Flagstaff Day 3- 5/30/12

Today is wildlife day! We have not seen too much wildlife besides the occasional squirrel at our campground so it is going to be exciting to see some animals. We started off our day heading into Williams to visit Bearizona which is a drive through wildlife park. I have been a little bit skeptical of this place but decided to give it a chance. It turned out to be really neat! The first 2 miles you drive around the park which is a very natural setting since it is in the forest. You get to see wolves, bighorn sheep, bison, and Megan's favorite…the black bear. There were some burros that came right up to our window that we had a hard time getting rid of. There were a lot of bears to see but they were mostly napping and lounging around. Most of these animals we have seen in the wild but it was cool to see them so up close. After the drive, they have a walk through place with smaller animals. So, we got out and saw some other animals. The cutest were a group of 9 baby cubs that were only a few months old. They were only 5 or so feet away from us and they were so adorable! There was also a little petting area or farm where you could interact with goats, pigs, and chickens. We also took in a birds of prey show where they had owls and falcons that flew directly over our heads. The owl's wing even hit my hat it was so close! So, Bearizona is a very nice place where they have great exhibits and animals that have been rescued from the wild due to injury or other condition that would not enable them to survive in the wild.

 A burro that wouldn't leave our car!

 A bear in the drive through section of Bearizona.

A cub in the walk through or fort area of Bearizona.

Next place was all about Leah. Her favorite animal is the deer so a must stop was the Grand Canyon deer farm in Williams as well. Right when you walk in, you are barraged with deer waiting to get at the food pellets you have waiting for them. There must be 2 dozen deer there ready to attack it seemed to me. They especially loved eating Leah's shirt which she found delightful and disgusting all at the same time. Leah was in total heaven with a grin on her face the entire time. She named a few of them and gave lots of hugs and kisses to them. They also had some other animals including llamas, bison, burros and horses. The kids got to feed the horses some carrots at the end and really enjoyed that. So, the deer farm lived up to Leah's expectations and she was not at all disappointed to be able to interact with that many deer. It was a lot of fun for her and a joy to her Mommy to see her so happy.

 Leah was so excited just at the entrance of the deer farm!

After that it was back to camp for some rest and relaxation, including a nap…ahhhh! After relaxing I decided to explore a trail I had noticed yesterday that was right off of our campsite. It is called the Arizona Trail. After doing some research, I learned it is a trail that runs through Arizona from Mexico to Utah and is about 800 miles long. Right at our campsite was a section of this trail and I was so excited to do some trail running on it. So I ventured out on my own and got a little trail running in and imagined people who actually complete the entire 800 miles…what a feat! I got freaked out though quickly as it was quite remote there in the forest and when I came upon a lone hiker I decided to turn around. I am glad I did it though and can say I have traveled part of the Arizona Trail. The night ended with a great feast at the grill, smores, and more games. What a great trip this was. And yes, I can say that now I love Flagstaff…I can imagine us coming right back to this exact campsite again and again. Until the next adventure!

 The dandelion meadow by our campsite.

Lily had the most fun of all!