January 31st

What a day!! Best weather yet. It went up to 70 (F) this afternoon which was perfect for spending a lazy afternoon at the pool across from our townhouse. Definitely tanning weather today. Dana was in the pool for about 30 minutes, swimming (short) laps and remembering that she is a Pisces. The day however began at 0700 with oatmeal and juice. We were out the door at 0745. We loaded Dana's bike in the 4Runner and headed to the Rialito Wash Park for Barry's 16km training run. The Park is 12 miles long and boasts a 2 lane paved trail the length of the park. It is flat but out of traffic and safe. Dana cycled while Barry ran. 1 hour and 20 minutes later we were back at the 4Runner for water and stretches before heading back to the townhouse for coffee and snacks. This picture was taken when we got back to the townhouse.

January 30th

It's about 9:00 p.m. in the desert. Today we had a quiet morning, did some grocery shopping. Okay, Dana and Jo did the shopping. I looked at some of the classic cars on display at the show and shine in the parking lot at the grocery store. After lunch we took a short trip to the Saguaro National Park, East. The road through the park is an 8 mile loop. There are pull-outs along the way and some very interesting trails which wind through the desert. We saw a lot of majestic Saguaro cactus as well as a few of the birds that are resident this time of year. Here are few pics that capture the essence of the park.

January 29th, Part 2

9:25 p.m. We went to a fantastic Mexican food restaurant this evening. Just got home. Before we roll into bed, I thought i would share with you the promised bird photos from Dana's birding trip to Medeira Canyon. I guess it wasn't chicken for dinner, but turkey......Don't laugh, those are real wild turkeys and they stand about 3 feet tall......

January 29th

A few pics from our visit to the University of Arizona. Even though it was a mostly cloudy day, the sun did shine on us as we strolled the campus grounds. Very picturesque.

January 28th

A wet, rainy day in Tucson. Like the farmers say, "i guess we need the rain". Finally got around to taking a couple of pics of the townhouse and immediate surroundings. Not much in the way of activity for most of the today. We were saving ourselves for our afternoon outing to the University of Arizona where we took in a visit to the Centre for Creative Photography. It houses an Ansel Adams collection and a special exhibit of . Then it was off to the McKale Memorial Centre for the NCAA Pac-10 Men's basketball game. The UofA Wildcats beat the Stanford Cardinals in an exciting, fast paced game. The whole college hoops spectacle is a worthwhile experience.

January 27th, 2010

The plan for the day was to rise early, have a quick bowl of oatmeal and kick Barry out the door at 0730 in time for him to meet up with a group bike ride to Mt Lemmon. Reality turned out to be out the door at 0830. I headed out for my first ride in the desert. The road to the Catalina Hwy are wide with good bike lanes. However, some of the on ramps were a bit scary with traffic moving at plus 80km. The distance to the base of Mt Lemmon turned out to be further than I had imagined, 18km's. The climb up the mountain is "moderate", about 5 or 6 degree grade. Much like some of the Mt Baker climb. Being the first time I have been on a big hill since the Mt Baker Hill Climb in September, my climbing legs were feeling the effects of the climb. I settled in to a steady 14 to 16 kph. I got to the 4 mile marker, which is also the 4,000 foot elevation point and felt I had enough to go to the 5,ooo foot elevation marker. I got to Molina Basin, then the 7 mile marker and caught up to another cyclist who as it turned out was at his turnaround point. I felt that a 7 mile climb was about it for Day 1 so I too turned and made the descent with Mike, my new cyclist friend. Mike filled me with information on group rides and routes to enjoy while in Tucson. I'm looking forward to more of that.... I returned to our townhouse at around 1130 having logged 60kms. It was time for food, hydration and a nap! (forgot the camera. No pics. Will do better next time.....)