A well, a crater and bears...OH MY!

I didn't have very far to go for my first sightseeing destination of the day when I left Camp Verde this morning. It was sunny and just a little cool, which was just perfect for me. Yesterday, I visited Montezuma's Castle, and this morning, it was Montezuma Well. Despite being located in a desert environment, the well is constantly replenished by water bubbling up from its bottom. And, it never overfills due to an outlet that flows into the adjacent Beaver Creek. I spent a leisurely hour walking along the half mile loop trail. It was so peaceful...only two other people were there so early in the morning.

There were several ancient dwellings located along the wall of the well, down below at the water's edge and along the top edge. There was also some graffiti from people who had visited the site back in the late 1800s.

Another hour and a half later, I arrived at the Meteor Crater. This crater is the best preserved...as well as the largest...meteor impact site in the world. I guess that's why if someone says they visited the Meteor Crater, there is no mistaking it for some other one.

Even though there was a guided rim tour included in the price of admission, I wanted to have time to thoroughly enjoy my final destination of the day... Bearizona Wildlife Park!

This wildlife park is a combination drive-thru and walk-thru facility. I've only been to one similar drive-thru park and it had mostly African animals. This place specializes in North American species, big and small. I started things off with the drive-thru area, encountering some reindeer and mule deer.

Then, it really got exciting when I saw a timber wolf and bears! LOTS of bears! Black bears to exact, and running free. They make sure you keep your vehicle's windows closed and doors locked when driving through the wolf and bear sections. I thought it was rather amusing to see a kaibab squirrel helping itself to some of the bears' pumpkin treats.

The walk-thru area was somewhat small, but they had some beautiful animals. Here are photos of swift and red foxes, badger and bobcat.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading over to Sin City...Las Vegas! I'll only be there for one day and night, but I'm looking forward to a little fun. At least, I'm hoping it will be fun when I hit the slots. Losing all my money is NOT fun!