Renee July 1: Let’s See Some Animals and then We'll Go to the Zoo

We decided to check out the future of mass transit in Phoenix today by riding on Portland’s Light Rail System affectionately called, The Max. Similar to what is being constructed in downtown Phoenix, the Max is a functional means of alternative mass transportation from the out skirts of the city/suburbs to many of the main attractions in downtown Portland. We picked it up in Gresham, its farthest eastern reaching point, and traveled it to Portland’s Zoo, at which it dropped us at its very door. Though the trip did take about and hour and a half, almost twice the time of taking our own car, what made it worth the extra time was that We didn’t waste precious gasoline (with 7 of us, we have to take 2 cars), we weren’t on a strict time schedule, we didn’t have to pay for parking (again, for 2 cars), we got to see many interesting sites of Portland, like the Rose Garden, PG&E Field where they play AAA baseball, Lowe Center (major shopping mall), as well as the farmer’s market, the people’s market, and Nordstrom’s outlet store, Off the Rack. We also saw how the city revitalized the run-down real estate on either side of the tracks into nice, even beautiful condo’s, townhomes, and quaint, eclectic shopping botiques/markets which appeals to young urbans, giving them convenience and the lifestyle of living within a vital city. There is also the positive aspect of less congestion on major city streets and thruways and a slowing of the need for additional freeways carving up the city. Those are the pluses. The minuses pointed out by the locals are the continuing costs of expansion projects as it has never been and doesn’t look like it could pay for itself fiscally, security issues in the later evening and night hours (it is a 24 hour service), and less than capacity riding numbers at various times in the day.

My take on it is this: The trains were clean, bright, and well-maintained. We boarded at the most distant point on the system so it was pretty much empty, but it steadily filled until there was basically standing room only (especially on our return trip), the amenities and retail as well as trendy residential options easily accessible on the routes were appealing, and not having to navigate the crazy meandering main streets and thruways was a blessing. They have a dedicated route to the airport that wasn’t in the initial plan at the outset, but rather was built during an expansion project, as well as other key connections to sports venues, tourist venues, and major shopping centers. The time factor is a concern.

Here's Leah and Matt playing subway commuters!
Anyway, we made it to the Zoo! We spent a couple good hours seeing the exhibits. Some of their best would be the Bald Eagle that was the largest I have ever seen, the wolf display that had 3 wolves that you could actually see, and believe it or not the bats! The bats were the most amazing to me and I am not a rodent fan, per se.

Here's one of my all-time favorites, the giraffe. But a zoo isn't complete without an elephant.

But after a couple hours we were feeling the effects of a long day in the sun and decided to head home for a quick repast at Aunt June’s home to relax outdoors in her flower garden to enjoy the beautiful weather we had been granted.

Leah July 1: The Portland Zoo

Today we went to the zoo. We saw a lot of animals. In order to get to the zoo we had to ride the Max Train. It was a long trip. The trip was an hour and a half long. When we got to the zoo we saw our first animal. It was a mountain goat. The next animal was a black bear. When we went to see the eagles June got separated from us! It took us a long time to find her. But we found her after we saw the polar bears. After that we got some food. After we ate we saw the Asian animals. After the asian animals we saw the animals of the Alaskan Tundra.

My favorite animal was the wolf. It was my faveorite animal because I love wolves. After we saw the Alaskan Tundra we saw the African animals. I think that there were more animals here than any other place in the park! So it took us a while to finish that part. Then we went and saw the pacific shores part. That was as short as the Alaskan Tundra.

After we finished all the exhibits we went to June’s house to have dinner. We ate dinner outside. I was sitting in a rocking chair so as I sat down I leaned back and my spaghetti landed on my shirt! So my mom helped me clean it up and I ate the rest of my dinner. Bryce, Matt, and I played a game with little soccer balls until we had to leave. When we got back to the motor home we went to bed.

Matt July 1: ZOO

Today we went to the Oregon zoo. We didn’t drive to the zoo, we rode the train to the zoo. The trip to the zoo took us one hour and 30 minutes. My favorite animal was the polar bear. The first animal we saw was the black bear. Soon we ate lunch and the Black Bear café. After lunch the first animal we saw was the elk.
My favorite elk are the males because they have big antlers. Soon we saw the tigers. They were another one of my favorites. Later we had to go. Last we saw the penguins. Then we rode back on the train. On the way back we saw the Rose Garden where the TrailBlazers play. The TrailBlazers are a basketball team.

When we got back to the car we went to Aunt June’s house for dinner.