Tim and I wanted HOT and after 3 months of travel through semitropical climes, we finally found it in Arizona. With temperatures in the low to mid 80’s every day, we are staying put for a while.
Sizing up the Cacti
First we dropped in on Tucson where we spent a day with my brother Brett and his wife Peg. We barbecued (delicious high point), watched the WVU Mountaineers suffer a crushing defeat in the hands of Duke in the Final Four (ugly, hair tearing out, gnashing of teeth low point), and then bounced back with a late night sharing baby pictures, new music and great stories (much redeeming high point). After an Easter Cowboy Omelet the next morning, Tim and I continued on to Scottsdale to see Ann and Scott.
Full Size
We always look forward to our visits with Ann and Scott and whenever we get together it’s like no time has passed. They have rented a beautiful house in Scottsdale and Tim and I easily settled into a routine of working, breakfast all together catching up, more work (preferably in the sunshine by the pool), a bike ride exploring the miles of desert trails just a mile out the door, and then a yummy family dinner. After so much travel, it is like coming home.
Endless Desert
After a week relaxing, we decided to explore the nearby McDowell Mountain Regional Park. Just on the other side of the mountains from Scottsdale, McDowell is a beautiful, even lush, desert environment. Twenty foot cactuses dot the hills and this spring, the flowers are in full bloom. We were unprepared for the exotic pollen that hung in the air and our allergies let us know. But regardless of our runny noses, we managed to enjoy every moment of the miles of single track bike trails that wind up and down over desert washes.
Watch for Snakes!
Known for it’s sweet singletrack biking and unusually large population of Diamond Back Rattlesnakes, McDowell is place to both enjoy and be very vigilant. So far we’ve seen 3 rattlesnakes of various shapes and sizes. When I asked the Park Ranger if there was any chance that the 3 foot long tan snake I’d seen sunning in front of the ladies restroom door wasn’t poisonous, she assured me that it probably was.
“great…” I said.
“It’s okay”, she said, “we have very low incidents of snake bites despite being one of the largest pockets of rattlesnakes in America. And the good news,” she added cheerfully, “is that we have very few scorpions!”
Thank goodness for small favors…
So we ride and work and ride and make sure the doors are shut at night. It’s good living here in gorgeous AZ.
View Rattlesnake Road in a larger map
Rattle Snake Road – 2 Snakes 1 Ride
John Landolt
April 14, 2010 at 5:15 am
So where are the photos of those snakes?? Never mind, I don’t want you that close!!