Errands

Today was errand and laundry day. The RV park includes electricity in their prices but request that you don't run a dryer. Well, there is no point in just washing the clothes in the rig and drying them in the laundry room so we did the wash in the laundry room. They have very nice washers and dryers here.

It took me forever to work on yesterday's blog as we had so many pictures that we wanted to share. I thought about uploading the pictures to a web album but due to the size of each picture, it was not possible. There was a lot of fits and starts with the entry. I called Bonnie to see if she had any ideas on why our pictures were so large in size. Between the two of us, I think we fixed one of our issues (I hope).

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Fauna

What did we think about our day at the Desert Museum - it was AWESOME! The Desert Museum is part zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden. There are almost two miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert.

There are 1200 kinds of plants and more than 300 animal species some of which follow:

Barn Owl

Western Screech-Owl
American Kestrel (one of John's favorites)
Mountain Lion
Mexican Wolf
White-Tail Deer
Raven
Great Horned Owl
Harris's Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk

A very thirsty Chipmunk - water from the drip system was more important than being concerned about all the people walking by.

Some type of Dove
A couple of Doves mating dance
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-headed Grosbeak
Bighorn sheep ram
The stately Ram
Sleeping Bobcats
Harris's Hawk
Coati
River Otter
Tortoise
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Female Costa's Hummingbird (I think)
Male Anna's Hummingbird (I think)

The Hummingbirds have their own special enclosure and they are zipping around everywhere. It was difficult just getting these pictures because they don't sit still for long.

We spent over six hours at the Desert Museum and enjoyed every minute. There are docents available to answer questions, give demonstrations, and talks through out the park. It is a fabulous place and if you are ever in the Tucson area, this is definitely a must stop. Good walking shoes are a must. Of course, I would suggest a visit during the winter months as it would be to darn hot otherwise. We also made sure that we were at the viewing area for the Raptor Free Flight (a dynamic bird of prey flight demonstration) in plenty of time. The demonstration was fascinating and beautiful. For more information on the Desert Museum, click on the link here: Desert Museum.

On our way home, we stopped at the Gilbert Ray Campground to check it out. The campground has electricity (30 amp), potable water (not at campsite), and a dump station. The campground does not have showers and we didn't check out the restrooms but we have heard that the facilities are nice. The sites are of various sizes and they have some tent only sites. It was a very nice campground in the desert.

What a wonderful day.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Flora

We shared fauna pictures from the Desert Museum so we thought it would be only right to share some flora pictures. If we know what the plant is, we will so note it.
Blooming Agave
Blooming ocotillo
Two types of blooming agave
Silver Torch Cactus


Pin Cushion

Crested Saguaro that is considered rare. Biologists disagree on the cause of this crest (fan) or cristate. Some biologists say it due to a genetic mutation and others say it is caused by environmental causes like a lightning strike or freeze damage. Whatever the cause, it does make for an interesting Saguaro. We have seen a few around town and it is reported that Saguaro National Park has only about 25 Crested Saguaros in all of its acreage.

Here is a dead Saguaro that I think is interesting because you can see the outer and the inner parts. We were told that a 6 foot Saguaro can weigh around 2,000 lbs. It takes about 60 years before they grow an arm and they can live between 150 to 200 years.

Octopus Agave
Hop Bush

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.