The garden lay north of the footbridge that crossed over Park Boulevard from the Natural History Museum. Just south of the footbridge was this huge cactus on the Rose Garden side.

One of the cacti had huge soft leafs that almost seemed sculpted.

This cactus appeared up close as an impenetrable wall of thorns. Too dense even for Brer Rabbit.

The Desert Garden had been established in 1916, but its modern layout with gentle paved paths didn't happen until 1976.

Without people in the scene, the huge scale of plants in this garden would be unappreciated. This is a mature garden with a lush selection of gigantic cacti.

The Desert Garden rested on a narrow strip of land between Park Boulevard above and other busy roads below.

Joe left his mark on one of the cacti. A odd place to declare his love.

Drawn in white marker 2 years earlier, the culprit must certainly be surprised to find "2-13-09 Frances" still clearly visible after all this time.

Beyond the garden and its bordering and busy road was the edge of town.

The garden exhibited amazing cactus trees. This tree stood over 10 feet (3 meters) tall.

Even in October, a few of the cacti in the garden were still in bloom.

Thorns covering a cactus leaf appeared soft but felt stiff and sharp.

Prickly branches of this tree dismayed any urge to climb.

Two huge trees stood at the end of the garden nearest the parking lot.

If shot in video, one might expect these branches to be seen whipping back and forth furiously. But in actuality, they were merely statically shaped this way.

With blue sky beyond, this tangle of cactus dominated the path.