For centuries, when man has needed to make his way across the desert, he's chosen the noble, water-conserving camel as a mode of transportation.

For assignment #73 in the 365 Things to Do in Memphis, you're going to ride a camel, albeit in a much less arid climate: the Memphis Zoo.

From now until October 31, you can take a ride atop a camel at in the Zoo's new Camel Excursion area. The zoo has four camels available for rides - Crockett the Rocket, Mickey, Luke and Cotton.

I got to ride Crockett, the largest of the camels (that's him in the picture above). He's tall, so I had to climb the stairs to a platform before I could climb aboard. I chose a side of Crockett's hump to sit on and the friendly zoo staff member buckled the side of the handle bar basket closed.

Check out the view:

And then we were off, albeit slowly. Crockett and I were lead on a slow loop around a large, sandy enclosure. The ride was a little bumpy (probably because Crockett has such knobby, awkward legs) but it was fun. Once we had made a full loop, a staff member took my photo and Crockett and I were returned to the platform.

I chose to ride alone, but you don't have to. The larger camels (like Crockett) can carry up to 1,000 lbs. and the smaller camels can carry about 300 lbs. Rides are $5 per person, and they're appropriate for all ages.

Go there:

Camel Excursions

Through Oct. 31

$5 per person

Memphis Zoo