Last weekend we made a photo-trek with Lance (Bad dog), Maria, Wendy & Mike to the Living desert in Palm Desert, California.

We had a great time and there were plenty of available photo opportunities every where you looked.

Even though the attraction doesn’t open until 9:00 am, we were able to keep the “high-noon” sun at bay by shooting close and tight.

The park is home to around 500 native species and is surrounded by desert so you never know who or what will drop by for a visit , like the gazzilions of lizards we saw as well as a few mountain goats on the periphery.

They have a wonderful “G-Scale” outdoor train layout that has scenes from all over the U.S.A. (including Mt Rushmore).

The animals were awesome, including the Giraffes …..

We felt a bit “Indiana Jones” -ish as we traversed the rugged countryside.

Old turtles roamed their pens, going from one end to the other in no hurry.

the flora and fauna abounded and were absolutely beautiful.

Even the rocks were an abstract unto themselves.

Beautiful plant life was everywhere…

Including brightly colored cactii.

..and strangely wavy ones too.

They have an awesome Hospital to take care of their permanent residents as well as ones brought in for treatment from the surrounding deserts.

Always a prickly situation to be found.

My favorite part of the day was the butterfly enclosure…

…being Springtime, it was a hotbed of activity…

…with awesomely colored butterflies everywhere.

The kids loved it when the butterflies perched on their hands and they were kind enough to share their experiences with us!

All in all, a wonderful day trip to the Living Desert.

I’d highly recommend it, check them out here.