Tuscson - Phoenix


Friday, March 23 - Wipeout!

Arrived last night after 10 terrific days in Tucson enjoying the good life while trying to get in shape for my Grand Canyon adventure next week.  Lots of fun in the sun (well, except for the 36 hours of positively biblical rain, hail and thunder).  I attribute the bad weather to the presence 90 miles north, in Phoenix, of a large number of Dechert partners attending the Investment Company Institute annual meeting.  All I can say is, if you plan to be in Miami near the end of April, bring your rain gear . . .

The Tucson hiking was fantastic; I went on four hikes, including a nature photography hike where I was the only guest so I got a lot of guidance from the professional photographer/hiking guide (Kim).  Kim was one of the few people I've met here who actually grew up in Arizona.  He worked for a number of years as a press photographer and still does commercial photography along with taking people like me into the desert to try to capture a few pixels of its beauty.  Not sure I did but you can judge for yourself with the photos below.  Happily, Kim has the same camera body I do (which is a joke considering I am a rank novice) so he could give me a lot of very specific instruction.  Kim also worked in the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch, the campground at the bottom of the Canyon, so he gave me a lot of useful info about what to expect (mainly that my knees will be sore as hell).

Kim found a small piece of Indian pottery and I started to look for more and found three more pieces which seem to be part of a much larger pot.  Apparently it is quite rare to find pieces and my find got the local hiking community pretty excited.  Here's what they looked like, along with a horse shoe I found, which I think bodes well for my visit to Las Vegas.

Other hikes were pretty strenuous; one, to Wasson Peak, was quite challenging (2300 vertical foot hike) and you can see me in this photo.  And that is actually a grin, not a grimace.  No comments about the little green belly - it was St. Paddy's after all.

A few other assorted shots from the various expeditions in and around Tucson, which has just wonderful trails, parks and outdoor scenery. Note the snow in the first and third shots; very unusual for Tucson, especially later in March.

I also did a difficult road bike ride, took a couple of spinning classes, a few yoga sessions and various other workouts (even a Zumba class - I was pathetic) .  Needless to say, I was pretty sore and so made the ulitmate sacrifice in trying to find the most effective massage for this condition and yes, folks, we have a winner!  The hot stone massage that me so relaxed that I could not move; all I wanted was a conveyor belt directly to my bed.

Yesterday, my last day there, I went mountain biking for the first time.  WHAT A BLAST!  There were fantastic trails that were great for a newbie like me.  And yes, there were a couple of wipeouts, which gave me some personal time with the local cactus population.  Its not for nothing that all the guides carry tweezers!  A shot of some of the damage (and my shapely but hairy gams) is below.  If you have nightmares, its your own fault.

I really had fun with the mountain biking, and if I had room in my apartment, I'd get a mountain bike.  Actually I could use the second bedroom but Chris would kill me.  At some point, though, I will definitely try it again; no broken collar bone jokes, please.

Today through next Tuesday, I am here in Phoenix to see some spring training games (thanks, Pete!) and do a bit more hiking.  After tomorrow's hike, I plan to reward myself with a visit to the annual BBQ and Beer Festival in Chandler, AZ, just next to Phoenix.  In the interim, here is a view of a different sort of brew - the "Rootin Tootin Root Beer Float" I had yesterday in Old Scottsdale, where I had a great chat with the proprietor, who used to live in Detroit (as did I) and worked at the hallowed Vernor's Ginger Ale plant near downtown.  Enjoy!