Well. Just A Few More. For The Record.

Nope, not a coyote.  It's a Mexican Wolf - El LOBO!  Now, listen up.  This is important.  While I don't support killing the entire California economy and starving the rest of America of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables to save the smelts (teeny-tiny fish that are preventing water conservation), I DO support keeping animals from becoming extinct.  I just don't want humans to become extinct in the process.  (Never mess with me when I'm protecting human life!)

At any rate, the Mexican wolf is a subspecies of our gray wolf and looks pretty much like them except for a brown stripe down it's back.  El lobo was top dog (literally) of America's southern borders, feeding off weakest, oldest and sickest of deer, elk, and javelina and thereby keeping themselves and (believe it or not) their prey healthy and smart.  (God is good that way, creating the balance in nature that sustains the planet.)

But, wolves unfortunately eat cattle, too, so the settlers who brought cows and horses in chose to kill at will.  By the 1970's the thousands of Mexican wolves were eradicated.  FINALLY, in 1998 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wised up and brought eleven Mexican gray wolves back into Arizona. Slowly, wolf pup by wolf pup, the population has grown, but they actually remain on the most endangered subspecies of wolf  IN. THE. WORLD.

And THAT is why the Desert Museum proudly houses this fella here.

And speaking of houses.  In Arizona we have discovered that it doesn't take much for humans to be physically comfortable.  A little water, a little shade and you just about have it because doors and windows aren't needed to keep flying bugs out - there ARE no flying bugs!  So, what did the Indians do for shade in a place with essentially no trees?  They used dead saguaro, of course.




The thicker portion they would use for the uprights and lay the "sticks" across the top.  See?


(Kinda nifty the way I snuck that "house" story in, huh? LOL!)

Now, back to the animals.

This guy keeps popping up.  He doesn't look real, does he?  The way his skin fits his "wrist" it looks like he's got a sweater on.  I just really do like this fella, so I shared him with you (which means I like you, too!!)

Und ve have bobcats...  While El lobo keeps the big mammals in check, the bobcat keeps the little ones in good biological balance.

And grey fox that are about the same size and do the same thing as ye ol' bobcat does.















And throughout this entire location we are regaled with beauty of all kinds.

Even the moon in broad daylight!

Now, these tall tooters need master pollinators to keep on track. YOUR problem is that we could not get one of those European honey bees to sit still long enough for a portrait.  We kept tempting them with bowls of pollen - but couldn't compete with au naturale.  Did you know that the number of honeybees in America has declined by more that 25% recently?  And that means that there are even fewer human-managed bees than at any other period in our lifetime.  Calling all beekeepers!  I mean, doing without honey (especially whipped honey!) would be a major bummer, but the food supply would disappear if we didn't have pollinators to carry on the cross-pollination of life! So, get yourself a bee box and start saving the food supply and slurping up honey!

This would be the belly of the beast.  It is the inside of a Saguaro cactus.  We see ugly holes in the sides of those cactus.  Being a Texan, my first thought was that teenagers were used to using the Saguaro for target practice.  Turns out, the birds and other desert dwellers use these bellies as a house.  Cool, huh?


Now, this is hidden because it is inside a prickly ol' Saguaro. A hummingbird's nest is hidden because it is so very, very small.  Just like them!







Have you ever seen a baby Big Horn sheep?  Awwwwww.

This darlin' is only eight days old!

When this daddy Big Horn not-so-politely butted the baby Big Horn away from some food, I opinied out loud, "Daddies are the same no matter what species."  There was an about 12-year-old boy standing next to me.  He looked at me like I had opened his eyes to the wisdom of the world.  I just hope that the next time his daddy is acting like "a man" that he remembers this and doesn't take daddy's rebuke personally...

Suffice it to say that one doesn't get this kind of a view in a "museum."  I think they should rename this place the "Living Desert Museum."

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.