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Loricua's Mini Road Trip

Discussion in 'United States' started by CleZooMan, 24 Jul 2015.

  1. CleZooMan

    CleZooMan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    27 Mar 2015
    Posts:
    355
    Location:
    Shaker Heights/Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    On July 24, I will be at the Columbus Zoo and on July 25 the Ohio Bird Sanctuary in Mansfield, Ohio.
    I will write some reviews, so watch out!
     
  2. CleZooMan

    CleZooMan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    27 Mar 2015
    Posts:
    355
    Location:
    Shaker Heights/Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    July 24-
    After a drive to C-bus that was relatively un-noteworthy, with a few coffee and food stops along the highway, I got tot the zoo and spent 11:30 am to 6 pm there, with my 15th Columbus Zoo visit.
    Heart of Africa-
    Cheetah Exhibit- 4.5 out of 5. It is a bit on the small side, but is a good exhibit.
    Main Savanna- 5 out of 5.
    Lions- 5/5
    Vervet Monkeys- 5/5
    Camels- 2/5. This dry dustfest is one of the worst exhibits in HoA.
    Cheetah Run- 5/5. This demonstration of a cheetah chasing a ball is fantastic!
    Watering Hole- 5/5. Today I saw Banzai, a 9-month-old spotted hyena.
    HoA- 31.5/35
    North America-
    Home, home on the range, where the bison and pronghorns play... :D
    Bison & Pronghorn Exhibit- It could have more water. 4/5
    Habitat Hollow/Barn Area- Dry, dusty concrete contact yard. Very well-done. 4/5
    Prairie Dogs- 5/5
    Forest Animals- 5/5. Wolverines have an awesome exhibit!
    Wetlands Animals- 5/5. The aviary is unbelievable. Eagles, river otters and beavers, too.
    Polar Frontier-
    Brown Bear- 5/5
    Arctic Fox- 4/5. Sometimes the fox paces. It is kept white all year-round by A/C. It should not be to show visitors color change.
    Polar Bear and Thematic Exhibits- 5/5.
    North America/Polar Frontier-
    NA- 23/25
    Polar Frontier- 14/15
    Shores-
    Manatee Coast- 5/5
    Discovery Reef- NOT VISITED
    Miscellaneous (flamingo, alligator, etc.)- 4.5/5
    Reptile House- 4/5. Fix sign errors and geography errors and I would say 5.
    Shores- 13.5/15
    Southeast Asia-
    Pirate Island- Not Visited
    Siamangs- 4/5
    Orangutans- 4.5/5
    Komodos- 4.5/5
    Otters- 4.5/5
    Bird Lake- 4.5/5
    Australia-
    Roadhouse- Stellar! 5/5
    Koala- 5/5
    Kangaroo- 4.5/5
    Lorikeet- 5/5
    Australia & SE Asia- Australia (19.5/20), SE Asia (22/25)
    African Forest-
    Bonobos- 5/5
    Gorillas- 5/5
    Okapi- 5/5
    Red river hog- 5/5
    Mandrill- 5/5
    Leopard- 5/5
    Aviary- 5/5
    Duikers- 5/5
    Total- 40/40
    Stingray Bay- 5/5
    Pachyderms- NOT VISITED
    Asia Quest- NOT VISITED
    Yes, I spent 6.5 hours at that zoo and didn't see everything.
    Total Score is 40/40, 19.5/20, 22/25, 13.5/15, 14/15, 23/25, 31.5/35.
    When added up, that is 163.5 out of 175.
     
  3. CleZooMan

    CleZooMan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    27 Mar 2015
    Posts:
    355
    Location:
    Shaker Heights/Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    July 25-
    "Take ramp, on right to I-71 North"
    To the land of rural hills and birds of prey.
    To the Ohio Bird Sanctuary.
    "Or-weeler Road."
    "Mee-jer."
    To cheap candy at Meijer supermarket.
    Route 30 West. Ohio 309.
    To the Ohio Bird Sanctuary.

    I drove from the Zumstein Dr. Extended Stay, a nice motel. The streets are very confusing there, even with a GPS. I had a nice meal on July 24 at a Waffle House.
    I first stopped at Meijer, because by us we don't have those. The GPS said "mee-jer", instead of "Myer". I got 50c M&Ms and $2.49 pop.
    Ohio Bird Sanctuary is a rescue place at 3774 Orweiler Road in Mansfield, Ohio.
    It has owls, hawks, eagles, turkey vulture, falcon/kestrel, and a walk-through aviary with white pigeon, mourning doves, blue jays, orioles, and a chicken!
    In the visitor center, they had a gift shop and you could buy feed cups (seeds, nuts and mealworms) for 25 cents. There was a very plump orange cat asleep on a bench in the shade. It was 86 degrees there.
    The sanctuary is way out in the hilly country, and the cat (I think his name is Morris), probably catches mice, rats, etc. A cat in a bird sanctuary! :):):)
    The sanctuary also has some nice hiking trails.
    It was then on to Grandpa's Cheesebarn, a "tourist trap" cheese shop off I-71 North. It has hundreds of cheese flavors, jellies, jams, $1 pickles, dips, deli meats, cider, and more. It also has a chocolate shop with fudge, bulk candy, caramels, etc. Grandpa's Cheesebarn is in Ashland, Ohio, off Exit 286 on US 250.
    It is official after having a very nice mini-vacation: Columbus is the #1 zoo.
     
    Last edited: 26 Jul 2015