Sunday, April 25, 2010

Taking it easy on Sunday

Well, we planned to have a more low-key day today, but couldn’t resist going to see at least one touristy thing!

Around noon we headed just a few miles down the road to one of New Mexico’s state parks: the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. It’s located high atop a huge hill just west of the town of Carlsbad. The 1.3 mile self-guided walking tour took us through all the different habitats found in the Chihuahuan Desert.

First, we went through the aviary. There are lots of these doves at our RV park and we probably won’t miss their constant cooing when we leave!

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And, of course, lots of flowers for me to take pictures of! Don’t know what kind this one is.

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Can you see the lizard in this picture? They’re really hard to photograph because they move so fast!P1020082

More unknown flowers…

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This one I know! It’s a Claret Cup Cactus.P1020087

The yuccas here were huge! These were probably easily 20 feet tall.

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There were desert critters here, too – javelinas, owls, prairie dogs (including one very tired one!), bison and elk.P1020089 P1020103 P1020110 P1020115 P1020125

And, isn’t this mountain lion gorgeous?P1020134

Our last stop was a greenhouse where they had cacti and succulents from around the world.

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A nice peaceful, but interesting, Sunday…

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