Blue Goose ~ Day 193

December 6, 2014 ~ Tucson, AZ to Green Valley, AZ

A large group of runners or bicyclists were having an early morning party in Starbucks, taking up half the room with tables pushed together, but I found an available space and continued this blog, trying not to get behind as details fade or are forgotten. 

I was already on the west side of Tucson when I left and drove west and south on a very winding road with thousands of saguaros, standing tall like sentinels. each in its own little space. It was overcast and far fewer people were at the West unit of Saguaro National Park. One was allowed to walk a small portion of the wash behind the museum, which I did, noting the deliciously fragrant desert air.  Gila Woodpeckers are now a common bird for me, and Cactus Wrens are becoming so. 

Cactus Wren at Saguaro National Park - AZ

Southeast Arizona is grasslands, rolling hills, wooded mountains, valleys and canyons with dry washes and riverbeds this time of year, although occasionally one does see shallow "perennial water." The deciduous trees are mostly bare this time of year, although some, like giant old sycamores and cottonwoods still have yellow leaves. Junipers and pines and oaks, palms, cacti, pecan trees, tangles of shrub and brush and golden grasses…each habitat attract different birds. The overall ambience is much like fall in the Michigan, that lovely interval between summer and the cold season when the days warm with golden sunshine and the nights are cool. 

Butterfly in Saguaro National Park - AZ

My intention was to visit the Arizona Sonora Museum, a short distance from the National Park, so I drove there, parked, watched a Cactus Wren poke nesting material into a cholla and already had museum malaise. Which is too bad as this museum is stunningly beautiful place, mostly outdoors, but I could not force myself to pay the $17 admission when I knew I might not (probably would not) last long. Or perhaps I was just tired. Also, there is something about imprisoned creatures….although this is not to denigrate the museum which has a worldwide reputation. 

I was allowed to visit the gift shop “for an hour” after filling out a paper with name, etc., including credit card information in the event I went over my allotted 60 minutes, at which point I would be charged the full admission price. I was drawn to the books. These venues have local history and authors that one doesn’t find in the broader markets. This shop had the usual, less expensive tourist stuff but also a higher quality inventory of jewelry, leather goods, pottery, bead work, gems, etc.

A man in the courtyard was explaining the resident poisonous creatures to a small group...the snakes, and Gila monsters, scorpions and spiders….

The sun broke through the western clouds as I drove to Green Valley where I stayed in a Best Western and worked for several hours. How many more days before Winter Solstice? At which point, at least psychologically, I will be comforted by the fact that the days are getting longer even though the effect is barely noticeable until well into January, or at least this is so in Michigan.