Bearizona - Bears in Arizona

So we're rolling down the Interstate across Arizona.  The scenery and the clouds are just beautiful.  I keep asking myself, are we really going to live in Arizona, the desert southwest, the Mojave!  Well, yes, for at least three months anyway.

There aren't a lot of billboards out here. (Thank you very much.) But occasionally I see one talking about Bearizona.  That's a weird name.  It takes me a few billboards to get comfortable with it.  Seems it's one of those wildlife parks where you drive through - with your windows rolled up I hope!

We've been making excellent time, and I for one would really like to stretch my legs a bit.  I see another billboard, and I decide, what the heck, I'll see if Granpa will stop.  He checks his watch and the mileage left until we reach Kingman.  He says, why not, and we exit.  Now, the "why not" is always contingent on how many miles off the highway someplace is.  We are both amazed to discover it's right next to the Interstate.  Irresistible, eh.

I love the wood carving at the entrance. (Don't miss noticing the fish in the scene!)  There's no welcome center - just pull up and pay your money.  So much for stretching my legs.  Hmm.  The price is a bit much for my liking, but we're here, and I do love those bears...

The first thing we see are Dahl sheep.  (Now, their sign said "Doll" sheep, but I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that they just did that so tourist would know how to pronounce their name.  We first came across these guys in the Canadian Rockies.  There's no mistaking them for domestic sheep or Big Horn sheep or any other kind of sheep.  These are definitely Dahl's.)

There is a veritable flock of these guys, including babies.

Next it says we will see burros.  A tourist may think this is a burro, but seeing as we have one at home, we know better.  (Geez, you just can't trust anybody these days!) It's known as a Crucifix donkey because of the markings across the shoulder and down the spine look like a cross.

Our Mordecai is a much happier donkey that this guy!

This, however, is a burro:

We cross a gated cattle gap and search for the next animal.  What's that under the pile of fallen timbers?  It's a wolf!!  Do you see it? A white wolf !!  Christopher, our youngest son, had a white wolf.  (Didn't fit too well with our flock of chickens and guineas when he came to visit - but he was a way cool "dog!") 

Whisper had yellow eyes, just like this guy.

As long as everyone's tummy is full I guess that you can get the lion to lay down with the lamb (or wolf with a sheep.)  But, just in case someone wants a midnight snack, Bearizona has super tall fencing and the gates that they close between species at night.  There is a whole pack of wolves here, not just this one.

(Are you gettin' tired of the pictures yet?  This placed is so amazing that we took a zillion of 'em.)

Next up, just to match the white wolves, we find white buffalo.  A whole bunch of 'em!  How'd they do that??  I thought white buffalo were super-rare.

 Granpa liked this picture the best.

They had the standard dark brown buffalo, too, but I just can't show you everything!  Next up:
Big Horn sheep.  There's no mistaking these guys either!  Again, there are lots more than what's in this picture - including babies.  There were babies of all the different species - I guess because this place has been here for three years and these guys (and gals) just keep reproducing.  Works for me!!

Ohhh.  It's bears you wanted to see!  We'll, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!  There are bears, bears and more bears - and a place to stretch my legs.  You can't call it all a petting zoo, though there is one in there.  But you really won't believe what comes next.  See you tomorrow!