Day 18: More desert fun!

January 7, 2010

It was another 'car' day. After breaking camp we headed to Tucson and the desert near the Saguaro National Park. It was amazing, with giant Saguaros as far as the eye could see. To me, with all of the cactus sticking straight up, it looked a little like nature giving us the finger from all directions, but my friends were not so sure. ;-)

We stopped for lunch in a quiet little picnic ground for peanut butter sandwiches and ample doses of blue desert sky. I snapped some pictures; it took some effort to NOT get a good shot.

On the way to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum we saw some interesting characters on bikes. One guy was riding without a jersey; we all decided he looked saggy and buff at the same time, though how that was possible I don't know? It would be an awesome place to ride, though it is hilly, and the roads are narrow.

The museum was really cool with some great exhibits of flora and fauna of the desert. I'm posting pictures of some of the animals. They are protected and well cared for but it is still hard to witness them in captivity, knowing they cannot roam free. Still, none of that changes their magnificence; it's hard not to be awed by their beauty. I like to think that their 'sacrifice' and the sacrifice of animals in similar settings are not in vain. That people who witness their beauty will become aware that all creatures need and deserve habitat and freedom to roam the earth as mother-nature intended their species to do.

The trip ended with more magnificence when on our way home to Phoenix the sky lit up with more colors in the orange range than I thought possible. I took some pictures from the car, while my friends tried to warn me of vehicles in the opposite lane so we could avoid seeing them in the frames. Like most pictures it's hard to get the total feel for it but we worked as a team and had fun trying. :-)

This was taken at the picnic area where we had lunch

Big Horn Sheep
They are amazing animals!

That's no lapdog. That's a wolf, and a beautiful one at that.

Not all of the animals in the park were "majestic"
For reasons our human brains could not comprehend, these little guys took a liking to Donna's pants? OK, I'll admit it, I do like pants on occasion, but only with salt and pepper. But unseasoned pants!? That's just weird!

A mountain lion taking a nap...a cat nap that is. Get it, "CAT" nap! ;-)

This little owl sure was cute!
He/she (they are not sure) is 6-years old

My friend Donna told me this is a crested saguaro and that they are very rare

Magnificent sunset picture 1 from the car

Magnificent sunset picture 2 from the car

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