Thanksgiving in Tucson, AZ

Visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

May, 1999

The Trip

There is a world-class museum/zoo in Tucson called the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It attracts visitors all year 'round and has many unique plants and animals. We visited there with Jessica and Kathleen. On the way, we went to Larry Wood's (brother in law) Rillito Nursery to see if any flowers were blooming.

Note the ugly, thin thorns.

I wish I knew what this is.

Panzies?

View of the Avra Valley from the Desert Museum.

The Tucson Mountains.

Mutant sagauro called a christate.

Grandfather Cactus with beards.

Part of the museum's outreach program.

Another view of the Avra Valley.

A mountain lion.

Mexican black bear.

Nest materials in sagauro.

Organ Pipe cactus.

Javalina on break. They are in the union.

Coyote pacing the perimeter of his cage.

Bird nest in a Golden Cholla bush.

Small Grandfather Cactus.

View of the backside of the Catalina Mountains from the parents home in Tucson.

Hunting dog we found out in the boondocks. He had lots of cholla in him, was very thirsty and quite lost. We did get her back to her owner the next day. He drove from Phoenix to get her. I am glad that we exerted the extra effort to reunite the dog with their owner. My buddy wanted to leave her there.

The Desert Museum is a good place to visit to learn about the desert. They have many unique exhibits and a good representation of animals from the area. While the practice of keeping animals in captivity, particularly big cats, is suspect, it is likely the only way you will ever see these animals at all.

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