That's a ranch house you see on the valley floor below. Cattle graze down there, unaware of the danger above. People go about their daily work, oblivious to North America's largest cat. There are more than 40 names in English for this cat. Cougar, Puma, Painter, Mountain Lion... A big male like this one can weigh 200 lbs, and stand 2.5' high at the shoulder. It's likely that he's bigger than you. Its scream, reverbrating across the valley in the night air, will send a chill down the spine of the most seasoned … (28 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Storm Front Moving In To Tucson: A Lone Sentinel
- 02/20/10 02:05 PM
A storm front moved in to the Tucson area this morning, and we love it. Every drop of moisture is precious in the Arizona Sonoran Desert, and we were blessed with half an inch of rain today. I took the photo this morning while hiking with my friend Keith Long, a geologist with the USGS. We hiked in King Canyon, an easily-accessible spot opposite the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. We had to quit before lunch when this weather front rolled in. More later. We found some wonderful ancient petroglyphs, and I'll share them with you tomorrow. ___________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred … (42 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Speechless Sunday: Red Rock Canyon Near The Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum
- 01/30/10 08:44 PM
Sedona's not the only place in Arizona with red rocks. This little canyon is hidden away in a wash next to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. I could hear tourists talking in the parking lot above me, but they couldn't see me, and had no idea of the beautiful canyon below them. The setting sun lit up the saguaros above. ___________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Mortgage Lender. NMLS #223495SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Mortgage Bankers, Not Brokers!Offices in Scottsdale, Tucson, and Nogales, AZ, and Albuquerque, NM. Call me on my Blackberry (520) 349-9090 photos copyright Mike in Tucson … (26 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Cougar. Mountain Lion. Tigre'. Whatever You Call Her, You're Going To Like This Zoo.
- 10/23/09 04:21 PM
Cougar. Mountain Lion. Tigre'. The Indians I grew up with in Suriname, South America never saw one of these North American cats. The one they feared was the Jaguar. They called it "Kai Kwi." Don't come to Tucson without visiting the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum. It's one of the world's ten best zoos. This magnificent cat isn't cooped up in a 20 x 20 cage with a concrete floor. She's the beneficiary of some of the most forward thinking zookeepers on the planet. My Darlin' and I live six miles from the "Desert Museum." Most of that six miles … (35 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: So You Thought You Knew Something About Tucson, Arizona? (2 of 10: Geography)
- 01/27/09 08:56 PM
Few cities in the United States cover more territory than Tucson. The volcanic valley floor seen above is roughly 30 miles square. That's 900 square miles. And it doesn't include the surrounding communities that comprise the metro area of Tucson. Those include Sahuarita and Green Valley to the south, and Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina to the northwest. Four mountain ranges surround the Tucson valley. To the north, the Santa Catalinas, seen above (left,) rise to nearly 10,000 feet. This photo on the left shows the Tucson valley floor from the vantage point of a trail near the top of … (40 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Prayer For the New Year: May Our Bears Retire!
- 01/10/09 01:41 PM
The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is one of my favorite places on the planet. It's one of the 10 best zoos in the World, and if you haven't had the pleasure of a visit, and you're surrounded by cold grey days and frigid nights (Jesse in Fairbanks has been dealing with forty below for two weeks) you might just want to come visit us in Tucson.
I couldn't help but grin when I read this sign--not that I didn't like our black bears, but the irony of the bearish stock market and gloomy press made me think that this should be … (3 comments)
Elsewhere in the West, and in most parts of country, I've heard these big cats called Cougars. Here in Arizona we call them Mountain Lions. You've read stories in the past few years about joggers in California being attacked by them. It's not hard to imagine. These are very powerful animals. This one lives with its mate at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ. It's only three miles from our home in the Tucson Mountains, and a few years ago, my Darlin' and I saw one of these in our backyard.
Whenever out-of-town guests come to … (27 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Live Venomous Critters at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ (2 of 2)
- 07/14/08 05:41 PM
Your REALTOR may or may not inform you about our desert critters here in Tucson. We live in a neighborhood called Tucson Estates II, and it is surrounded by Tucson Mountain Park, which in turn abuts Saguaro National Park West, in the Tucson Mountains on Tucson's western flank. Just down Kinney road a couple of miles from us is the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. Google it. It's fantastic. It doesn't look like it from this photo, but docent making the presentation to an audience of better than 200 people last Saturday night is holding this rattlesnake four feet from his body. … (27 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: Live Venomous Critters at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ (1 of 2)
- 07/14/08 05:21 PM
Saturday night entertainment. My Darlin' and I were on the very front row. My choice. She's a saint. The venue was an auditorium at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, just down Kinney Road from our neighborhood, Tucson Estates II. The two speakers for the evening came walking down the auditorium aisle carrying boxes with holes in the sides and padlocks on the top. The tops are painted bright red. They house desert creatures who can put a hurting on you if you're not careful. To give you an idea about the size of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake here, consider that the … (5 comments)
arizona sonoran desert museum: It's called the Raptor Free Flight Program, at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum
- 01/13/08 02:51 PM
Thanks for visiting Localism.com for Tucson, Arizona! This website is especially for you out-of-towners who want to get to know Tucson a little better. I couldn't think of a better way to introduce you than to create this video show just for you. After you enjoy it, you'll be able to click on it and email it to your friends.
Didn't you enjoy that? You can visit Localism.com for your own community, and for the special places you'd like to visit. If you come to Tucson, Arizona, look me up. We'll tell you the best places to visit while you're here. The Arizona … (27 comments)
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