Arizona Adventures

When the summer heat would hit Virginia, the standard phrase I used to compare Virginia's heat to years I'd spent in the southwest, was "it's a dry heat."  I guess that's why I thought this postcard was so hilarious.

Our first couple of days in Phoenix were quite chilly, as a storm front had passed through the state bringing clouds, wind and cooler than normal temperatures.  Fortunately, we didn't need to be out in the weather, but, instead, were spending time at Agnes' house in Chandler, AZ.  Agnes was a wonderful hostess.  It had been a long time since we had been there for a visit and we had lots of catching up to do.

The three of us took a Sunday afternoon drive north of Phoenix to visit the experimental community of Arcosanti.

One of the residential areas of Arcosanti.

It only took a couple of days for the weather to warm back up again and by Monday we were out enjoying the abundant sunshine riding our bicycles on the Paseo Trail along the Consolidated Canal, from Chandler up to Gilbert.  We combined this with a day to have some work done on our car, taking a detour from the bike path to go back through town after the shop called to let us know the car was ready for pickup.

Tuesday we left Phoenix and drove down to Tucson to spend some time camping at Catalina State Park.  That's when the weather seriously began to heat up.  On the web page for Catalina State Park I noticed a Climate chart that showed the average April high temperature to be 73 degrees.  Since we've been here the daily highs have been in the 90's--more like July temperatures.

We've learned to adjust to the heat, making sure that we always have plenty of water and access to shade.  Catalina is close enough to urban areas that we can also retreat to air conditioned stores or visitor centers.  For example, at the present we are comfortably working on our computers in the heat of the day at the public library in downtown Tucson.

Love the desert in bloom.

 

Relaxing in camp at Catalina State Park.

 

A glimpse of a roadrunner dashing through the campground.

Hiking at Picacho Peak State Park on the way to Catalina State Park.

Barrel cactus on Picacho Peak trail, saguaro cactus in background.

Hiking the Romero Canyon Trail in Catalina State Park.

On the Romero Canyon Trail, in the distant background is Picacho Peak, where we had hiked the day before.

Destination on Romero Canyon Trail was to several small pools at a stream crossing up the canyon.

This weekend we plan to leave southern Arizona and make our way to St. George, Utah.  We have heard good things about the city as a retirement destination, but neither of us has been there.  I'm hoping there'll be time for a visit to Zion National Park, as well.  The journey continues.