2023, animals, Family, Nature

RIP Monorail

26 Comments

I loved the Minnesota Zoo Monorail.  It was part of the zoo experience for me; whenever we visited the zoo, we almost always hopped on a car and took a spin.  We knew when the best time of day was to go (right around lunchtime) and which car was best (the first one right behind the driver/guide – it was the quiet car which most people avoided). 

The monorail was “retired” in 2013 – a nicer sounding word than “abandoned”, but that’s how it felt to me.  For the last 10 years the rail remained a sad reminder every time we went.  When the zoo announced that they were going to put up a walking trail on the old rail, I was skeptical.  And when the scuttlebutt was that they would charge extra unless you were zoo members, I was even more cynical.

The Treetop Trail turned about to be free for everybody, not just members (we’ll see how long that lasts) and is built over the original rail.  It’s lovely, especially all the places where it overlooks water; there is actually quite a few bodies of water at the zoo.  On a cool day like we had on Sunday, it’s a beautiful hike – about a mile and a half – took us about half an hour (I was very slow as my feet hadn’t quite forgiven me yet for the State Fair).  There isn’t much shade or cover so it might be a little less fun on a really hot day.  Like the monorail, seeing any animals was a little hit and miss, although there was at least constant narration on the monorail.  YA can’t always be counted on for scintillating conversation.  The trail is about 8 feet across so we didn’t encounter to many pedestrian traffic jams.  For those of us with a little acrophobia, the center feels safe and there are lots of spots that aren’t too terrifyingly high.

My final assessment is that the Treetop Trail is nice.  If we can’t have the monorail, I suppose the elevated trail will do.  I doubt that it will become a perennial favorite for me and it will be interesting to see how well maintained it is during the winter months (if it’s even open during the winter months).  But I will recommend it at least once for anybody visiting the zoo.

What’s a duck’s favorite animal at the zoo?

26 thoughts on “RIP Monorail”

  2. Rise and Play Duck, Duck, Grey Duck, Baboons,

    Who knows? My first thought was a duck would want to see baby ducks. Those babies are too cute for words. Or maybe a baby Woolly Mammoth from yesterday.

    My personal favorite is always the Siberian Tigers. Those big cats are fascinating. Years ago when my son and his cousin were 4 year old, energetic little boys, my mother and I visited the Zoo. In the petting zoo a goat climbed into my mother’s lap. I got a picture, and that picture appeared in the photo montage at Mom’s Memorial. That always gets a laugh.

    Last night Krista, Linda, and I saw Abraham Verghese, author of “Cutting for Stone” and “Covenant of Water” at Talking Volumes. He was such an interesting author to listen to. Kerry Miller executed a thorough, insightful interview. She reads the books!

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    2. It was such a great experience for me! Thanks Jacque and Linda!

      I do recommend reading “The Covenant of Water”. There are some tough places to get through in it, and it’s long, but in my opinion it’s worth it. Listening to the discussion helped my understanding of some of the situations in the book.

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  4. My daughter and sil miss the monorail but loved the trail. They too were surprised by all the water but loved all the water. One of the many things I will not see but wish I could.
    Clyde

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  5. How should I know? Do I look like a zoologist? 😉

    My WAG is any animal that could be considered a predator of the duck, because that’s one less creature to worry about. 🙂

    Chris in Owatonna

    *BSP* The fabulous Rustic Mamas’ Market, Fall version, happens tomorrow at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna, adjacent to the County Fairgrounds. Runs from 9-4. Dozens of vendors of all sorts, including me and my (now all four) award–winning books. :-0

    Tell your friends, spread the word, it’s a fabulously well-run event. Cocktails are available too! And if you come, be sure to ask me about the new award and my now-second favorite bird, the Trumpeter Swan. *END BSP*

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  6. Are there hippopotamuses at the Zoo? A hippo might make a nice sinking island for a duck.

    I think I would like the walking trail. I like to be outdoors and feel the air and smell all the smells and have unobstructed views.

    It’s raining steadily here this morning. It’s raining!

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    1. No hippos at the new zoo which is what I still call it even after almost 50 years. I think of the new zoo as the one with the exotic animals and the Como zoo as the one with the expected animals.

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  10. And as long as we’re on ducks, my favorite Ogden Nash:
    The Hunter

    “The hunter crouches in his blind
    ‘Neath camouflage of every kind
    And conjures up a quacking noise
    To lend allure to his decoys
    This grown-up man, with pluck and luck
    is hoping to outwit a duck”

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  13. thanks vs
    i love the zoo but havnt gone moch and hadn’t noticed that they retired my favorite feature in the monorail
    i’ll take the trail next time out
    tomorrow is luca’s first birthday so it may bet easier to take the three boys out there
    today it’s a bit of a task and locking two in a double stroller is the option that works best otherwise it’s like herding cats
    i miss pen pals
    great authors and always well done
    talking volumes and talk of the stacks have taken pen pals place for me although it’s been a while
    party on ladies

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