The same day I went to Saguaro National Park I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, so it was some great sightseeing. You know, as long as you ignore the cactus-lust and killer-bee sting. (That plus the jumping cholla incident suggest a new state motto. “Arizona: Land of the poky, stingy, and stabby.”)
90% of the Desert Museum exhibits are outside, so it feels like an interactive experience, and you’ll be happy to know the staff strive for a safe and pain-free environment. They keep their snakes behind glass:
They look so sweet when they’re sleeping.
And their prickly gardens off trail:
Succulent
That agave could make a lot of tequila.
They had a nice collection of gems and rocks:
Like that coconut candy, but not as delicious or soft.
And adorable animals:
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Sharing its extreme cuteness with the world.
Where’s Waldo? for Sheep
There was a bee sanctuary, with a sign explaining why theirs don’t sting. (Something about the queen and not being in the wild. I don’t know.) But after the morning I’d had at Saguaro I wasn’t taking any chances, and I skipped it.
So there I was, feeling cocky that I’d gotten through the museum without injury or inappropriate yearnings, but then I got to the aviary and witnessed this:
For God’s sake.
That’s when I called it a day. A person can only take so much of nature’s mocking.