Hello from the desert- Old Pueblo, Arizona! It took a little time to decide where I would spend March, I was considering a few different locations--Tuscon, AZ, Kona, HI, and Florida. I finally decided on Tuscon, as it offers some of the best cycling in the US and I would be close to my very good friend Bill and his family. Like the other locations it would also be sunny and warm --most days!
I arrived on March 1 and will be staying until March 31. At first, I was unsure about my decision, as I did not realize Tuscon was a busy, spread out city. But, after a few days of navigating around my temporary home, it has all worked out.
The cycling is truly great, aside from the bumpy road conditions and smashed glass bottles. The asphalt is rough, due to being constantly cooked by the sun and I believe the folks who resent cyclists-- smash bottles on the shoulders purposely. It's interesting the roads have lots of random nuts,bolts and loose asphalt pebbles, my theory--the roads are so rough that they loosen nuts and bolts from trailers and vehicles and that debris ends up on the shoulders. But, the riding itself is world class, that's probably why Lance Armstrong spent many days in Tuscon training for the Tour De France. A 28 mile ride up Mt. Lemmon. to the short but steep ride up Gates Pass out to the McCain Loop in the Saguaro National Park --it's all really awesome! The Mt. Lemmon road- Catalina Highway- takes you from 2500 ft in elevation at the base, to just over 9000ft at the summit. I could not resist Mt. Lemmon, so on my first saturday here I rode up halfway at the beginning of my 6 hr ride. Last weekend I made my way to the end of Catalina Highway. Incredible! The other great thing about Tuscon cycling is the city is very pedestrian/cyclist friendly with- for the most part- really great bike lanes on most roads. But, be advised, if you come out here be prepared with a set of good tires and a bunch of tubes. Total flats since arriving in Tuscon = 4. (glass,thorns and who knows what else)
The running: well it's always sunny here --- that's a huge plus, as we all know. I mostly run in Reid Park, a city park just down from my apartment. It's very nice! I also run through the neighborhood streets and around the U of Arizona campus. That's really great as well. The campus is cool, for all of my eastside rides I travel through the campus, as that is the safest, smoothest way to get out to the east of town. Sometimes--- I stop at Starbucks on my way down University Ave before I head for the hills of Saguaro National Park.
Swimming: At first this was one of my concerns, but as it turns out the options are really endless.I ended up using the city outdoor pools at ARC-Reid Park-1/8 of a mile from my apartment, Catalina City Pool -2miles away, each visit cost 2 bucks. The U of A facilities were an option, but a little pricey and honestly the Masters team coach at U of A was sort of a............ , so I opted to avoid that vibe. Although, the U of A facilities are insanely sweet!
Tuscon is cool. The neighborhoods are old and plotted within the city, most of the structures are Stucco concrete and very few places have second floors. The weird thing about Tuscon is that it is literally strip mall after strip mall surrounding the neighborhoods. But, it's neat, as the college area brings a small town feel and amongst the Targets and Walgreens there are quaint little neighborhood shops and cafes. It's also a grid city, so navigation is pretty easy.
It's been great. I hope the weather turns back east before I get home. Thanks for checking in.
