Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Even though, I don’t remember the first time I went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, it was a place that I visited several times as a child. I remember my little brother always liked the monkeys and I liked the giraffes and elephants the best. I remember seeing a mouse skirting along the edge of an enclosure and it sparked a story in my head about a free mouse living in a zoo. I remember my mom always a little short of breath with the climb to the carousel. She’d sit on the picnic benches, resting as we whirled around on the painted horses. I always enjoyed my time at the zoo, but I had no idea it would become so important in my life.

When I was a young mom, I didn’t have a lot of money. Someone gave me a zoo membership for Christmas when my son was four months old. Having a place to go, for free, was such a good thing for me at that time. So many days, I packed up a few diapers, a lunch and headed to the zoo. I’d carry my baby through the displays and read the signs to him. The gorilla house was new then and I remember Shayne crawling in front of the windows, then holding on the glass to walk, then running up and down, so excited to see the gorillas. His first sentence was “Tiger sleeping. Night-night.”

Going to the zoo was our thing for a long time. Over the years, I learned the rhythm of the seasons at the zoo. Summers are so busy, but the mist machines are fun and there are face painters and special attractions, like one summer white tigers and another koalas. In the fall, lights for Christmas start being hung and the crowds disappear. The cool crisp days are amazing for animal viewing. People go away and the animals come out. There are always new surprises–no matter the season.

When one of my co-teachers wanted to take the students to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for an end of the quarter field trip, I said I would plan it. After all, I have been a hundred times, how hard could it be? I’m going to skip that answer; except to say that I don’t love being the point person. The day started out stressful. The dates on the tickets were wrong and we forgot our lunches back at school. But when we got to the zoo, everything fell in place. I was reassured that the ticket thing had happened before and it was easy to remedy. The zoo staff was so welcoming and helpful. They gave us a place to store our lunches (the ones we remembered and the ones that were delivered) and even shuttled everything to us at noon.

The kids were so excited. Many of them had never been to any zoo. One girl was crying because she loves giraffes and never thought she’d see anything that amazing. They fed the giraffes lettuce leaf after lettuce leaf and flattened pennies in the souvenir penny machine and all crowded together on the hippo scale. I didn’t have to do anything all day, but follow along and capture photos of the joy.

In my years of coming to the zoo, I have watched the evolution from animal jail to animal conservation. The cages have come down, the pits filled in, the concrete taken away. On my journey through the zoo this time, I noticed how the bones of the old zoo from my childhood are still there, but only because I know where to look. The last remnants of old are currently being deconstructed, the bear pits and the cages that once held tigers, then monkeys are gone. Also gone is the playground where Shayne learned to climb and jump and then later helped his sister learn to do the same. The carousel I rode on as a child, and my children rode on is also down. I have faith though, that it is being carefully restored and painted for another generation of kids. The construction made me nostalgic, but at the same time, I cannot wait to see what the new plans will bring. I am sure it will be even better than before.

The zoo was a place of wonder for me as a child and a place of peace for me as a young woman. I am so glad that it came back into my life at this stage. I loved watching the magic and contentment touch the lives of my new colleagues and friends.

When I got home, my son was under a blanket. He said the voices were bothering him, making it hard for him to move. I sat on the couch next to him and took his hand. I told him about the field trip to the zoo and a new area was being built. He didn’t say anything for a long time and I thought maybe he didn’t hear me. So often he doesn’t respond to what I say, but later he said, “Maybe there will be a capybara exhibit. Or flamingos. Or a butterfly meadow. We’ll have to check it out.” And he squeezed my hand.

The shadow of the boy I knew is still there, but only because I know where to look. Sometimes I want that time again, but life is hard enough without wanting things in the past. I could spend my energy looking back, but then I would miss out on all the great things right now. I can only move forward, believing that there is more joy to come.