Day 4 - Palm Springs - The Living Desert

After a brief meeting with John Mincks, our wagonmaster, where we discussed the route, and procedures when we arrive at The Living Desert, we left in our vehicles for our great adventure.

We all boarded trams at the park for our "Wildlife Adventure Through the Deserts of the World."  Our group was broken down into smaller groups to make our way through the park.  Along the way we stopped at several gardens to see the different kinds of plants found in different deserts.  Several were the Butterfly Garden, Baja Oasis Garden, Chihuahan Garden, Mexican Columnar Garden, Mojave Desert Garden, Palm Oasis Garden and the Upper Colorado Desert Garden.  We stopped along the way and saw an eagle, several vultures, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, giraffes, ostriches, serval, striped hyenas, zebras, ankole cattle and camels to name a few.

All of us had the opportunity to ride a camel with our own personal camel driver.  After viewing the wildlife show which featured an owl, birds of prey, African crested porcupine and other fascinating animals, we caught a ride on the endangered species carousel.

Our trams returned us to the entrance area, where we could leave or spend more time on our own in the park.  Several couples did remain in the park for several hours walking the park and seeing areas that were not covered by the tram ride.

After a fun day at the Living Desert, we enjoyed a fun time with a potluck and time for visiting and sharing our day with others.

Submitted by:

#4 Janice and Bob Eldred