The Young and the Restless

Bearizona

The next morning we headed to Bearizona, a drive through animal park. It was another spot to check off my bucket list and another spot that exceeded my expectations. It was fun driving through trying to spot the different wildlife. The wolf and bear sections had signs strictly posted that you had to keep your windows up. So of course Jason who likes to bend the rules kept teasing me and trying to roll them down. I am a strict rule follower and did not find this the least bit funny. But the boys sure did. We drove through the bison area where Jason led the boys in a round of bison mating calls. He sure makes life fun sometimes. 

Ryder was just as entertained by his magnets that he chose for his souvenir from Jerome. He gets obsessive about little trinkets and souvenirs and can't go on living another day without them. Then after day three they are completely forgotten and spend a sad life in his treasure drawer. 

 

They also have a walk through zoo. Ryder was very excited about the red fox, apparently it has become his favorite animal since watching an episode of Wild Kratts. They were really cute. The next favorite were the chickens. Yes, the chickens. Of all the exotic animals, they were most excited about chasing the chickens around the barn yard. The panther was the next runner up, mostly because they had just watched Marvel's Black Panther. 

We grabbed lunch at Williams. A little town that takes full advantage of residing along the historic Route 66. It was a cute town, albeit a little overkill on the Route 66 merchandise. 

From there we headed to Watson Lake. I can't believe we have lived in Arizona for 15 years and I am just learning about this place. Jayden went there this summer for scout camp and after seeing pictures I knew we had to go. It is such an incredibly beautiful lake lined with granite dells that made for the best playground. The boys loved scrambling up boulders and creating their own parkour course. We could have spent hours here. But someone had to poop. Which has become a familiar theme over the years.

 

We grabbed some ice cream in Prescott. It's such a cute little town, but time and rain made our trip cut short. It was good to make it back to Kylie and Jayden, I like having everyone sleeping under the same roof. They did good and were responsible for their first time sleeping home alone. Besides the 45 minutes I spent in a panic because I couldn't get a hold of them. I was texting the neighbor to go check on them when Kylie finally called me back. A 9 pm nap and Fortnite were to blame for my anxiety attack. They had fun with friends and we had such a fun time with the little guys, it was a great way to spend Labor Day weekend!