in my possession, I took about eighty pictures, none of which was of a Christian Science Reading Room or a library.

Our feet having been through enough, my bride and I took a cab back downtown, where we picked up our shiny blue Ford Focus and drove around the Gaslamp district until we found a metered spot without applicable restrictions.

The readathone resumed briefly beterrn parking and dinner at the Gaslamp Tavern, where we sat on the outdoor side of the bar and watched Greg Maddux get pounded by Dave Roberts and the Padres over a few drinks and some top shelf bar food. At 8:30, we turned in, hoping to watch some TV and get plenty of sleep for Wendesday's early balloon ride. I set my alarm for 3:49, watched the Suns put the Clippers away, and closed my eyes.

For a Wednesday recap, go find Jill.