Deserts of the World, and More

In anticipation of the rain we got at the end of this week, we tried to do our outdoor activities early in our Palm Springs stay.

We spent most of a day at the Living Desert in Palm Desert. Even spending 5 hours there, we could not cover everything. If we lived here, we'd certainly become members and visit often.

The Living Desert is a nature preserve on 1200 acres, 1080 acres of which are un disturbed Sonoran Desert. Its exhibits feature plants and animals from deserts all over the world. And, if this is not enough, it includes extensive nature trails, a small campground, a wildlife veterinary hospital, a carousel where you ride on endangered species carousel animals, aviaries, an enormous G-scale model railroad and so much more. For those who don't wish to walk the full area, there is a shuttle that makes frequent stops throughout.

The first "attraction" that captured our attention was the special exhibit. Birds of the Australian Outback. It's an interactive aviary exhibit in which very friendly parrots climb all over those who enter their tent. Not only do the parrots eat the millet seed food off the sticks we were given, they also explore your pockets, purses, bags and all else. Before leaving the tent, a docent checked us to make sure no bird has slipped into our clothing or bags.

After thoroughly amusing ourselves with these colorful parrots...notice how the ones on Jim seem to match the colors in his shirt?...we wandered through desert plants, the living Desert's nursery ( I managed to resist the temptation to purchase after considering that I'd have to keep my purchases alive for several weeks before I'd actually get them home.), the veterinary hospital, and the animal exhibits. The rest of this blog is more photos of our meandering.