Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Aileen had read many reviews on the Out of Africa Wildlife park where people raved it was a must see while in Sedona.  So on Thursday we took the 30 min drive west to have a look.  We knew we should spend about 5 hours there in order to see all the shows and exhibits so we arrived there around 10:00am.  The great thing about the day is the park was not busy so we had easy access to everything and great seats on the tour shuttles.  Since seats were empty, we could easily switch from one side of the shuttle to the other to get better views and pictures of the animals.

We took a lot of up close pictures of reptiles and animals but I'll just show a few.  I think this park is quite popular since you can get up close to the animals.  I know when we visited the San Diego zoo many years ago, it was difficult to see or experience very much.  T

When we entered the line up area to get on the Safari Tour shuttle, they handed us each a stick of celery to feed the giraffe or camel we will meet.  As Aileen and I were waiting for other passengers to get on the shuttle, we noticed a women walk on chewing on the celery!  I guess she was hungry.  When the tour guide explained during her introduction that the celery was to feed the animals, the women was incredibly embarrassed.  It was a good laugh.

Aileen saved her celery for the giraffe!

Gerome the giraffe sticking his head in

Nice picture Aileen took of the giraffe against the sky

They will only let us feed the giraffes and camels as their technique in receiving the celery never involves teeth.  Unless you are familiar with feeding animals, your fingers could be mistaken for celery and be bitten off.  In the case of the giraffe, their tongues are long and work like our fingers.   So they actually wrap their tongue around the celery and pull it into their mouths.

The park would like to get a female mate for their giraffe but a female giraffe is worth more than $100,000.  To expensive for the park as it is privately owned.  A male is worth $35,000.  Why?  It is because females are the producers of baby giraffes.  The male part of the process can be Fed Ex'd from anywhere in the world...

You probably already know that the cheetah is the fastest land animal.  Cheetahs can reach a speed of 70 mph but can only sustain it for 10 or 12 seconds.  The Ostrich can run 55 mph for an incredible 30 minutes!  Apparently their brain is only about half the size of their eye ball so when they are getting chased by a Cheetah, after a few minutes they forget what they were running away from!

However, if you look at an ostrich's feet, they remind you of a raptor dinosaur's claws.  An ostrich can jump several feet high, kick out, and disembowel a large cat!

Ostriches also have no teeth.  So, they have an organ called a gizzard where they pick up and store 15lbs of rocks in.  The digestion process uses the rocks to grind the food.  The rocks are later passed.  I guess that's what chickens do as well since they have gizzards.

Ostrich

Ostrich's raptor-like feet.  Very dangerous!

Here is an African crested porcupine.  They are a little different than North American porcupines in that the African crested porcupines quills are solid and bladed where as the North American porcupine quills are hollow and barbed.  The African porcupines quills can pierce bone!  The porcupine runs backwards and sideways to attack their victim.  The quills themselves do not kill their victim but instead the quills oily nature attracts bacteria, dissolves in the skin, which infects and kills the victim.

African crested porcupine,  This porcupine is 17 years old.

Here are some watusi cattle.  They carry the heaviest horns in the animal kingdom and their width can get as wide as a telephone pole.  They can be up to 8 feet in length.

This is an addax, a type of antelope.  These were hunted not for their meat but for their spiral horns.  Due to over hunting, they are extremely rare in the wild.

Addax

Below is an Asian water buffalo.  An interesting thing about this creature is if you eat pizza in the US, you have probably eaten this animal's milk.  Since an Asian water buffalo's milk has higher fat content and is creamier, many producers use it to make Mozzarella cheese.

Asian water buffalo

Close up encounter with a Bengal tiger.

We had a lot of alone time with the tigers as their were few people around.  This one for some reason leaped at the fence at us.  Freaked Aileen out...

Another close up.  

We had a great day at the park.  I am quickly writing this blog this morning as it is our last day in Sedona.  We took a many, many, photos but I only included ones I remembered tid bits of information about.  We are going to head back to Phoenix and have lunch with Liam.  Then head back home.

Spiritual Sedona

Sedona has a world wide reputation for its spiritual energy.  This energy has attracted a large community of intuitives, guides, healers, and artists to the area.  Many visitors come here for spiritual and personal enrichment of their body and the soul.  I must admit, Sedona has a calming vibe to it.

Sedona is also known for its vortexes. Scientifically, a vortex is the funnel shape created by a whirling fluid or by the motion of spiraling energy.  Examples of vortex shapes are whirlwinds, tornadoes, and water going down a drain. A vortex can be made up of anything that flows, such as wind, water, or electricity.

The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. There are four main energy vortexes in Sedona.  All of Sedona is in a vortex and the energy can be felt up to 300 miles away.  Of course it is strongest at the vortex itself. Some can feel vortexes.  Most cannot.  I did not feel anything myself unless I drink a beer.  Then I feel the vortex.  Apparently you can identify areas where the vortex is strong since the Juniper trees grow in a spiral pattern indicating the spin of the vortex.  We saw this on a tour!  Our tour guide thought perhaps it was the iron content in the rock and the iron content in our blood that interacted to make people sense an energy vortex.  Who knows?

For more information on spiritual Sedona and vortexes, click here.

If you want vortex information.  Stop here!

Aileen and I visited the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park.  It is located right within Sedona.  You travel through some upscale neighborhood streets, pull into a small parking lot, walk up the hill, and arrive at the stupa.  This stupa gets its name from Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless Light,

There are many descriptions for what a stupa represents but it seems it is a sacred Buddhist structure that represents Buddha's body and is the path to enlightenment.  They are filled with prayers, intentions, Buddha relics, and other sacred objects. Within the Amitabha Stupa there is a relic from Buddha Shakyamuni.  I think that means there are remains or bones of the Buddha in the stupa.  Stupas are very common in the East but not very common in the West.

For some excellent information on the Amitabha Stupa, click here.

The sign suggests walking around the stupa 3 times while making personal wishes as well as prayers for the suffering in the world.  Aileen and I both walked around the stupa wishing the best for Liam at school, our family and friends, and to eliminate suffering in the world.  I found the walk very peaceful!

For a video of us walking the path to the stupa, click here.

The Amitabha stupa.  It is 36 feet tall.

The Amitabha Stupa

I thought I'd spend some time sitting with Buddha.

As well as the Buddhist stupa, Aileen and I visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It has an interesting history as well. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built into one of the cliffs surrounding Sedona. It was inspired and commissioned by a local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude.  In 1932 Marguerite was inspired by the newly constructed Empire State Building and therefore wanted to build the church. She originally wanted to build the church in Budapest, Hungary (not sure what the connection to Hungary is here) but it was aborted due to the outbreak of World War II. She decided to build the church locally here in Sedona.

When Marguerite began searching for a site to build the church, she looked for "signs" to help her find a location.  She finally settled on a location where she saw 3 rock formations that resembled two nuns and the Mother Mary with child.  In addition, Marguerite's parents were involved in the pharmacy business and she saw a white "Rx" symbol on one of the rocks.  This symbol was probably left as a cattle brand by previous ranchers many years ago.  The chapel was built right above it.

The two nuns on the right and Mother Mary with child on the left

View of church on the cliff.  You can see the two nuns and Mary on the right.  I had to borrow this picture from the Internet as I didn't have a photo taken from this angle.

A view from the chapel

Another view from the chapel

 Aileen lit a couple candles.  I am thinking Aileen just likes to play with fire and doesn't really care about the candles.  It was nice to see they weren't commercialized and charge an arm and a leg for a candle.  Only a dollar each!  I think Mexico was 5 or 10 dollars...

A look inside the chapel

This house is located below the chapel.  There is a lot of speculation on who owns it from Johnny Depp to Nick Cage.  However, our tour guide said it is owned by a Romanian doctor who invented lasik vision!

Another day ended with an IPA from Chandler, AZ!

Oh, before I go here is something random.  While in Phoenix at the local Safeway, they have covered parking that generates electricity for households!  The sun is brutal on cars.  I commented to Aileen that many cars have sun burn.  Oxidized patches of paint on hoods and roofs.  If you ever want to test products for sun resistance, this is the place to do it.  Where plug ins for block heaters are coveted in Saskatchewan parking lots, covered parking is coveted in Arizona!

Sedona has some very strict rules for businesses.  They must all blend in with the natural surroundings.  McDonald's wanted to open a restaurant but Sedona council said no yellow signs.  McDonalds didn't like that and waited it out for a year before they came back and suggested blue arches with no large signage out front.  It is the only McDonalds in the world without yellow arches!

Notice there is no indication that this is a McDonalds.  Just the logo.

Tlaquepaque Art Village

Our resort is located approximately 4 km outside Sedona.  It is a small self contained community and very peaceful here.  Each unit is separate with a deck.  Aileen calls our place the "little caboose".  They are long and narrow resembling the layout of a trailer.  The front part is the living room and the back is the bedroom with a double bed (small when you are used to a Queen).  The middle is the kitchen (with stove, fridge, dishwasher, and large convection oven microwave) and bathroom area.  They are quite cozy.  We debated whether we could live in one of these when we down size.  It would take getting used to!  You would need to be efficient in how you use the space.  Aileen and I took turns being in the kitchen!  She let me use it to clean everything up.

The units are well stocked with everything you would need in a home.  Along with the regular stuff, some things were unexpected - iron and ironing board, toilet plunger, fly swatter, mixing bowls, mixer, flashlight, casserole dish, juice jug, laundry basket.  They seem to have thought of everything.  I used the fly swatter to get rid of some moths Aileen let in.

I started the morning with this home made breakfast.  Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and coffee.  Delicious!  Yes, I know.  The presentation could be a bit better.  I screwed up the eggs a little...  They were supposed to be over easy but it is not easy to do over easy!

Here is me working on the blog!  You get to see a bit of our unit's living room as well.  Aileen is standing in the kitchen taking this picture.  Go Leafs Go!  That shirt is about 25 years old that my Mom gave me.

Blogging at the kitchen table

After breakfast Aileen and I visited the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village (Pronounced tuh-la-kuh-pah-kee). It was built in the 1970's by a Nevada businessman (Abe Miller) but when you walk around the village, it seemed much older (perhaps 100 years old).  Abe's dream was to create a village in Sedona reflecting the flavor, sights and sounds of Old Mexico.  

For more detailed information on the history of Tlaquepaque, click here.

A view of Tlaquepaque village

Below is a small chapel within the village where small wedding ceromonies can be held.  The seating capacity is 30 people but another 15 chairs can be added at the back.  The mural at the back is interesting.

Chapel at Tlaquepaque

Close up of mural.

Mural close up

I met an old friend at Tlaquepaque. Great to see you again Sam. I was in the area so I thought I'd drop by. Good job on the writing. Interesting stories.

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) just people watching

For a video of us walking through Tlaquepaque click here. It might give you a little sense of what it was like!

Later we enjoyed some ice cream while viewing the mountains.  Sedona is surrounded by mountains and cliffs of red rock with very interesting shapes and structures.  The red is due to a high iron oxide content in the rocks.

I had one scoop of excellent coffee ice cream.

Mmmmmmm

It was a slow day but it ended well with this Odell IPA from Fort Collins, Colorado!

Ahhhhhhh

Oak Creek Canyon - Williams, Arizona - Route 66

 ♫Well I'm a-runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load
I've got seven women on my mind
Four that want to own me, two that want to stone me
One says she's a friend of mine
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand, and take it easy♫

♫Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose and we may win, though we will never be here again
So open up I'm climbin' in, so take it easy♫

Listen to the Eagles here.

On our first day in Sedona we decided to check out the resort's swimming pool where we met an older couple.  They told us all about the Sedona area and recommended we go to Williams, AZ as it was a quaint little western town.  Since we were looking for something to do, we decided to take the hour and 15 minute drive which also passed through Flagstaff, AZ.

I really wanted to stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and get Aileen to take a picture of me but Winslow was in the opposite direction of Williams and it was a bit further than we wanted to go.

The road out of Sedona towards Flagstaff runs along Oak Creek Canyon.  The road is a bit treacherous with several hair pin turns and 15 mph zones.  There were many points on the route where you would be going a long way down into the canyon if you run off the road.  It would be like those dreams you have when you feel like your falling.... Freaky!

We stopped at a view point in the canyon and the scenery was gorgeous. Oak Creek Canyon is thought of as the smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon.  At one point we were at 7600 feet in elevation.  Aileen can always tell when we are at a high elevation because she gets Fred Flintstone feet (her feet swell).  Sedona's elevation is around 4500 feet.  We don't have to worry about altitude sickness but a tour guide told us that we should drink more water while out on walks to get used to the elevation.  I read on the internet that above 7000 feet is where it is possible for some people to experience high altitude symptoms.

US Forestry shack at Oak Creek Canyon

Some info on altitude sickness

Canyon View.  Happened to catch Jackie Onassis there....

Looking down into the canyon.  Unfortunately the camera doesn't show depth too well.  It felt like standing on a sky scraper looking onto the ground below.  Not good for persons afraid of heights!

You can see the road spiraling up the canyon (3 sections).  These are where the hair pin turns are.

To view a video of Oak Creek Canyon click here.

Flagstaff was a bust.  There was not much to see there.  Apparently there is an observatory in Flagstaff but since it was in the day we figured it would not be useful to go there.  We walked around the old section of town which had some interesting stores and places to eat but in general Aileen felt it did not have much character and that it was kind of a "dump".  So cross Flagstaff off your bucket lists!

Williams, AZ was founded in 1881 and is known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon.  The Grand Canyon National Park is about an hour and a half away.  Williams was named in honor of a well known mountain man in the area - Bill Williams.  Williams still has buildings that were built in 1892 (Grand Canyon Hotel) and 1894 (Williams Court House).

Since it is also on the famed and historic Route 66, there are a lot of shops and places to eat that have the Route 66 theme.  I had heard of Route 66 but never knew its significance.  It was the main highway of America before the Interstate highway system and stretch from Santa Monica to Chicago.  It was established in 1926.

For more info on Route 66, click here

Map of US showing Route 66

Get your kicks on Route 66

Some cool neon signs on Williams main street (Route 66)

Aileen and I had lunch at Cruisers.  I had a half rack of BBQ pork ribs with coleslaw and Aileen had a burger and fries.  The men's washroom was weird.  The toilet stall just had an old tail gate from a pick up truck shielding you from view.  Anyone could walk around the tail gate and in on you while you are doing your business.

Lunch at Cruisers

It was a random day with no real plans but turned out pretty well.  We saw some great scenery and learned a few things about Arizona history and Route 66.

Hello From Arizona!

♫ Rain dripping off the brim of my hat

It sure seems cold today.

And here I am'a walkin down sixty-six

Wish she hadn't done me that way ♫

♫Sleeping under a table at a road side park
A man could wake up dead
But it sure seems warmer than it did
Sleepin in our king size bed ♫

♫Is anybody goin to San Antone
Or Pheonix Arizona
Anyplace is alright as long as I
Can forget I've ever known her ♫

Listen to Charlie Pride here. 

Hello Everyone!  We are on Day 11 of our vacation and it has been a hectic time getting Liam settled at his new school.  I finally have some quiet time to write a blog entry so here it goes.  Grab some coffee, go to the bathroom, because it is a long one.

We started out two Fridays ago (Aug 19) on our road trip to Arizona.  We left early to get a good start but those plans were stymied by a friendly US border agent at the NEXUS line.  

Border Agent: What's the plan? 

Me: We are going to Phoenix.

Border Agent:  Take this slip and go over there.  Make sure you go in the NEXUS line for faster service.

Me:  Oh, thank you.

I tried to find some parking but the spaces were full so I back tracked and ended up going the wrong way.  A border agent saw me and gave me the WTF look.  I of course was very polite and said I was trying to turn around because the parking was full.  He turned out to be nice as well and opened up some more parking for us.  You don't want to upset border agents as they can make your life difficult.

It was a compliance check.  We had so much stuff in our car for Liam.  I hated the thought of everything getting pulled out.  Plus Aileen is known to forget about miscellaneous fruit contraband that we could get busted for.  We have smuggled a few things into the USA due to her forgetfulness.  We were first in line for NEXUS.  The regular line was huge and not moving.  It will take a couple hours for those people to get through.  We only waited about 15 minutes when an agent came over and asked us if we had anything to declare.  I said "Nope".  He asked for my car keys and told us to hang out in the waiting area.  About 10 minutes later he says, "You can go.  Have a great day".  I don't think he even looked in our car.   As I am walking out the door the agent says, "I think you'll be needing these" and hands me my keys.  Okay, I was a little anxious to get out of there.  We lost almost an hour in travel time but we felt thankful for an easy inspection process.

We had three choices for routes to Phoenix.  As you can see in the map below they each vary in duration by about an hour or so with the I5 through California being the longest.  We have traveled the I5 California route at least 6 or 7 times previously.  Since we were supposed to check into our resort in Phoenix on Saturday, we only had two days to reach our destination.  We debated whether we should go with familiarity (I5 through California) or the shorter route (through Nevada).  Although we chose the shortest route through Nevada, unfamiliarity ended up costing us time.  I somehow missed the turn just outside of Seattle to head towards Idaho. Since I missed the turn Aileen and I wondered if we should just continue on the I5 through California (longest route).  Turning back towards the quicker route through Idaho might cost us the time we would have saved anyway!  Looking on the GPS we discovered a road that cut across to the Idaho route and it would only cost us 20 minutes.  Since we really wanted to experience a different route, we decided to cut over.  

Our new route showed us a completely different side of Washington than we are used to. Southeast Washington is very agricultural and reminded us a lot of the growing areas of California.  Lush orchards and vineyards covered the rolling hills.  This must be where all of the Washington wines are produced! 

The highlighted route represents our path. As you can see, I made another wrong turn at Twin Falls, Idaho which cost us more time. Instead of going through Utah, we should have taken the middle route to Las Vegas. This would be the shorter route. Oh well. We have never been to Utah.

Hey, there's Mt. Rainier! Did you know it is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington?  Also, Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of its large amount of glacial ice.   Mt. Rainier could potentially produce massive lahars that could threaten the entire Puyallup River valley, and poses a grave threat to sections of Seattle, (650,000 people).

A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley.

Lahars are extremely destructive: they can flow tens of metres per second (22 mph or more), be 140 metres (460 ft) deep, and destroy any structures in their path. Notable lahars include those at Mount Pinatubo and Nevado del Ruiz, the latter of which killed thousands of people.

The word lahar is the Javanese term for "flowing lava".

(Above trivia copied from Wikipedia)

I guess a lahar could happen if Mt. Rainier became active, melted the glacial ice, and then started a flow down the mountain towards the towns.

We decided to stop for lunch in a one horse town called Cle Elum, WA at a place called the Red Caboose.

Cle Elum - Main Street - A one horse town.  But they do have several cars.

Good eats at The Caboose!

Two guys making a street deal right on Cle Elum's main street!.  They have real nerve.  Pssst, hey buddy, got any Texas long horns?  Well YES I do!

It was about 10:30 pm when we reached Burley, Idaho.  We decided to stay the night and continue our journey tomorrow.  We had already put in a 15 hour day.  Unfortunately a call to several hotels indicated the town was full.  No beds left.  What do we do?  We decided to have dinner at Denny's as it was the only place open.  We then hit the road again.  

While travelling in the night, we saw a blood red full moon.  Really cool.  I have never seen one before.  I tried to take a picture but the camera would not deal with the darkness of the night and brightness of the moon.  However, Aileen took the video below while we were driving.  It shows the moon low in the sky.  The moon was much bigger and impressive later on in the drive but this gives you an idea of what we saw.

For video, click here.

One thing great about America is they are really set up for automobile travelers.  The interstate highways have frequent opportunities for food and gas and the highways are all divided.  You never have to worry about where your next available gas station is as there is usually one available within a short distance.  When we traveled the Trans Canada last summer to Regina, we found we were always checking our gas since the next station could be many kilometers away.  Also, the interstate highways have rest stops where you can sometimes get free coffee.  There are vending machines as well.  Many truckers and travelers park at them to sleep.  

It was around 1:30 am and my eyes were getting droopy so we stopped at a rest stop, parked the car, reclined the seats, and fell asleep. After a couple hours we went back on the road. An hour and a bit later another rest stop appeared so we stopped again. This rest stop was darker so we had another sleep. I woke up around 6:30 am and started on the road again. Aileen didn't even know we changed rest stops. "What? you went to a second rest stop?" "Yea, you were snoring". Fun fact: I didn't see any potatoes in Idaho.

The speed limit was 80 MPH for most of the trip!

5 MPH over.  Should be okay....

Welcome to Utah!  

Fun fact:  I didn't  see any Mormons in Utah.  

After traveling through 5 states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona) we finally arrived at the Camelback Resort in Scottsdale around 8:00 pm.  If we had taken the route we originally intended to take, we would have traveled through Nevada instead of Utah.  We had a quick dinner at The Grille, the Camelback Resort's restaurant.  

On one of the days we were at the Camelback, a huge windstorm came upon us.  They cleared the pool and told us to go inside.  As you can see in the photo below, the mountains in the back are hard to see.  The next photo shows the same mountains on a clear day.  As you can see, the wind blew the car over one parking space (ha ha).  Wind storms are generated by twisters in the plains outside of the city.  They then generate momentum to create a dust storm.  They are common here. 

We had to take a picture of this sign.  McGuire is Aileen's Mom's maiden name.  I wonder if the town is wild like the McGuires....

Well that's it for now.  Hope you are all doing great.  We are in Sedona now.  It is an interesting place full of vortex's, psychics, crystals, artists, new agers, and visitors.  It receives 4 million visitors a year.  It is like Whistler.  An expensive resort town.  In my next entry, I'll tell you more about Sedona and where we are staying.  Take care everyone!