Saturday, May 16, 2015 (continued)
We made our way back down Sentinel Peak and drove west on Speedway Boulevard, which became Gates Pass Road, taking us through Gates Pass in the Tucson Mountains. We stopped at a scenic overlook on the west side. In restrospect, there are scenic overlooks on both sides of the pass, and the east side would have been better in the morning.
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| Gates Pass to the left |
We continued on Gates Pass Road, and made a right on Kinney Road to the
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. This museum/zoo/botanical garden/gallery deserves its title as the number one attraction in the Tucson area. Ginger saved us a bundle of money by giving us free passes.
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| Cylindropuntia fulgida/Chain Fruit or Jumping Cholla |
We had been warned about the Jumping Cholla that will break off and grab on to you if you brush against it ever so lightly.
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| Juvenile Atthis heloisa/Bumblebee Hummingbird |
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Tamiko in the Ironwood Gallery with
Hunt & Peck (2012) by Vicki Banks |
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| Nolina bigelowii/Bigelow Nolina |
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| Yucca elata/Soaptree Yucca |
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Opuntia bigelovii/Teddy Bear Cholla,
definitely not cuddly! |
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| Aspidoscelis arizonae/Arizona Striped Whiptail Lizard |
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| Karen in a ramada/shade shelter |
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| Heloderma suspectum/Gila Monster |
The Gila Monster was wandering through the undergrowth, and a museum volunteer radioed security. Although venomous, his bite would not be deadly, and the creature is so slow and sluggish that he is not a danger to alert humans.
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| Evolution of Birds by Dion Wright |
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| Calypte costae/Costa's Hummingbird |
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| Stenocereus thurberi/Organ Pipe Cactus |
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| Condalia globosa/Bitter Condalia (KAH) |
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| Shrek cactus |
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| Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus/Cactus Wren |
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| Yucca brevifolia/Joshua Tree |
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| Ovis canadensis nelson/Desert Bighorn Sheep |
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| A labyrinth |
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| Lophocereus schottii f monstrosus/Totem Pole Cactus |
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| Fouquieria splendens/Ocotillo |
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| Fouquieria splendens/Ocotillo flower |
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| Agave bovicornuta var/Cowhorn Agave |
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| Mammillaria standleyi |
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| Mammillaria setspina/Pincushion Cactus |
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| Opuntia basilaris/Beaver Tail Cactus |
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| Ferocactus wislizeni/Fishhook Barrel Cactus |
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| Trichocereus/Hybrid Torch Cactus |
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| Sciurus arizonensis/Arizona Gray Squirrel |
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| Fouquieria columnaris/Boojum Tree |
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Saguaro skeleton and Pachycereus marginatus/
Mexican Fence Post Cactus |
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| Urocyon cinereoargenteus/Gray Fox |
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| Cactus Wren in a saguaro bloom |
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| Pecari tajacu/Collared Peccary/Javelina |
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| Larrea tridentata/Creosote Bush |
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| Canis latrans/Coyote (KAH) |
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| Geococcyx californianus/Greater Roadrunner (KAH) |
We managed to see a roadrunner cross the road in front of us one day, carrying perhaps a lizard in his beak.
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| Cynomys ludovicianus Black-tailed Prairie Dogs |
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| View over the Desert Loop Trail area |
Somewhere out there on that trail, a broken branch lying on the ground snagged Karen's ankle for her second minor injury of the day.
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| Mineral exhibit (KAH) |
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| Gift shop with Amerind wares (KAH) |
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| Navajo carvings |
We grabbed a fruit yogurt at the Ironwood Terraces food court to tide us over.
Next: Saguaro National Park West.
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