Adventure 784: Day 7/Tucson/2023

Some of the left over California rain spilled all over Tucson today. With the wind, the rain ran shivers through our bodies. According to Judy's ten year journal, the cool temperatures are nothing new, but in the decade we've been coming here, this is just the second time we've seen this much rain. The last time we, along with many others, were trapped in Catalina State Park because the rushing water had washed out the only road. Today, we witnessed a rush of muddy water flowing in the Rillito River. It shocked us because normally the river bed is dry and pock marked with javelina footprints. It makes the warning signs that say, "Don't enter when water is present" all the more poignant. It also made me wonder what happened to the homeless camp I saw in the river bed on my bike ride yesterday. I hope they were warned in advance, or maybe had lived experience that prepared them for the sudden ferocity of the flooding water. In any case, it isn't the warm sunny Tucson we are used to, but the rain didn't stop us from living large. Judy went to her second "training" session. She's joined a gym and hired a trainer. Pretty soon those "Wiebe" arms of hers will be belts of steel. Meanwhile, I met with Jordan Misner, a skilled Tai Chi practitioner, who I've also hired to work with me these three months. After lunch, during which, Judy (The Wiley Cager) again drubbed me in cribbage. [Side note: I'm down $2.14 so far this month], we went on a drive to get our bearings a little bit. Now that we're "residents", we'll have to learn the lay of the land. Today's excursion was to find a place to park when we go to the Arizona/USC basketball game Thursday. Judy bought us tickets as a Christmas present. I'm very excited because Arizona has long been a hotbed for college basketball. They have loyal fans, a huge arena in the Mckale Center, and  a very strong motivation to play well. They've suffered two league losses in recent weeks, which stings any time, but here in Tucson, it's near sacrilege to lose to those teams in the Northwest. Time will tell, but much like Gonzaga's kennel, the Mckale Center is renown for its boisterous fans. The rain will begin to fizzle into a drizzle and the sun should return by Wednesday, although they say the cold front will last most of this week. No matter. Life is good, especially today.

This was Sabino Dam a couple of days ago. The news said this creek was impassable today, and the area was closed to visitors.

I didn't think I'd need a life jacket here in the desert.

At least we weren't driving in the pounding rain like we were a few years back down the Pacific Coast.

I think I remember taking this picture when we were in the laundromat drying our clothes. Mother Nature is quite the fickle lady, and surely not to be taken lightly.