Fort Verde, Africa: Make That Fort Verde Arizona

Having our daughters, Kasey & Jenna, here this week has been a real gift. We have had a great time seeing the best of Arizona and enjoying their company. Terrific fun in a hot Arizona sun.

Well, normally it's pretty hot here although for the last two days the temperatures have dropped about 20 degrees below normal. Still very nice and of course, still sunny.

Today we headed for the Out Of Africa park to see a wide variety of Africa's best wildlife: tigers, lions, pumas, panthers, giraffes, camels, grizzly bears, black bears, some kind of horned animal ending in 'bock', guinea fowls, zebras, tortoise, etc.

This area of Arizona high desert is a surprisingly good surrogate for Africa, right down to trees and shrubs that are related to Africa's acacia trees.

They have a number of events throughout the day including a Tiger Splash, a Serengeti Safari and a Predator Feeding. We organized our day to we could attend as many of these shows as possible.

The Tiger Splash was a hoot. A group of three handlers acted as 'bait', attempting to get the tigers to chase them into the pool. All went well, with the tigers giving chase as expected, following the men right to the pool.

The men jumped into the pool with the tigers in hot pursuit only to have the tigers stop at the edge of the pool. Being a little cool the tigers wanted nothing to do with the water. It took a good ten minutes of trying before the tigers jumped into the pool in the process of hunting/chasing the 'bait.

It was a lot of fun watching these grown men look kind of silly. It was also eye opening seeing just how fast and powerful these 400+ pound bundles of muscles really are. Turns out the handlers and tigers play, with the tigers withholding all of their power (and claws) because of the handler/tiger relationships.

On the other hand, the tigers attacked the toys the handlers teased them with with vigor. It gave you a glimpse of the power at their disposal. Once or twice we heard a growl that sent a shiver all the way down your spine. I can't imagine how our ancestors dealt with those sounds when they both shared the same home turf.

Easy to imagine in abstract terms; too frightening to think about in real life for any length of time. I mean, that tiger's roar literally vibrated through my body. Hard to describe the emotions it released. Nights must have seemed to last forever...

The Predator Feeding was pretty cool, watching the handlers heave huge pieces of meat into the lion's pens. They did a good job of separating the lions somewhat, keeping the lion-on-lion fighting to a minimum.

Some of the animal exhibits/parks we've been to left you feeling pretty sad for the animals, usually kept in relatively small cages/pens. Not here. They had pretty large areas for the animals to roam plus the animals appeared to be well cared for. Well fed and clearly loved. It was great seeing some of the handler/animal relationships.

At the end of the day we took a ride through the 'Serengeti Safari' where we had a chance to feed the giraffes and camels plus see a wide variety of animals that we were warned against feeding.

Especially the zebras, which are notorious biters. Try to pet/feed a zebra and you'll end up with less fingers than you started with... not fun.

All in all a great day. Made even better by being able to share it with Kasey & Jenna. Too cool.

Tomorrow we head back south to the Phoenix area because the girls fly out of Sky Harbor Tuesday evening. We'll miss them.

Before they go we hope to go indoor skydiving, which is offered by a company in Phoenix. Stay tuned.

See Ya!

Sedona, Arizona: Red Bluffs, Pink Jeeps, and Orange Prickly Pear Cactus

What a great day, most of which we spent in Sedona. After a great breakfast in Cottonwood at Georgia's Diner, we headed off to Sedona.

One of the best ways to see Sedona's incredible variety of cliffs, bluffs, buttes and mountains is via a jeep. Jeeps allow you to get to many of the areas completely inaccessible by car. Not to mention the fun of off-roading in a jeep!

At the Visitor Center we were told there was no way we would be able to go on the Pink Jeep Tour as they were sold out due to the holiday weekend. Never the less, MLA called the Pink Jeep Tour people and they informed her they just had a cancellation on one of their most popular tours, the Broken Arrow Extreme Tour.

We didn't know what they meant by 'extreme' but it didn't really matter. That was the only opening and if we wanted to go with the Pink Jeep Tour folks that was our only choice. Of course, we immediately accepted.

It couldn't have worked out any better. We scooted across the street, paid our money, loaded up on water for the ride and had a few minutes to peruse the Pink Jeep Tour gift shop. Then we were off on the Broken Arrow Extreme ride. This ride was 95% off road through some of the toughest trails in the area and takes you to some of the best views of Sedona available.

And by the way, 'extreme' means off road, and many times completely off the trail. What a blast!

Our driver was Shane, and he did a great job of driving, explaining the flora and fauna as well as spending a few minutes describing the geology. Just the right blend of facts and humor.

Two hours later we pulled into the lot of the Pink Jeep Tour company. We spent some time shopping on Sedona's main street --too little time for Jenna & MLA; too much time as far as Kasey & I were concerned.

By then we had worked up quite an appetite. Our original plan of driving back to Camp Verde (35 minutes away) quickly evolved into getting 'a little something to hold us over' to 'let's just have dinner here in Sedona' once we found the Cowboy Club restaurant. Their specialty is Prickly Pear French Fries, Snake Bites, and Buffalo Burgers.

Everything was great however the Prickly Pear French Fries were especially good with the chili hot sauce. OK, the snake bites were a little chewy; waiter said something about a national shortage of rattlesnake meat and they substituted python. Definitely not a python fan.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Montezuma's Castle and the Out Of Africa animal exhibit.

See Ya!

Camp Verde, Arizona: Welcome To The Bull Bash!

We have a tourist map where Sedona, Arizona bills itself as the most beautiful place on earth. Wow. Nice to see they don't let modesty get in the way of promoting the place. Sedona is a seriously beautiful place, located in the heart of Red Rock Country. While I wouldn't agree Sedona is THE most beautiful place on earth, I'd easily agree it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

We are staying in Camp Verde, which is about 30 minutes from Sedona. The campground in Sedona we wanted to stay in was completely full this weekend. Apparently this is a three-day holiday weekend. MLA and I can barely keep track of what day of the week it is yet alone is it a holiday weekend. This is the first time in a long time we were not able to get into the park of our choice.

So we ended up in Camp Verde at a really nice small campground that has shade trees, grass, and a small stream. Since we are in the desert most of the campgrounds around here are big open fields, sometimes paved, sometimes not. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than staying in a big parking lot under a hot baking sun. And yet some people think that's the ideal place to camp. Pleeeease!

This weekend just happens to be the 52nd Annual Fort Verde Days in downtown camp Verde. So of course we headed over there this evening to check things out. It's a really charming small town carnival/fair that features a "Bull Bash" .

What's a Bull Bash you ask? Well, when I asked one old timer what a Bull Bash was he explained that it is a bull riding competition for kids. He went on to say they have just about ruined it compared to the old days. Today the kids wear helmets, protective padding and the bulls horns have been 'modified' to prevent injury to the kids.

The old timer explained that in his day, you rode the bull and you 'took your lumps' if you wanted to win. Really nice guy except for his desire to see small children carried around the ring on the horns of a bull....

Seriously, you meet some of the most interesting people as you travel this country.

And apparently we arrived too late for the BLM's (Bureau of Land Management's) Wild Horse and Burro Auction. Too bad, I've been looking for a good deal on a burro or two. Given the price of fuel, MLA and I may need an alternative means of transportation.

I did manage to win a stuffed animal at the carnival. You should have seen the crushed looks on the faces of all of those young kids I beat to win the top prize. Hey, they have to learn sometime it's a tough world out there.... just look at the stock market.

Tomorrow we will explore some of the National Monuments and State Parks in the area as we head over to Sedona. Hope to get some interesting sunset picture of Red Rock Country... we'll see.

See Ya!

Grand Canyon, Arizona: South Rim

Today we spent time exploring and hiking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Photographs simply do not capture the majesty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon (and yet I still took a lot of pictures).

Most people understand and appreciate the fact the Grand Canyon is wide and deep; it takes your breath away when you first approach the canyon rim and see the earth simply drop away in front of you. Over a mile deep, up to 20 miles wide in places, the size of this hole in the earth hits you right between the eyes. Then the colors and complexity of the main canyons and side canyons begins to enter your thoughts.

The whole time you can't help wondering how a river only a hundred yards or so wide could carve such an immense and deep hole in the ground. Plus you realize the mighty Colorado river carved this canyon for over 220 miles. It's impossible to fully comprehend how the river could carve something this massive.

Mary Lynn, Kasey, Jenna and I had the opportunity to get as close as possible to the edge of this giant chasm. Incredibly steep canyon walls fall away from you. In some areas the rock you are standing on is undercut slightly; you actually stand on a point of rock that projects out over the canyon.

Of course, there's something in human nature that calls you to get closer to the edge, just to see how high you are or how steep the fall would be if you fell. Over and over again you see people irresistibly drawn to the edge.

MLA tells me there's no way she would have survived bring the kids to the Grand Canyon when they where young. All of them (almost all kids for that matter) are fearless, pushing themselves to get closer. Add a little adolescent clumsiness and maybe an unpredictable wind and you have a real recipe for disaster.

In fact, many books are written (and sell briskly) about people who were killed at the Grand Canyon when they went beyond the safety barriers or marked paths.



We had a great day there and enjoyed every minute. We discussed coming back and rafting the Colorado through the canyon. There are trips that last from 1-3 weeks. I suggested two weeks as a compromise however MLA said she would be willing to 'rough it & camp under the stars' for a week max. Still, a weeks better than no trip at all.

Tomorrow we move to Sedona, one of MLA's favorite places in the US (so far).



See Ya!

Phoeniz, AZ: Arizona State University Campus Cruising

The weather here in Phoenix is beautiful. Technically we are in Tempe however it just seems like Phoenix. Especially when all of the surrounding communities blend with one another. The only way to know you have moved from one city/community to another is to look carefully for the signs along the road. Everything has grown together. Even Scottsdale & Phoenix have grown together. There used to be two separate communities but no more.

Regardless of any technical definition on which community are feet were touching, the weather transcends any lines on a map or signs by the road. It was perfect weather to relax and to enjoy the pool. This RV park is on the small size, as is the pool, however the water is cool & refreshing. I spent some time there last night and again this afternoon. Perfect. And the forecast for the rest of this week is for continued temperatures in the high 90's. Next week should return to temperatures in the mid-80's.

We drove around and through the campus of Arizona State University -- what a great campus. It's in the middle of Tempe, Arizona and the light rail system run right through the campus. Have not tried the light rail however it appears to be clean and well run. Best of all, some of the calls are specially designed to carry a bicycle so users can 'commute' from home to the rail terminal o work or where ever. Very cool!.

Picked up the girls from Sky Harbor International Airport around 9 pm Monday evening. It is so terrific to have them with us. On Tuesday we'll explore the Phoenix area before heading up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

See Ya!