Weekend Wanderings…The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Tucson lies within the Sonoran Desert which extends south to Mexico and westerly to southern California and the Baja Penisula. Often called a “green desert”, people are surprised that the Sonoran does not look like miles and miles of sand…the Gobi Desert or the Sahara. A gem within Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
The Museum is a delightful place to visit, but plan on at least a morning or afternoon…if you are a trooper, plan for most of the day. And wear comfy shoes. I backpack water bottles and quartered oranges and sometimes plan for a late lunch at the restaurant.
The Desert Museum is off of Kinney Road on the west side of town. Crossing Gates Pass, stands of stately beautiful saguaro cactus salute you and when you cross the crest, the sky appears to be more brilliantly blue. Old time movie goers will recognize the scenery, the backdrop to many a John Wayne western movie.
Wandering the paths of the desert museum is a different world. Climbing through the caves with the replicas of bats is an adventure for young and old; the huge room with all of the exquisite rock formations…precious and semi-precious gems found in the Sonoran desert, some irridescent and deep gorgeous colors, reminds me I’m in a mining area…famous for copper, silver, and gold.
Craning necks, people cluster to see the various types of rattlesnakes which inhabit the area as well as a multitude of tiny and not so tiny lizards, and of course the infamous gila monster with which you don’t want to tangle! Insects and critters occupy one entire building, including the scorpions which have attracted an undeservedly nasty reputation.
Meandering down the paths are the larger animals, delights to children; bears, cougars, mountain liions, and the prarie dogs whose antics one can watch and can’t help but smile. The Sonoran Desert is a birders’ paradise, and hundreds wing their way in the aviaries. Photographers have a field day focusing close up shots …including the hummingbird aviary which has more than 17 species. The javalina and the coyotes are a big draw, just like the roadrunner, local wanderers within Tucson city limits.
You can walk from the desert floor with the spiny types of cactus, to the top of the Catalinas at an elevation of 8,000 feet plus, to what looks like the pines of Maine, in the exhibit of the flora of the Sonoran Desert. Some animals migrate up and down the mountains rather than flying south.
A don’t miss treat, the Arizona- Sonoran Desert Museum is an outstanding collection of all that this Desert presents. Stopping at the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau downtown to purchase a Tucson Passport for $15. will get you into the Desert Museum on a two for one basis as well as many other attractions.
Put the Desert Museum on your list of things to do and see and give yourself a treat!
Resources:
Sonoran Desert Museum:
http: www.desertmuseum.org/
Tucson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau:
The Sonoran Desert:
http://www.desertusa.com/du_sonoran.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert