Outdoors In Tucson
Of course, it helps that there is a wide range of opportunities to be active outside. Last week, we tried out a nearby mountain biking trail. I haven't come across that many mountain biking trails, regardless of the immense number of trails that surround Tucson. Most of those trails seem to be exclusive for hiking. It could be that I haven't looked hard enough for the mountain biking trails.
Regardless, it immediately became obvious that mountain biking in the desert is its own unique entity in regards to doing it in other locales, say the Rocky Mountains in Colorado or in the hills of North Carolina. In Colorado, the big danger is that you are careening down the mountain, and it is important to watch out where you are going. In NC, you have to watch for all sorts of branches trying mightily to gouge out your eye. In both settings, though, it is important to draw a little blood, just to make you look like you were trying hard enough. This is simple to do, just ride close enough to a bush to get a little scratch.
That doesn't fly in the desert. Here, you must explicitly avoid drawing blood. In fact, you must avoid brushing up against anything along the trail, any sort of plant life whatsoever. That is because this is an extremely hostile environment, as survival of the fittest has weaned out the plant species that didn't come with giant thorns or spikes. In NC, you might brush up against a tree trunk in passing. In Tucson, that tree trunk is a huge saguaro cactus, and you'll regret that decision for the next week. Those aren't even the worst. There are pretty, fuzzy cactuses that look like bunches of big grapes scattered about, called Teddy Bear Cactus. Once a spine impales you skin, you can't get it out easily. It dangles and then another spine makes connection, then another, until you have your own bunch of grapes hanging on to your hide. Now, in the most sinister nightmare scenario, imagine flying off your bike into a big bush of those. Death might be preferable, at least in the short term.
So, it is very important to keep a very close eye on your riding. There are many parts in the path we rode the other day where there would be a sharp turn, only waiting right where you would have gone if not for the turn is a big barrel cactus plant, hook spines anticipating your bumbling flesh to careen into them. These spines are like fish hooks. I don't even want to imagine how badly that would go for you. Still, it all elevates mountain biking here to that much more of an intense sport. Here, you really have to realize that there are consequences for not succeeding in keeping your bike on the trail.
Of course there is also hiking and running. I've taken up running again, and have gotten myself up to 5-miles on a regular basis now. Our dog, Zuri, runs with me, and does quite well with it. In fact, she loves it, and pouts terribly if she gets left behind. She even knows the routes, and anticipates some of the turns. It's great now, but wait until the heat starts to return. Whereas our normal mid-day temperature is 75-80, in a month or so it will have climbed to 90, and by the time my contract is over at the end of April, it will be pushing 100. Apparently, in comparison to Phoenix, it tops out at around 110, which isn't that bad. It's at least better than 115-120 like in Phoenix.
Finally, oddly enough, I managed to get in some snowboarding right here in Tucson. There are a few resorts scattered around Arizona, the most known one being up in Flagstaff. However, there is a resort right up on Mt. Lemmon here in Tucson. As it turns out, we live on the road to Mt. Lemmon, and so it is only a 26-mile trip. Granted, the resort isn't that big. There is only one major lift. There is a trail along the top ridge where several blues and a couple of black diamonds drop off. I was with my friend Scott, who has only snowboarded in Ohio, which is actually a step down from Arizona skiing, so we stayed on the blue runs. It was fun. There wasn't a great base, as you might expect in the desert, and there were places where the ground was poking through, but overall, it was just fun to be snowboarding. We actually went all day, and it wasn't crowded at all. I didn't have any gear, it's all in Colorado, so I bought a pair of gloves, rented the board and boots, and instead of snowpants I just had on jeans, which worked out fine. No helmet or goggles, either, I just had on a bandanna and my sunglasses. Probably better than the actual snowboarding was the thought that I was snowboarding in Tucson, Arizona. Now, who would have thought?
Until next time, be safe.
