Day two, we got up at a reasonable hour, had a little breakfast, and were off to Desert Botanical Garden for a lovely bird, desert plant and cactus experience. DBG is a really large, well-laid-out botanical garden. It’s a beautiful place.
I was happy to see that the Chihuly stuff at the entrance is still there. It looks perfect. Here is a nice cactus-scape, and a picture of two tourists.
It’s pretty hard to take a bad photo here. However, somehow I managed. The blur in the third photo is an Anna’s Hummingbird.
We ate lunch at the garden cafe, and while we were eating, there was quite a show on the trashcan. All kinds of birds were checking out the trash and the trays on top. First, a Curve-Billed Thrasher and a Gambel’s Quail. Second, a European Starling and a Curve-Billed Thrasher. Third, a Cactus Wren.
Also making an appearance was a curious Greater Roadrunner. He didn’t stay long, but I did get ONE good photo of him.
Here’s a Curve-Billed Thrasher who is protecting his prized cactus fruit with his life, and a Verdin, clinging to some Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) flowers.
Some more lovely flowers (the first one is a fancy lavender, the second is a scorpion-weed).
After the gardens, we went to the Phoenix Zoo. So many great animals! Below are some Watusi Cows, a strange and colorful stork, and some cute African River Otters:
Sleeping warthogs (awwww…), an Egyptian Goose (why does he remind me of a little old balding man?!), and a pelican whose reflection I liked:
A Black Vulture who looked like he was whistling, and Mr. and Mrs. Northern Shoveler:
…and a Ring-Necked Duck (new to my bird list, and not in captivity):
Last but not least, we have some photos from the ‘On A Stick’ department.
Where do the sticks GO when it lays down?!
After the zoo, we went back to the motel room, and sat for a while. Ahhhh. For dinner, we went to Cafe Istanbul, which is a favorite. It was great. That was pretty much the end of our day.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Every year (lately, anyway), my mom and I have gone to Arizona in the early spring to enjoy the warmth and flowers of the lower desert. This year we went March 21st through 24th. It was a great trip. We only went to Phoenix this year, as we had limited time. It’s about a seven hour drive to Phoenix from Moab.
About five hours from Moab is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. We stopped there for a nice picnic lunch. I think we stop there mostly to see the Steller’s Jays that hang around the visitor center, waiting for handouts. Here are some photos of them being pouffy in a tree, and attacking our donations.
We made it to Phoenix at about 3:00 in the afternoon, and relaxed for a little while at the elegant Motel 6 before we went to The Olive Garden for dinner. After our delicious dinner, we walked across the street to Walgreen’s because I had forgotten my hat and wanted to get a new one. I found one I LOVE on the ‘two for ten dollars’ table. Now I wish I had bought two.
There was a beautiful sunset as we returned to the motel, and I only got one not-very-great photo.
I’ve decided to split my post about this trip into 3, so I don’t overload y’all with photos in one post. Thanks for reading and commenting!