2012/06 Western USA trip - Living Desert |
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Friday June 22nd
The previous evening, we’d noticed that the bathrooms were full of kids and teenagers, some showering, but mostly just chattering away in Spanish. Next morning they were all there again, causing line ups for the showers, as we assumed they were waiting to get in. We eventually realized that this was their clubhouse. Perhaps just as well that we were leaving.
We were giving the Living Desert park another try, hoping to take advantage of a cooler morning.
But it was not to be; most of the park’s displays are outside and it was already in the hundreds. There were few other visitors. 
Some of the zoo areas were interesting, like the aviary with the roadrunners, and the tortoises, and the overweight bear, but I was a bit disappointed that so many of the cages were empty. Maybe that’s normal for the off-season, but it was a shame to not see the cougar or the javelinas (wild pigs).
The plant displays were good though; amazing how many different kinds of cactus there are. The paddle shapes are part of local 
variant on the prickly pear. John is facing a good example of a sotol, similar to a yucca.
There was also the worldwide greenhouse. There are no cacti outside the Americas, but Africa’s and Asia’s deserts have their similar aloes and euphorbias.