Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Life in the Southwest

June 16, 2009

The more we explore Tucson, the more we like it. This area has so much to offer: hiking, biking, excellent tennis clubs, golfing, easily accessible national and state parks, Mt. Lemmon's pine forest which offers skiing in the winter (I'll believe it when I see it). If you want to get in shape and enjoy the outdoors doing so, this is the place to be. The one negative is the relentless sun...although my PNW friends would disagree. The dry heat is surprisingly tolerable as long as you're in the shade with a fan, but to stand or sit in the sun can be life-threatening: immediate by heat stroke or delayed by skin cancer. The intensity makes you run for shade. Hence the best parts of the day are before 9am and after 5pm. For a city of 1 mil (in the area) it is amazingly quiet and their street lights seem muted. This is a sleepy desert town and most residents appreciate the colorful sunset displays as noted by the prevalence of patios.

While hiking we saw 2 giant jack rabbits, they had to be at least 1.5 ft tall, I thought they were kangaroos.










Tomorrow we head to Texas to check out the Hill Country around San Antonio, a year of traveling has us longing for a place to settle....unsure of when and where....Mexico or the US?





Skeletal remains of Saguaro cactus.





















Cool Mt Lemmon, at 9,000 feet, is one a hour drive from the hot desert floor.












Desert lizards are everywhere.


















Short, strenuous trail gives beautiful city
views.













Arizona National Golf Course in the foothills. One of Bruce's favorite golf courses

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