We came into Phoenix on Friday and drove down to Tucson just in time to eat dinner. We stayed at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa. It was a beautiful resort, nestled in a mountain and surrounding a golf course.
On Sunday before we picked my parents up at the Phoenix airport, we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which was a combination of a zoo, an outdoor nature center, and a museum. The highlight of the day was a raptor free flight demonstration, where a number of birds of prey flew out in the open over our heads and near the path we were on. |
Tucson Area |
Our resort in Tucson, including the deer that would come out on the golf course fairway every evening |
A winter storm warning was in effect on Saturday night, with forecasts of up to 1/2” of snow predicted. We head out to the Desert Museum and went through a mountain pass where the cacti were covered in snow. We stopped and took pictures along with everyone else, because this only occurred about once a decade. |
The Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson is a combination zoo, botanical garden, and natural history museum. When we arrived, we immediately went to the Raptor Free Flight show, which included a number of birds of prey. |
Chihuahuan raven |
Gray Hawk |
Great Horned Owl |
Ferruginous Hawk |
Prairie Falcon |
Desert Fox |
Javelina |
Bobcats |
Rattlesnake |
Quail |
Mountain Lion |
Prickly pear and other cactus species were prominent throughout the museum |
2/25/11—3/6/11 |