The Desert Museum - Which Is No Museum At All

We heard from a friend, when we were here a few weeks ago to visit "Old Tucson," (see earlier post, http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2015/02/old-tucson.html ) that there was a must-see place called the Desert Museum. 

"Yeah, right," I'm thinkin'.  "What might one possibly put in a museum of the desert." 

But, trusting our old friend, we are headed there this morning.  It's still Spring-ish here in Arizona.  The air temperature is fine; the sunshine, however, quickly stings the skin as though it was mid-summer in Texas.  We are on the doorstep when this place opens for business.  (I'm still wondering what on earth is worth Paul's endorsement, though.)

It's a beautiful location.  Those waters you see are essentially holding ponds that will slowly filter through the sands to refill the aquifers and keep this valley more natural and hospitable for desert plants.  The tips of most saguaros are preparing to burst open with blossoms.

The fare is pretty steep:  $20 per person.  If this doesn't live up to a certain-someone's expectations, Paul may owe us a very big steak!  Then I discover that 85% of this place is outdoors.  What? there are old covered wagons? Indian teepees? broken pottery?  Why outdoors?  There are signs pointing the way to different areas indicating desert animals.  Are these crazy people leaving their stuffed coyotes outside?  And, as if on cue, we hear the yip-yip-yipping of coyotes.

In for a penny, in for a pound, and we start following signs. 


Well, this guy certainly isn't stuffed!  But, what's a parrot doing representing itself as a native Arizonian?  Truth be told, there are two species of parrots that are historically found in North America.  Apparently they like to hang out in the conifer (pine) forests as opposed to deserts, but it looks like this guy has a right to be here - if he's a thick-billed parrot.



Ditto this squirrely lookin' fella:

And definitely this baby blue lizard:

My question is whether these guys are part of the Museum or just visiting like us.

This looks more like a museum, but, what's this?  The real deal!!

And we begin to see why 85% of this "museum" is out of doors.  In Texas we call these places "zoos."  They have drawn together most of the animals that are now or used to be found throughout Arizona - from snakes and lizards all the way up to big horn sheep and black bear!  Anyone for a picnic?

 And right next door is a full-grown mountain lion!

We discovered here that the museum keepers don't just feed these animals.  They feed them in a way that mimics reality.  They hide the bears food under logs and behind bushes and in the hidey-holes of rocks.  For the mountain lion they smeared cream cheese in a dozen different places.  (Remind me not to take cream cheese camping with me the next time!)  This fella is licking the cream cheese off of this spot and will go looking for another asap.

This is an American Kestrel.  I thought Granpa got a great shot of him with wings and tail spread wide.

The intricacy and perfection of this alone should be enough to convince anyone that creatures of the earth - including humans - didn't "evolve" from some slimy ooze.

When you get tired of looking at the animals, just look up.  It's beautiful country out here!



Now, isn't this the cutest little guy you ever saw?  This is almost a baby Javelina hog.  You can find out more about him by going to a post of one we saw in the wild.   (http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2015/02/cochises-stronghold.html)  Was that really three months ago?!?

By temperament the hogs are about as prickly as this porcupine.

And this one doesn't look any less prickly.  Again, I don't know if he's a resident or a visitor.

Well, we spent over four hours walking around this place and still did not see it all.  I don't know if I'll post more pictures of everything from a newborn big horn sheep to a hummingbird sitting on it's nest feeding baby hummingbirds... maybe I'll let you decided, or Granpa.  If you want more pictures, click on "comments" and let me know that.  Otherwise, you'll just have to book a trip to Tucson and see things for yourself.  (hehehe!)



Big Sandy Valley, Arizona

What's it like to drive around Arizona without the Interstates?  Beautiful!  Especially in the Spring! The Spanish Conquistadors Espejo were here in 1582 and Farfan in 1584 - almost half a century ago! Of course, they were walking or on horses, wearing METAL ARMOUR.  Unfortunately it was on their chest and head. Their legs were completely unprotected from this thorny situation!  The things lusting for gold will do to a man ...

About 300 years later, Lt. Amiel W. Whipple came a wanderin' through here probably surveying for a military road -- maybe this very one!

Here we are, almost 200 hundreds years after that, discovering the names and characteristics of some of the plants.

It is amazing that the spiny, needle-covered, menacing plants have such beautifully delicate flowers! This is the Ocotillo.  It is such a strange plant - even it's flowers are strange!

The Foothills Paloverde can grow up to 25 feet tall (that's the yellow tree on the right).

There is one plant, the Ironwood, that has wisteria-like flowers, but no thorns.  The wood is extremely heavy and hard - ordinary tools have absolutely no effect on it.  I kept looking for one, but I never found it.  Maybe you can?  It has dark green leaves.

One of the scariest plants to me is this one.

Take a closer look:

Makes my skin flinch for ever needle I see!!!  Ow!  Ooo! Ouch!!

They come in red, too.

These grasses are much nicer - but I don't know what they are.  They line all the roadsides here, and I think that they're beautiful!

And then there are these bluebonnets (?)  Hey!  Wait a minute!  They belong to Texas !!!

What are these guys?  I mean, really!  This is one bloomin' desert!

I believe this is a bloomin' Yucca - a Century plant to be exact.  It comes in red, too.

  

This lowly pear cactus has what we call in Texas a cactus rose - but this one comes in TWO colors on the same cactus.

Here is a Mimosa tree common in the desert.

You know what?  There are so-o-o-o many Spring flowers I have already been here half a day weeding out (so to speak) all of the pictures that just don't make the grade. But, there is one more that I simply will not pass up.  Saguaro cactus are the best!!

And that's the end of this post!

Did I Say We Made Yet Another Trip to the Grand Canyon?

Yeah.  He just can't get enough of this place...  Not bad for an iPhone picture!

This time we went to iMAX just outside of the National Park and watched their video.  It was good. Not enough history or facts, but that's not what folks go to an iMAX for, huh?  But on the wall in the lobby we discovered some interesting facts:

Turn-of-the-century North Rim (most folks go to the south rim) Forest Service warden, "Uncle Jimmy" Owens, killed a whopping 543 mountain lions during his 12 years of "game management." By 1930 the North Rim death toll for predators stood at a staggering 781 lions, 554 bobcats and 4,889 coyotes!

I just think it would be soooo fantastic to raft this baby!  I keep trying to talk our 20-year-old grandkids into being river guides this summer, but I guess I would have to join them to make it happen.  What is with these kids nowadays??  No sense of adventure.

Party Time!

One of the nurses Granpa works with invited us to a party at their house in the desert.  It's an all-day come-n-go affair.  I'm always up for a party!



Her directions said to head north out of town on Route 66 for quite aways, turn right at a particular spot, cross the railroad tracks, and follow the dirt road and signs to their place.

Seems they have been having this annual picnic for a whole bunch of years and so they are very prepared.  She's a pretty good artist along with being a wonderful hostess!




The road is enticing all by itself.

We didn't expect a dirt road, and we didn't expect it to go on and on and on.  We are drawn high onto the mountain.  These roads are well maintained, and they're wide.  Each one must lead to at least one home - and these homes are "off the grid."  They have no power lines going to them, they have their own water wells or haul their water in.  The homes are heated with fireplaces and old style cast iron wood-burning stoves.  Up on the mountains of the high desert there's not much need for air conditioners even at the height of summer.  The neighbors all know each other - but leave each other alone.  They are far apart and essentially out of sight of each other.  All in all, I'm very jealous!

But the road keeps going...

All along the roadside are beautiful desert blooms.

I can just imagine what this will look like in a week or so when all of these burst open!  They seem so delicate for the harsh dry desert.  God has put flowers among the thorns of life!

What might these be?  I've never seen anything like them.
But the yellow ones I'm more familiar with.

The party is at the top of the mountain, and we finally get there.  I am so-o-o jealous of them living out here!

They have bounce houses and - believe it or not - a stage for kids to dance on, farm animals right and left...

There's not enough level ground on at the top of the mountain for baseball or other sports.  The young children begin trying to do a line dance, and pretty quickly the teenagers step in and show them how. No adults directing, just kids playing - like we used to!  What a cool place to live.

A Different Yucca Plant

A few days later, we decided to take a short trip through the desert and up the mountain toward Oatman to see what other desert plants might be blooming.  Actually, most bloom at night, but I believe Granpa will NEVER be persuaded to traipse around rattlesnake country in the dark...

We discovered a different kind of Yucca plant that can grow pretty tall:

Granpa gets some great pictures of it's blooming process:

These blossoms are as pretty as any I've had in my garden!

Not too bad for a scrubby ol' desert, eh?

We truly do love the desert and the mountain views.  I'm a rocky person myself.  Mountains covered in trees just don't seem to have as much character as stubborn ol' rocks!

Joshua Blossoms from Lake Isabella to Kingman

I suppose one of the reasons we have been so comfortable in Arizona is because it and the people are very much like Texas - more West Texas than East, but Texas nonetheless.  The livestock are all healthy and handsome.  Granpa loves catching a picture of several horses surrounded by the wonders of the Lord's hand.  The larger you can make this photo the better you understand the vast expanse that they live in.

We're moving down into Joshua Tree country.  The plants of the desert are beginning to believe it is the beginning of Spring and are "greening" up.

Even the Joshua trees are blooming!

We find blossoms in all stages of opening.  They are wonderful at any stage, but ...

...  as for fragrance? Not so much.

These guys may look like cactus, but they are trees.  They are used as such in front yards!  

But if you took a chainsaw to them you would see wood and tree rings.

Also, see one of our earlier posts from October, 2013 on Yucca plants - which is what Joshua trees really are:      http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2013/10/were-off-to-california.html