Today we left the Chihuahuan Desert for the Sonoran. The sharp outlines of the Chisos Mountains drew into view. We stopped at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, a fantastic place full of displays, live and informative about the flora and fauna that make the Sonoran Desert their home. A "living museum," most of it is outside, without walls or fences, so one shouldn't be surprised if a sidewinder saunters by.

The museum explores the many aspects of desert life, from scrub, to oases, to caves. They even have a little human-made cave you can explore, which was pretty darn neat, even after exploring Carlsbad. An aviary holds many types of Sonoran Desert birds, including the Bohemian Waxwing, one of my favorites, and the striking thick-billed parrot.


The cool underground cave leads to an exhibit on the history of the earth and moon, the evolution of the planet, and the prehistoric creatures that left their fossils in the present-day desert. A striking display of minerals held us raptly, vivid reds, blues, and golds against black velvet. There's a section where one can dig for fossils, and we did.

One of the highlights for me was seeing a coati, which I had never seen before then.

We continued on to Saguaro National Park, seeing the famous cacti lit by the setting sun. The vivid red of the Red Hills district was bright against the green of the saguaro.

As the sun set, we continued west, this time to return to the bay area.

Thank you for reading of my journeys!