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Desert Garden, Balboa Park

A Huge Cactus
(1 of 16) (16116 views)

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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.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:11:53 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9680
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Massive Leafs
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One of the cacti had huge soft leafs that almost seemed sculpted.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:26:20 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9703
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Wall Of Thorns
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This cactus appeared up close as an impenetrable wall of thorns. Too dense even for Brer Rabbit.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:26:20 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9704
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Wheel Chair Friendly
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The Desert Garden had been established in 1916, but its modern layout with gentle paved paths didn't happen until 1976.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:26:52 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9705
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People For Scale
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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.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:27:01 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9706
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Above Busy Roads
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The Desert Garden rested on a narrow strip of land between Park Boulevard above and other busy roads below.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:27:44 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9709
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Cactus Graffiti
(7 of 16) (9475 views)

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


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:28:18 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9711
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Drawn In White Marker
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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.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:28:33 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9713
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Beyond The Garden
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Beyond the garden and its bordering and busy road was the edge of town.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:30:49 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9718
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Big Cactus Trees
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The garden exhibited amazing cactus trees. This tree stood over 10 feet (3 meters) tall.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:31:20 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9720
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Still In Bloom
(11 of 16) (9417 views)

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


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:31:43 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9721
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Thorns Softly
(12 of 16) (9594 views)

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


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:32:40 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9724
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Prickly Branches
(13 of 16) (9457 views)

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Prickly branches of this tree dismayed any urge to climb.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:34:38 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9729
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Huge Trees
(14 of 16) (10176 views)

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


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:37:41 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9737
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Wild Branches
(15 of 16) (9447 views)

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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.


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:39:01 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9739
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A Tangle
(16 of 16) (9502 views)

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


Desert Garden   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 February 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:40:34 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9743
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