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Museum … Zoo … Botanical Garden

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Walkway at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

When Martine and I were in Tucson in April, we ran into 100° Fahrenheit (37° Celsius) temperatures. While we visited the spectacular Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, I was constantly seeking deep shade and cool water. As a result, we saw only a fraction of the museum’s grounds, which were substantial. There is no doubt in my mind that we must revisit it during the winter months.

In addition to several buildings housing reptiles, birds, fish, and so on, there is a zoo along a pathway that winds through the grounds. I spent a lot of time watching the desert bighorn sheep, because I could view them from a nice shady place. We missed most of the other outdoor zoological exhibits, as well as the desert plants in their immediate vicinity.

To get an idea of the museum’s variety, click here to see the various exhibit categories.

In the vicinity of the museum are a number of other interesting sights:

Until our short visit in April, I had never visited Tucson, though Martine had long ago to visit her aunt living there.

Dinos in the Desert

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Animatronic Dinosaur at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Until Sunday, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson has animatronic dinosaurs interspersed with the flora and fauna of its regular exhibits. When Martine and I were in the snack shop eating our breakfast, we kept hearing roars. It didn’t take long to find out that these roars were coming from life-sized dinosaurs that moved around and roared.

I can understand why the dinosaurs are a temporary exhibit. As the temperature approaches 120° Fahrenheit (49° Celsius), the dinosaurs could melt. When we were at the museum, the mercury stood at 100° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius). It was enough to make me seek shade, water, and seating in that order.

Notice the Freshly Hatched Dino Eggs

The dinosaurs are a clever attempt to engage the interest of small children, who tend to be dinosaur experts.

A Desert That Inspires Love

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Saguaro Cacti at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

In his 1951 book The Desert Year, Naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch writes:

One can own, either rightfully or fruitfully, only those things—and only so much of a thing—as one can come into some intimate relationship with. One cannot really own any land to which one does not in turn belong, and what is true of land is true of everything else. One can own only what one loves, and love is always some kind of reciprocal relationship. I may buy a thing when I have the money to pay for it, but I do not actually possess it until I have allowed it, in some sense, to possess me.

When Martine and I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson, we encountered a lush desert that made us love it. Mind you, we also love the Mohave Desert of California; but it is a drier, more austere desert that is harder to love. It is like the desert in which Satan appeared to Christ and tempted him to worship him in return for control over all the kingdoms of this earth—which, being God, he already had.

As soon as one entered Gates Pass Road in Tucson, we were in the presence of a higher order of desert beauty. There is more than three times as much rain that falls here than in the Mohave, and the variety and stateliness and richness of the plant life filled us with awe.

The Entrance to the Museum Just Before Opening Time

Unfortunately, the temperature on the day of our visit was in the triple digits (over 38° Celsius), and I was exhausted and thirsty. Fortunately, the grounds were dotted with cool water fountains and shady places to rest. We could have seen more of the museum on a cooler day, but we had to deal with the cards we were dealt.

Even so, the museum was first class. I think I speak for Martine when I say we look forward to another visit if possible.