Exploring the South West

I walk home from the library carrying book and videos about the southwest. I search for shaded areas to walk, hoping for a short respite from the sun. Today the temperature is over 100 degrees, again. Today is the 23^rd day of triple digits. 

Next month will mark my one year in Tucson. I love Tucson's winters.  

I’m not coping well with the temperatures and only half the mornings can I wake up early enough to run or bike before the heat is too much. I am training for a race in September, a triathlon; an Ironman. I hope to PR and put my triathlon days behind me. For the record, I have been saying this for the last five years. 

This trip to the library I bring home books about hiking and traveling around Arizona. Most days I’m too tired or too scared to travel outside my comfort zone meaning any place outside city limits. Although last spring I drove to Patagonia for a mountain bike ride, about an hour south of Tucson in the mountains. I’ve driven to Phoenix a handful of times, one time hitting debris and getting a flat tire at 3am and missing a half marathon race. I've driven to Lake Havasu City without incident; well I raced poorly, meaning I didn't finish, but that is another story.

I’ve decided that while I’m training, writing a second book, and working that I have to discover Arizona. I need to go find mountain trails, rivers, and lakes. I even called Parker Canyon Lake today to confirm dogs are allowed in the park and in the water. Next weekend, I’m heading there, just miles from the Mexican border. I need to step outside my comfort zone, escape the city heat, and find more stories.

My guide is Day Trips from Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. 

Today, I explored downtown Tucson. I walked along 4^th Ave and ate at Epic Café that reminded me of my friend Sue's coffee shop in downtown Winter Park, CO.  I had the breakfast burrito with bacon. It was good.

Tucson is a great place to live; and I’m going to prove it with forthcoming posts.

Stay Tuned.