An Ode to My Beloved Chacos

The fact that my favorite shoes in the entire world share the same name as the site of my master's research is not lost on me.  I am well aware, and it has been pointed out by many people.  It is not, however, any part of the reason why I originally bought Chaco sandals, nor is it why I love them so much.  I love them because they are pretty much the best shoe in the entire world.  Ever.

I have been wearing my Chacos almost every day (literally, probably 300 out of every 365 days) for the last six years [seriously, I will post the photo of my foot tan lines again if I have to].  They have traveled with me to four continents.  They have waded through rivers, hiked up mountains, and trekked across deserts.  They have squatted in numerous excavation units, climbed over countless rocks, and they've been warmed by many a campfire.  These shoes have lived quite the life.  Sadly, this life is now at its end.

The straps on my Chacos are frayed.  The once blue and green designs have faded to almost nothing.  The soles are worn thin and no longer have much of a grip at all.  Their current level of stink is both offensive and irreversible.  It is time.

Today I have purchased brand new Chacos.  They are lovely and clean (and green!), and will probably be my new favorite shoes.  I will probably wear them 300 out of every 365 days of the year for the next six years.  Chances are, I won't allow myself to throw out the old pair for at least a few months, and even then I may have to keep a piece one of the straps just for posterity's sake.  That is, of course, assuming the stink has faded by then.

Wasson Peak

I found a perfect cactus!  Two arms, both the same length yet slightly offset in height... just like in the cartoons.  You might not believe it, but really- these are super hard to find amidst the sea of Saguaros.  And yes, I actually do search for the perfect cactus on each of my hiking excursions.  It's not like I'm going to stumble upon any four-leaf clovers out here in the desert.

One of the greatest parts of this summer is that both of my current jobs are part-time, and they're both totally flexible.  This allows me to be able to work whenever I want to, and to be able to not work whenever I decide that I'd rather be hiking (or biking, or climbing, or anything else).  Over the last week I have been hiking twice on weekdays.  Knowing that most of the world is indoors at a desk somehow makes going for a hike all that much more fulfilling.  Plus, the trails are empty.

I love living in a beautiful place with such easy access to hiking trails.  This place is alright in my book.  It's getting pretty hot these days, and within the next few weeks I expect that nobody will really want to be outdoors all that much in the middle of the day due to 100+ temps, but right now is pretty ideal.  If you ask me, it isn't actually "hot" outside until it's gotten up to 105 or so.  It's all relative... and relatively, 95 just isn't very hot.  Although, I did concede to finally turning on the air conditioning a week or so ago as the house wasn't really ever cooling down below 80, which is a little toasty for indoors.

Desert flowers are still blooming, it still gets nice and cool in the evenings, and most days there is still some semblance of a breeze.  And it's not humid!  Number one best thing about living in the desert: hands down, no humidity.

Atop Wasson Peak yesterday, just to the west of town.  This spot has as amazing 360 degree view of the Tucson Basin and the surrounding areas, and is a terrific half-day hike.  I was back home by lunch time and still managed to get in a half-day of work before going rock climbing last night.  I love summertime.


Snake tally:  3 sightings thus far.  I'm not counting roadkill, because that would make the number much higher.  No rattlers yet this summer, but a couple of little garters and one gigantic king snake, which I almost hit on my bike.  I'm going to keep track for fun, as I am still amazed at how many people out here have yet to actually come across a rattlesnake.  They're everywhere.

Cuteness

New Bike!!

For a while now, I've been thinking about buying a new road bike.  I have been wanting something a bit lighter, and something that fits me better because my current bike is a bit too small for me.  My plan was to save up money over this summer, and then buy a new bike in August or September so that I would still have a few months to train on it for the El Tour de Tucson (I've already registered for the 109-mile race, in November).

Two days ago, Josh brings home a big box and says that he won't be able to hide what's in the box, so I'm going to have to just see my birthday present super early.  He opens the box and pulls out this:

Eeeee!  He found a fantastic deal on this bike frame online and decided that he couldn't pass it up, so he bought it for me.  It's fully carbon fiber, and weighs only three pounds!  Of course, this is only the frame, so we're going to have to buy all the components and parts to complete it over the next month or so... but that should be pretty fun, and definitely educational for me as I know very little about the mechanical side of bicycles.  Plus, I can pick my own parts and decide how the bike looks once it's all put together.  (Expect green handlebar tape at the very least.)  Now I've really got to get serious about riding my bike as much as possible.  ;)

Hopefully by the time my triathlon in July comes around, the new bike will be up and running!  So exciting!!!  (Did I mention how awesome my boyfriend is?  He's pretty awesome.)

Of course, this also now means that between the two of us, we have 5 bikes in the house: Josh's mountain bike and road bike, my old vintage commuter bike, my current road bike, and my new fancy bike.  Tucson is too nice of a town for biking to not be commuting via bicycle, but I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable commuting anywhere on the new nice bike, so I'll need to keep a separate commuter bike no matter what.  It makes me a sad because we put a bit of work into it, but I'll probably end up selling my old commuter bike and keep my current road bike as my ride-around-town bike.  And then we'll be down to only 4 bicycles in the house!  

Goings on

Some big things lately.  And a lot of extra free time in my near future.  And some fun travels/races/adventures planned.  Thus, a blog!  Never thought I'd be the blogging type, but I think it would be nice to have a record of what I believe will be a fantastic summer, and also to keep those who might be interested up-to-date on what I'm doing. 

Hi. 

First off, in case anybody didn't know… a few big things:

- I've started training for, and participating in, many different kinds of races.  Triathlons, cycling races, runs, etc.  I even joined a local all-female triathlon club here in Tucson.  Expect to hear about this, as well as my normal hiking/camping/climbing shenanigans.

- I am officially taking  a leave of absence from graduate school.  I've got my master's, and I'm trying to decide whether I want to stick around for my Ph.D. or not.  I have a full year to decide if I want to come back.  If I come back after this year off, it's as if I never left.  If I don't come back… well, I'll find a job and start living like a normal adult with a normal schedule and reliable income.  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my new-found free time, work here in Tucson, and consider my options.  I am very excited about this decision.

- Josh and I are now cohabitating.  I still have minor panic attacks about this on a semi-regular basis, but I am actually quite happy about it.  This means that I now have a 55-inch TV in my living room and Sienna now has a 24/7 play buddy, whether she wants it or not (although so far, she and Callie get along quite well 95% of the time).

The map for my summer and fall is quickly filling up already.  I (we) have trips planned to Alabama, New Mexico, Alaska, Flagstaff, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, rafting the San Juan River, possibly a cross-country road trip to Seattle, and hopefully a trip back to Virginia.  And that doesn't even count normal weekend getaways for camping and climbing and exploring!  I'm also racing at least one (but probably 2) more triathlons, a half-marathon which goes straight up Mt. Lemmon, and a 109-mile bike race.  

I'm currently composing a list of all the little things I'd like to do but have been ignoring because of school.  Read (for fun)!  Cook!  So, yes, I think there will be plenty of updates to be written.