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.