Things in AZ lately

We've been enjoying spring in and around Tucson, and here are a few photos to share with y'all.

Cushing Bridge has a neat art installation where shadows align with pictures in the pavement on certain days of the year.  It's a good running destination when that happens.  One week in February the stated day happened to be overcast, but happily there was a second shadow happening a couple days later.  One of them would be slightly off alignment, but they aren't perfectly aligned anyway, no big deal.

A celebration of the fiesta parade and rodeo:

That shadow isn't immediately obvious, but you can see the horseshoes and what might be a spur? in the metalwork overhead:

A much better example - the first ever plane flight in Tucson, piloted by Charles Hamilton in 1910:

And the propeller shadow creator:

Wildflowers at an orienteering meet near Phoenix:

Spring in the desert is delightful:

The phone attempted to document the lunar eclipse in early March:

Hello javelina!  I'm much more likely to see a roadrunner around here, but this creature was easier to take a decent picture of:

John's sister Jerri Lind and brother-in-law Loren came to visit for several days and we had fun showing them around.  I think they got a kick out of hanging out with saguaros:

A view toward downtown on a trail I hadn't been on before (rather surprisingly - there's still more to see!):

Loren was especially interested in the desert plants and flowers, and I'm in the background using the Merlin app to ID birdsongs around us:

The center of the art:

We happened to have tickets to a documentary at the community college, and our guests were game to come along.  It turned out to be a delight to watch, and even better that the film's subjects (2 guys who walked across Arizona in 1982) were in the audience to speak to us afterward.

Hopefully this will be available to watch online soon:

https://aztrail.org/events/trailblazers-film-premiere/ 

Mimicking a saguaro in the image outside the theater (100% less spiny):

Another common creature I see while running - a small ground squirrel:

We drove up to Canyon Lake near Phoenix for a 12-hour race (John did the adventure race version and I stayed on foot all day for the rogaine).  

Photo credit to Gary for all the "action shots" - thank you Gary for documenting it!

Prepping gear in the morning:

Guess what day it was!

Heading off to roam around in the rocky hills near the lake:

John borrowed a kayak and started the day with a paddle:

Approaching the aid station near the other end of the course - thank you for being there with drinks and snacks, Gary!

Starting a loop in the maze-like area (thank you Ron for finding places like this with such interesting topography):

John climbed up to the higher reaches of the course and snapped some pictures so I could see what I missed:

Pretty clouds and big landscape:

And a whole bunch of teddy bear cholla that should never be messed with (and be careful where you step):

Teddy bears guarding one of the controls:

Blooming cacti!

It was a challenging and fun day.  My favorite part was probably checking out the Tortilla Flats tourist shop (and bathroom with running water), not a typical adventure race oasis but I could get used to that.

Results - well done, John!

https://gphxo.org/Results/2026/20260314_CanyonLake_Results.htm

Urban woodpecker and ants:

Interesting ironwork - and old truck:

The rest of this post is mostly about the Lost One Standing event that we put on in early April.  I enjoyed the one we did in Colorado so much that I was inspired to create a version of it here.

For the details, here's a link to the webpage:

https://www.tucsonorienteeringclub.org/event-details/lost-one-standing-in-the-santa-ritas

Some pictures I took during scouting missions, including scenic Mount Wrightson always on the horizon:

At 5000 ft. elevation there are way fewer cacti, but still some small ones that might hide near your feet:

I learned how to identify and map a "passable cliff":

Pointy agave (much easier to avoid than the pointy catclaw):

Checking out some old mines in the area:

One of the prettier creeks:

After winter snow/rain there was enough water flowing that I had to get my feet wet to explore the terrain.  Happily this subsided before race day:

When I found this geological oddity of a rock wall, I knew I had to include it in one of the courses.  John later found this little guy growing on top of the wall too!

Blooming cholla:

We hung most of the controls the weekend beforehand (then I worried about the high winds the next few days; happily they all stayed in place).  A control next to a small cliff, with a reflector for visibility at night:

Another interesting find - an old pipe that was part of mining operations:

A forest of flowering ocotillos:

A control in a reentrant:

Selfie control?

The event went great!  Everyone was game to learn the format, we heard about various strategies being tested, and there were fast and also persistent people who finished as many courses as they could.  It was super fun to watch!  Kudos to all the participants and huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

Results and write-up (with additional photos from various runners):

https://www.tucsonorienteeringclub.org/results/b-260404

Just a few final photos to finish it out, including flowers on a saguaro:

And another visit to the Cushing Bridge to bookend this post - mariachi dancers and instruments:

This shadow idea is most excellent:

Thanks for reading!

It's Snow Wonder

I went to visit Mom in Vermont recently!  We enjoyed each other's company and I got to experience real winter for the first time in... well, let's just say a long time.  The northeastern US got (is getting) a bunch of snow this year.  It was rather hard for me to fathom what that's like without actually being there.  For someone who enjoys getting out and exploring on foot, happily there are a variety of things to do.

For example, I believe I was on Mom's snowshoes in this picture, in the radio tower field near her house (with a cap that represents my normal winter habitat):

Down at the reservoir I saw ice fishing shacks, including this little trailer that made me laugh for some reason (probably trying to imagine living in it on top of the ice):

Way in the background I believe I could make out a couple sled dog teams - that's neat!  I wonder if they give rides:

Another mode of transport - I rented a pair of cross-country skis!  Yep, I still remember how to use them, although my downhill technique needs work.  It was fun gliding (or sliding) around on them for a couple hours.  This is the only picture I got from that excursion, but at least I have proof:

An iconic Vermont structure at the far end of the Stowe Rec Path (which was nicely packed with perfectly crunchy snow for running on with regular shoes):

And... more snow.  This was the biggest pile-up of all the car coverings:

Back to the reservoir on a sunny day, with snowmobile tracks across the new snow:

Apt names for local coffee flavors:

I ventured over to the trail network on the east side of town just to see what it looked like and discovered what would be the highlight of the outdoor adventures - groomed bike trails!  I did not know this existed and now I am a huge fan.  Especially with the amount and quality of snow at the time, plus the cold temperatures.  Perfect conditions.  The trails were solidly packed, I could run on them without sinking at all (no damage to the tracks), and I saw almost no bikes on the days I went out there.  It was great fun climbing up switchbacks and then swooping down the hill.  Thank you to whoever decided that winter fat tire biking should be a thing, and then created these:

Clad in my much-used balaclava, warm cap, and neck fleece (and of course my cactus cap):

Another good running path, along the lake in Burlington, past the Stonehenge-like "Earth Clock" sculpture:

Ice towers, with some kind of connection system to keep them from falling over (also, the lake is looking mostly frozen):

A much taller tower, made of filing cabinets for some reason (I've seen it before but it never gets old.  Well, just a bit rusty):

Taylor came to visit!  Hello my friend, it was great to see you again.  Mom enjoyed her company and also meeting her dog Oy.  Then we did some snowshoeing - and you gotta love this hat:

I was heading to the train station coffee house when the daily Amtrak just happened to pull up:

Not sure what Mr. Duck is dressed as, but I generally can't resist a duck picture.  Especially when there's also a heart rock and tiny dinosaur:

Back to the groomed bike trails and I took a moment to look at the groomer.  I think the sled on the right folds down for someone to stand on.  They hold onto the bike handlebars (complete with brake levers that I assume work) and guide the groomer ahead of them.  Would be interesting to see this in action sometime:

In the woods near Mom's house, where a large owl flew right overhead and landed on a branch ahead of me.  An unzoomed photo of the owl staring at me from up high - hello owl!

Zoomed and cropped, not great framing but Mom ID'd it as a barred owl.  Super cool:

One last stop at Trader Joe's in Burlington before flying out.  It was so good to spend time with you, Mom, love ya bunches!