The Road Trip, part 19

Day 18 -- Tucson, and into the Sonoran Desert

A big day, a special day -- we're heading back over the Gates Pass to the desert valley to visit the other point of interest, the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. This is one of the best museums in the world, and very little of it is kept inside buildings -- most of it is a large swath of the desert landscape, with paths and signs and displays where necessary, and modest fences to keep selected wildlife from running off (the plant life tends to stay put). However, visitors are definitely out in the wild, walking the living desert, which is a rich, diverse, and fascinating ecosystem.

We arose and headed out early, in hopes of catching some of the critters in their active states. Desert animals are no fools -- they know to doze during the heat of midday.

Our first stop was at a local Bruegger's Bagels, where bagels and cream cheese and coffees and milk bottles were obtained. Fortified, we struck out, this time pulling over at the rest stop atop Gates Pass -- we needed to get the kids dressed, and took the opportunity to observe a saguaro up close. We finished crossing into the valley, and soon found our way to the Desert Museum.

We arrived just about 9:30, later than I would have liked but still early enough to catch a tour. Docent Jim was just about ready to go, so we queued up with a few other visitors and took in the first mini-lecture, on rattlesnakes, the most hazardous animal in the desert. On we went, Jim noting various plants and telling about their uses, along with another mini-lecture on saguaros (other docents man small, portable lecterns with visual aids -- hands-on toys, which always improve a given lesson). Part of the primary trail travels through an artificial underground, detailing the geographic makeup and some of the subterranean life, but soon we were back in the sunshine (the weather was clear and, no surprise, sunny). There were custom pens for some of the larger desert fauna, most resting as the day's heat mounted (one, a mountain lion, was completely sacked out and sound asleep -- typical cat). Before we realized it, Docent Jim had led us through the Desert Museum for 90 minutes, and it was his time to leave us to our own explorations.

We were staying well-hydrated, having brought water bottles, which we refilled at need as water fountains were located. Drinking eventually demands payment, though, so while the ladies sought out a restroom, Carson and I took up station on a shaded bench to wait. I pointed out a very tall saguaro not 30 feet away, and told Carson it might be 100 years old, maybe even 200. He grasped this readily, and promptly engaged each and every passerby to look at the big cactus, and that it was maybe 100 years old! Honestly, it was like he was auditioning to be a museum docent, he approached the topic with such enthusiasm. Carson speaks to strangers with great ease, which is one thing (of many) I admire about him, because I don't know from where he got that talent.

We wandered on. I was disappointed that we could not visit the javelina area, which was on a trail temporarily closed -- the story given was that a wild javelina -- a desert boar -- had entered the grounds and had not yet been removed. Ah well, there was still plenty to see. We reached the main aviary, wherein the birds had just been given their lunches, seeds and chunks of fruits and vegetables. The birds are accustomed to humans, and can be closely approached (as long as we stay on the paths). There is even a parrot within, which can speak "hello" in that parrot way.

We broke for lunch, having reached the restaurant at the right time, then visited the art gallery, where the kids did some coloring (printed outlines of desert critters are provided). Finally back to the museum, we observed more animals, fish (water is not plentiful, it is a desert, but where water does flow brings a new dimension to the ecosystem), a second aviary of just hummingbirds (about the size of my finger, and very acclimated to humans -- I got to about six inches away from one, with the camera), and back around to the entry building at last. The sun was high, well into the afternoon, and just before we left we found a display gallery of lizards and other crawlies, so we spent some time in there as well.

We departed some time after 3:00 pm, around six hours at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, and completely well worth the entire visit. My black tee-shirt had a huge salt stain wide around the collar -- a mark I earned, and though I had sweated healthily, I was still quite dry. The desert air wicks away moisture incredibly fast.

One last bit about the Desert Museum -- Amalie's given middle name is Sonora, in honor of the desert Val grew up near. We asked Amie how she liked "her" desert, and she said it was great. I agree.

Heading home, Val navigated us to a much-desired tortilla take-out joint, St. Mary's, where we obtained early dinner foodstuffs -- tortillas, red chile filling, green chile filling, and a piece of tres leches cake. The last time we had visited, which was in 2000, it was near closing time and St. Mary's had been sold out of tres leches, so this time I was very glad to get to try it -- and later on, when I did, it was superb, sweet but not overbearing, moist (soaked, really), yet still firm. The tortillas we made were excellent too.

Carson didn't make it home -- fell asleep in the car. We put him to bed and, amazingly, he stayed down the entire night, sleeping over 13 hours. The desert is just a bit too much for our young man, but this was seen as a good thing. I was drained, too -- when I hit the sack, I slept like a rock.

Our plans had called for getting to El Paso before Thursday and putting Val and the kids on an Amtrak train from there to San Antonio, while I drove I-10 and picked them up. We were enjoying Tucson enough that we dumped this idea and stayed an extra day (not to mention, saved a lot of money). Maybe some other time.

The room Amalie and Val had been staying in was reclaimed by its renter, who came back to town just before classes began at the University of Arizona, just down the street. So Amie had to move. The house is huge -- depending on how it is set up, it can have as many as eight bedrooms -- so Aunt Mary started clearing the storage room, which needed it anyway, and Val and Amie helped. They went at it for hours -- as stated, it needed clearing -- but eventually Amalie had a new home/nest/castle (she decorates vigorously) in which to sleep for two nights. I went down long before they finished -- Val told me they were up until 2:00 am at least -- but when I did see it, I was impressed. The amount of detail was great, even for Amie -- dollhouses, tea tables, dollies and plushes, all over the place. The girl has a real knack, an eye for detail.