A couple of weekends ago, we had so much fun exploring the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum It's a world- renowned botannical garden and zoo all in the Sonoran Desert and surrounded by the Tucson Mountains just outside Tucson. The museum is wonderful, and a photographer's playground. It's not a typical "museum" like you'd think...more of a outdoor hiking trail with some caged area for the animals. I'm glad they were caged too! They had animals native to this area like wolves, javalinas (almost like a boar, but not in the same family), cougars, bobcats, etc.
Another really cool part was the aviary where they had tons of birds flying around, from parrots to pigeons to cardinals. It was so neat to see them, and there were quite a few very brave birds who whizzed right past you like they didn't even notice you..you could feel them flying past, haha. Then there was also a hummingbird sanctuary where they flew all around you. We didn't really have time to look around in there because it was closing time, but we saw the most gorgeous bright metallic green hummingbird....and a hummingbird sitting on it's tiny nest!! It was one of the coolest thing I'd ever seen!
The rest of the areas were trails through the desert with tons and tons and tons of different cacti. It was so neat, who knew that many types of cactus existed! And, bonus, we found out the names of the ones we see all the time :) They really are gorgeous, and a lot of them even have really pretty flowers that bloom! The agave, pincushion, prickly pear, and ocotillo are the prettiest blooming ones I think.
I was so excited to see so many pretty wildflowers blooming out here too!! I love flowers and haven't really seen many except in flower beds that companies plant because I've heard they're hard to grow out here. Anyway, there were tons on wildflowers, so I was a very happy girl :D
On the way back we traveled on one of the most dangerous routes (& traveled it to get there..just found out while researching it that it's so dangerous!). I guess I should've known that though because the road was long and widing (reminds me of a song..can anyone guess it?) and up and down through the mountains. It was about 5:30PM and we decided to stop at one of the lookout points to take some pictures because the lighting was so great at that time. The view was unbelievable..I couldn't believe that I live somewhere where I could just go up there anytime and see that view!! You could see all the way down to Tucson and several other little cities farther out, with the mountains outlining the sky for as far as you could see. We went across to a place called Gates Pass which come to find out that it's a famous place to go watch the sunset here!
Unbelievable is the only word to describe it!! Jonathan and I climbed about halfway up Gates Peak and sat on a rock cliff on the side for about an hour or more enjoying the amazing view. It was spectacular seeing God's amazing scenery. How could you not believe when you're up there and see everything surrounding you?!? I think that's why I love sunsets so much, like God's painting in the sky for us. You can't help but feel happy watching them :D
Anyway, the area filled up the closer it got to sunset and there were a few people who had climbed up to where we were to watch it. The wind was blowing pretty strong and it was kinda cold all the way up there, but who cared when you saw it :D The sky was gorgeous as the sun set, all orange with a little pink and purple mixed in outlining the mountains and the cactus. Like something you'd see in a magazine. I've never seen such beautiful colors...probably equally as beautiful as the sunset's on the lake at Daddy & Momma's, just different colors.
Of course I took a billion pictures; I'm so glad I brought my big 35mm...I took like 6 rolls and could've taken more if I had more rolls, haha. Jonathan took quite a few on his digital which I was proud of, haha. So, here's the link to the pictures as always: http://picasaweb.google.com/greeneblog/DesertMountainsAndASunset?authkey=Gv1sRgCLTd8IX4pI27Kw&feat=directlink
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