Sleeping at the Skating Rink

We decided Bloomington, Illinois would be a good stopping place between Iowa and Ohio. We wanted to visit the zoo, but wouldn't arrive until they closed. I looked on Google Maps to see if there was anywhere nearby that we could stay for the night and noticed the Skate 'n Place roller rink. I called ahead and gained permission to park there overnight. It was a great opportunity for the kids to experience their first skating rink. This was the second time they've ever tried skating, the first was in a friend's driveway a couple years ago.

We were relieved to find a practice area that was good for the kids to learn without experienced skaters buzzing by us. Of course, as soon as I talked Asher into trying out the big rink, the lights came up and the rink closed down. Bummer. Next time he'll be ready!

In the morning, I caught Asher standing in the doorway just staring at the rink. He LOVED this place and told me that when he's an adult he wants to live in the parking lot of a skating rink. 

Before we left, Asher slipped this drawing of him and Journey skating under the door of the rink. The owners have a sweet story. The husband began skating there as a child and later met his wife there when she was working behind the skate rental counter. When it shut down a few years ago they were brokenhearted for the kids in the area to not have this great place. They bought it, renovated and recently reopened with a good following. We hope to return someday.

Before we hit the road, we used our AZA membership to visit the Miller Park Zoo. We walked thru the wallaby walkabout with nothing separating us from them. There's one in the top left of the photo.

We learned the prehensile-tailed porcupine has a tail like an opossum that 

allows him to hang from branches! We've never seen one of these before. 

White-faced Saki

Cotton-top Tamarin

Upon entering the aviary we grabbed animal identification cards and had

 fun locating and identifying the birds, monkeys and other animals we saw.