Welcome to Tucson: Where Everyone Can See You Pee

Morning View

I really have no gripes about AZ. How could I? We have ~3 feet of snow on the ground back east. Besides my very first day, I've been in a s/s jersey and shorts every ride. There is one thing I can't get used to--The fact that there is no place to pee safely. Men have it a little easier. We have to work a little more. Everything is so open here. People appear quickly out of no where. You could go behind a cactus or two and if you're lucky find a giant saguaro. Of course, there are a few risks involved in that venture. On the road-even more dicey. You may as well stop at the Circle K or else the cops may be called because you're squatting in someone's driveway. There are no little gullies or trees or rocks to hide behind to do your business. You have to take your chances here. Trust me. Even if you're in the back country you risk exposure. If someone is sight seeing from atop a lookout and looks onward for miles at a mountain I'm pretty sure they could see my white ass like it's a metallic piece of wreckage reflecting the sun. I've kind of gotten used to the whole speed peeing thing. It's now part of my workout. Do I really care if I get caught in the act? Not so much. I just really feel bad for the innocent onlookers. When you gotta go you gotta go...

Saguaro

Somewhere in Saguaro National Park

Redington Pass from Saguaro National Park

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K" -Ted, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

It's been awhile since I've been able to use that one. Had to slip it in there.

Redington Pass

As I was climbing up Redington I could hear guns. Shotguns, hand guns...the theme song of the NRA. It was like being in the Wild freakin' West (or back in Appalachia, take your pick). Seems to be a popular place for those with an itchy trigger finger. Just pull over, set-up up targets and fire away. As I was climbing all I could think (besides my Dad would love this place) is that I hope nothing ricochets off a rock and hits me. Fast forward 10 more miles and I was looking to take a bullet. Where in the hell am I?

There is no cell service , no Verizon Navigator, and definitely NO ONE to hear me scream. It was exhilarating and there are no words for the view. Amazing.

I do have to give props to the boys and girls who raced this climb for SSUSA. Wow. 12 miles of up before they turned onto the singletrack. Even when you're descending you're ascending here. Makes no sense but it's true. I will never bitch about another east coast climb again!

As you can see, even the trail maps are fair game.

Like I have to be told to stay on the trail. No bushwhacking here. I was on the trail and was afraid I wasn't following the trail.

Cattleguard.

Leftovers...

Somewhere on FR 37

I was cruising at a pretty good clip on the AZ trail and my foot began to burn like hell. I've heard about you cholla. The evil little ball of spikiness got thrown up and went between my crank and foot. Not the most pleasant experience.
It was really fun pulling out a few spines when I got back to the house. I'm sure certain relatives are enjoying the thought of me in pain.

Cholla Attack

What A Difference A Day Makes

C'mon. How obvious is this picture choice? Had to be done.

I was warned that this place is fast. Having never experienced desert riding I had no idea how fast it could be. The washes, the cornering, the speed. It was a shock to the system since only a few days ago I was under 10 lbs of winter clothes and riding in snow. After scaring the crap out of myself and almost doing a header into a cactus I finally got the hang of it and went with it. Going fast felt good. At the end I was hoping for a log jump or rocky creek crossing so I could slow down a little. That never happened. It was awesome.

Pathetic earthlings... Who can save you now?

I arrived in Tucson and there was a little rain. No biggie, right? I clipped in and by the time I got to the main road it was full on monsoon. I decided cold rain wasn't that bad and kept pushing on towards Fantasy Island. About 10 more minutes and it began...hail the size of golf balls. The hail was coming down so hard it stung my face on impact. I did finally make it to Fantasy Island. I was soaked to the bone and couldn't feel my hands or feet. I though it was in my best interest to head back. The rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see 3 feet in front of me. At the stop lights I could feel the scrutiny of the drivers and passengers...I'm most certain the word "dumbass" (among others) was tossed around.

The Emperor Ming: Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?

Klytus: An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Earth.

The Emperor Ming: How peaceful it looks. [He activates a console and watches as earthquakes, floods, HAIL, etc. start to occur. They both get a good laugh out of it.]

Klytus: Most effective, Your Majesty. Will you destroy this, uh, Earth?

The Emperor Ming: Later...I like to play with things awhile...before annihilation. [laughs evilly]

Welcome to Tucson, Jocelyn.

Uuuuuughhh

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we've all kind of had it with the snow and all the fun it brings. Rumor has it my brother is up to 31 inches in Ohio. Yikes. If I had gotten 31 inches I would have had a mental and physical meltdown. Yes, I love the snow. I love to snow shoe and hike in it. I love to ride in it. I love to look at it. I love to be out in it. Period. However, this whole house thing and Mike being in AZ for the last couple of weeks has me reevaluating my feelings on the white fluffy stuff.

Shoveling has become a daunting task for Ike


We all can relax. The "flying squirrel" has been uncovered. There was almost a trip to Petsmart.



That's a good 2 hour workout!

I'm sure this won't look better at 6 am.

One more week and we'll be reunited...

Thanks George for the case and thank you Rave for having the patience in packing my bike and showing me how it's done...I know it was painful!

Now if I can only get there in one piece!