Arizona Trip

The Arizona part of my trip involved the zoo, hikes, horseback riding, hanging out, and helping out. The Phoenix Zoo had a dinosaurs exhibit, with animatronic recreations of what some ancient critters might have looked like. That was a cool addition to their usual stuff. I went on some walks/hikes with lots of wildflowers due to all of the unusual winter rains. Mostly the trip was hanging out and helping people out with various tasks.  

Animatronic recreation of ancient bear

Animatronic recreation of ancient dodo-type bird

Animatronic recreation of big dinosaurs

Sun bear

Javelinas

Big tortoise

Kitty

Owl

Armadillo

Horned owl

Little tortoise

Fluffed roadrunner

Prairie dog

Reptile fails at hiding

Horseback riding

Beautiful wildflowers blanketing the desert

Even purple and pink flowers were out

Wildflowers and cactus

Fairyduster plant

Funky cactus

Walking track

Amazon was everywhere

Funky Mexican restaurant

Tempting thrift store find but I resisted

Touch-free handle

Plastic bags everywhere

Helping with my friend’s plant research

Hike

Nice views of the valley

Plant sale

Cute succulents

 

Abel Tasman National Park - Coast Walk

On our second day in Abel Tasman National Park, we took the famous coast walk on a hot, sunny day. I enjoyed the bird life, a few blackberries, and taking off my shoes for a little wade into the water, although the sandflies managed to get a few bites in without me realizing until later. By the time we turned around, the tide had come in and the horseback riders had finished their ride along the sandbar. It felt more like Hawaii than the cold, windy New Zealand we are accustomed to, so this was a nice change of experience.

thought this looked like a mummified foot

not yet ripe blackberries

pukeko sighting!

quail on the lookout