Live Life Well
The story of two married DC professionals, one a motorcycle lobbyist the other a US Senate staffer who quit their jobs, sold everything and hit the road traveling the National Park System and all points in between for all of 2016
Alicia here. It seems that in Arizona, the only pants women wear are yoga pants and leggings. Pretty much every women's clothing store has racks and racks of yoga pants and leggings as far as the eye can see. They are the official uniform of Arizona, and I love it. Hey, "when in Rome," right? After all, when one is hiking everyday, it just makes sense to wear pants that are fun to wear and have fun in.
These things are everywhere. As a Chicago kid, I just figured that the saguaro cactus was ubiquitous with the entire southwestern American landscape. Nope. They only live in a small corner of the country. Like one minute there are hundreds, then crest a hill side and there are none. They are very picky fellows. I like them. They all seem ready to give a thorny hug.
The Stones sang about dead flowers, which are useless. Dead saguaro cactus, on the other hand, are totally useful. Sweetie has been strangely obsessed with dead cactus. It's weird. But I have to say- I get it. Some of the inner structures of the cactus are woody and beautiful. I'll post some more pics, but some have a fishnet stocking look that is undeniably otherworldly. But these, the saguaro ribs, are like strong pieces of thin hardwood branches. Deceivingly strong for their weight and diameter. The ribs are used for fences. Really interesting plant. Even though Keith, Mick and the boys sang about useless dead flowers, I am still a huge fan. Rock on.
Me and June hiking the Sonoran hills. He's a great brother-in-law. Love this dude! I married a gem and got a bonus brother!
Took the F350 off road on a search for hot springs. Didn't find the springs. Did test the truck. Worked out well. We turned back because the massive winter rains had generated so much water it created a hazard. After all, we are living out of our truck and need to preserve it.
The Sonoran desert surrounds Phoenix, and Phoenix is the Sonoran desert. It is a rocky, cactus-y wonderland. The outlying mountain chains are just breathtaking. This photo courtesy of Sweetie's iPhone.