Desert Botanical Gardens - We finally forked over the $$ to go to the Phoenix botanical gardens. They are located inside Papago Park (the Phoenix city park, one of the largest urban parks in the world), along with the Phoenix Zoo and some interesting hiking and picnicking options. The stated entrance fee for the Gardens was $25 each, so we waited until we thought our stamina in this heat and my broken toe were ready for the necessary walking in order to get our money's worth. Thanks to dear AAA travel club, we got a whopping $10 discount and spent a fascinating, if uncomfortable, 3 hours at the Gardens. (This, of course, was interrupted about half-way through by a stint in the air-conditioned Gertrude's Restaurant on the premises, for drinks and a nibble, because our endurance was not quite as good as we thought. The waiter entertained us with information about how to recognize someone who is about to suffer heat exhaustion - red in the face/splotchy, looking disoriented - and how to help them - under no circumstances give that person ice water; they will go directly into shock and real heat exhaustion. Cool their skin with tepid water, help them drink tepid water for a few minutes, then as they cool down follow with ice water. Steve and I may be ready for the desert soon.)
The desert plants are a cultivated taste, but they can be beautiful. Judge for yourself:
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| Creeping Devil cactus; something just isn't right. |
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| I think of this as a Medusa Tree; creepy. |
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| The ranger thinks this is a form of marigold. What do you think? |
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| Prickly Pear |
Tomorrow we visit St. Mary's Basilica in Phoenix and then the Phoenix Art Museum with my brother, Mark.
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