Today's breakfast from amazing chef John was baked apple with yogurt and berries. The LA couple we met yesterday visited several museums including the Miniatures one that Michele hoped we could get to today. The family with the little girl visited the geology shows yesterday since it is related to their compass-making business. They said in the wholesale section they could put their hands in "vats of uncut rubies and emeralds."
After breakfast we looked at the hummingbirds again. We checked with John to be sure the black-chinned hummingbird we saw at his feeder yesterday was indeed that species. He said it's too early for them to arrive, they are summer inhabitants arriving in March, so it was likely an Anna's. Rob showed him the photo and sure enough it was an early arrival of the black-chinned. Lucky us to see it up close!
After breakfast we headed to the west district of Saguaro National Park. It took an hour to get through the city, and we spotted this colorful and well-kept antique out for a Sunday drive.
We heard the west district of the park is busier, but that there are more saguaros. Closer to the park we drove up a winding road and stopped to take photos at scenic viewpoints.
Arriving at the western district entrance.
We passed this peloton.
At the Rincon Mountain visitor center it was a madhouse of people, so we instead started the Signs of Life self-guided audio walking tour on the NPS app. It had 12 stops and was a small trail beside and behind the visitor center.
We drove a short way to the Desert Discovery Trail, a half-mile paved trail with educational signs on the ecology and habitats of the Sonoran Desert. We learned that the desert tortoise hibernates in a burrow during winter and likes to eat the fruits of the fishhook barrel cactus. A few photos of that walk among very large saguaros.
Rob spotted a small lizard (maybe the spiny lizard?).
Michele thinks the chain fruit cholla has alien-looking pods.
There weren't any further paved scenic drives we could take and by then Michele was ravenous for lunch. Rob was not hungry since he ate three meals, pie and chocolate cake yesterday, plus the big apple breakfast this morning. After a few failed attempts, we found a place Michele liked for lunch, Mamas Famous Pizza and Heros. She ordered a chicken parm sub and reported that it was excellent. Although refreshed from lunch, by now it was after 2pm and we didn't feel like additional sightseeing today. Instead, we sat on the backyard patio of our inn taking photos of the birds and enjoying the 73-degree weather.
Rob also got a shot of the Anna's hummingbird this afternoon. This little guy somehow snuck in a quick drink while the patrolling broad-billed was not looking.
We relaxed in our room until dinner at nearby Hops Sports Grill. We had quite the pretty sunset as we drove there. On the left you can just see one of those rare, crested saguaros. This portion of the highway undulates between washes (the low dips) with signs that say do not enter the dips when flooded.
After dinner we watched a James Bond movie and did preliminary packing to prepare for our drive to New Mexico tomorrow.
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