After leaving the Grand Canyon, we had a beautiful morning to drive down to Sedona. Near Flagstaff, beautiful 12,633’ Humphreys Peak, the highest point of the San Francisco Peaks and part of Arizona’s highest mountain range, greeted us with its first snow cap of the season.
Electing to zoom down I-17 south rather than slowly down the curvy scenic and gorgeous 89A, we arrived at Out of Africa Wildlife Park (Exit 287), south of Sedona and just out of Camp Verde, in time for the Tiger Splash show. We had a good lunch and waited on very uncomfortable cement seats (I finally sat on one of the few 
benches at the encouragement of another grandmother) to watch not two but only one tiger play with the handlers. It started late and only lasted about a half hour. It was entertaining but not as much as it would have been with two tigers. However, if I had still been sitting on the cement, I would have been glad it was over. Even young Becca found the seats uncomfortable.
We were scheduled for and had tickets for the Unimog ride through the animal enclosures. They had quite a variety of healthy-looking animals but many elected to stay inside their dwelling places because it was hot and I couldn’t blame them. I don’t do well with heat either. We had been given snacks for the giraffes and they appreciated them, entertaining us all with their ability to so gently remove the snacks from our hand
s with their amazingly long and agile tongues. I thought the camel was going to eat Becca’s hand but alas, she survived. The kids all got a kick out of feeding them. Some of the animals were more aggressive than others and we were warned not to stick our fingers out but to lay the treats on our open hands.
This wildlife park was moved from somewhere east of Phoenix a few years ago. The terrain is a som
ewhat hilly, very dusty desert setting that has been here for several years now. Families with little kids were having a great time, me, not so much. It was partly because I don’t do well with heat and maybe I was expecting more like a zoo rather than a wildlife park. I think Becca enjoyed it to a degree but when I suggested, “Let’s blow this pop stand,” she didn’t disagree. If we hadn’t gotten half price admission tickets from the Internet, I would have been disappointed. As it was, we found our hotel in Sedona and I’ll tell you about that next week. God Bless until next week.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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