A trip to the zoo, GPS mapping trails, and ATV time

Today the family visited the Henry Vilas zoo in Madison. The kids saw lions, a tiger, rhinoceros, lemurs, orangutans, an ostrich, blue macaws, peacocks, a giraffe, seals, alligators, and many other animals. The zoo was a perfect size for the kids and filled with interactive displays geared to children.

After lunch in Madison, my son and I returned to the farm to GPS map the northern trails on the running loop. I also clipped back a number of remnant thorn branches that had scratched up my legs the night before. A trial posting of the data for blue, green and cardio hill trail segments done in Google Earth showed amazing agreement with the GE image.
Blooming in the circle prairie is white wild indigo (Baptisia alba (L.) Vent. var. macrophylla (Larisey) Isely, Fabaceae).

In the evening my son practiced his ATV operating skills under the supervision of grandma on the prairie circle roundabout.
Here he practices backing up the ATV. His legs are just long enough to shift gears. The ATV is both his first motorized vehicle experience and his first time to learn about gears and shifting. Only on a farm could he have had this unique experience. He remains in low first when driving around the circle prairie circumferential path.

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