A week without a hospital visit is heaven

A view from the trail

So after a week that included a hospital visit this one had to be better – and it was by a factor of four.

Thanks to El Nino our week started with rain and cold weather and stayed there through Thursday. Well, not the rain which ended Monday night, but the cold temperatures settled in for three days which really quiets this place down. Let’s be honest, no one comes to Tucson in the winter looking for a day when they can go skiing on the mountain or stay inside where it’s warm.

Because of the freezing outdoor temperatures and breezy conditions, Joan wimped out on her outdoor aquacise class, but I have to admit the pool was empty so she was not alone in that.

Because of last week’s medical adventure I toyed with the idea of passing on this week’s hike because it is one of the two hardest hikes of the year. The Blackett’s Ridge hike is not long, it’s only six miles, but it has a rise of 1,700-feet in just 1.7 miles which means lots of rock steps and switchback inclines.

Met at the top of the trail

Sometime Monday afternoon, after some encouragement from my friend Jim,  I resolved that I was going to make the Tuesday hike and that I was going to keep a positive attitude and make the climb. Temperatures were in the 30s when we started out at Sabino Canyon but the climb up the mountain warmed me up in a hurry. Joan convinced me that I should start using my rescue inhaler for my asthma again and I have to admit it came in handy on Tuesday.

A smaller than normal hiking group showed up for the hike and we completed the hike in just under five hours including a snack stop and a lunch stop at the trail’s end at a precipitous cliff. The winds came up and after about a half hour on top, we all decided it was time to escape the cold wind and start down.

Those same high rock steps that taxed us going up are nothing but knee breakers on the way down.

Back at the parking lot I felt a great sense of accomplishment and relief that the hike put all of last week’s concerns to rest. Everyone on the hike made it up and down in good shape. When I got home I high-fived Joan and let her know all was well.

In the afterglow of the hike I headed to the showers, got cleaned up and then got a chance to be the flavor tester for Joan’s chili offering for the Tuesday night potluck dinner. I tried to convince her I needed more than one small taste, but she declined. A record crowd of potluckers showed up for the dinner and the variety was terrific, even if a little short on desserts.

Overnight the temperatures dropped to the mid-20s, an unusual event for Tucson, and with our water supply hose exposed to the cold we had little choice but to run a trickle of water in the sink all night to prevent our hose and pipes from freezing. Every two hours (which is not an issue for me since at my advanced age I find I get up at about that interval every night to go to the bathroom) I turned on the kitchen and bathroom sink on full blast to run more water through the system to prevent a freeze.

We didn’t freeze, although others in the park were not so lucky.

The snack stop

The thin walls of our trailer offer only minimal protection from the outside cold and our heater ran nearly non-stop all night. That’s not a problem except that we are using two 7-gallon propane tanks that are on the front of the trailer to supply the fuel. Tuesday and Wednesday night that worked very well, but sometime Thursday night the outdoor valve that switches from one propane tank to the other failed.

No heat from about 2 a.m. until we got up, left the inside of the trailer only a few degrees warmer than the outside temperature which was a Michigan-like 29 degrees on Friday morning. We huddled under our blankets with the mattress heater working overtime to keep us warm. Once I was up, I fixed the valve and unhooked the empty propane tank and took it to a nearby propane station for a refill. So far this winter we are well ahead of our previous stays here in propane use.

OK, back to Wednesday, after a workout Joan and I headed to the Vendor’s Fair at the park and spent just a little time trying to win a raffle prize before heading back to the trailer. After lunch we headed to a barber shop where I got a real close shave and a very short haircut while Joan had a texturize treatment to her hair.

With the loss of hair I’m sure I lost a pound. We did a quick shopping trip to Fry’s so Joan could pick up an antihistamine to deal with her runny nose and then headed back home for dinner and our Wednesday night concert offering at the park. The show was “Men in Black” and was a very, very good tribute show to Johnny and June Carter Cash. We almost didn’t get seats to this show because they were sold out, but they added a few rows of general admission seating to the back of the auditorium and we got in.

After another cold Wednesday night, I was up and early for the Men’s Bible study and after that I headed to town to get an oil change for the Tahoe and then to a car wash to clean it up. When I returned home Joan and I headed to the weekly lecture series at the park, which was given by a representative of the Nature Conservancy of Arizona who explained how his group is locking up desert lands for long term preservation. After that Joan did laundry and I worked on my Bible study for Thursday night, which I really enjoyed.

The lunch stop at the end of the trail

Thursday night was the brutally cold night in the trailer with no heat, but Friday saw continued warming outside and I got in a quick work out while Joan was at the Women’s Bible study. I made the trip to the propane farm to fill up the tank and then lashed down our outdoor mat, which had been blown off its moorings because of the high winds earlier in the week.  I dug out some Michigan flags from under the trailer as I am attending the 8 a.m. Saturday donut breakfast in the ballroom so I can collect reservations to “The Michigan Party” on Feb. 29.

Nothing collects a crowd of seniors like free donuts, bagels and coffee and an overflow crowd was in the ballroom Saturday morning for a run down on the week’s activities as well as a sales pitch from a Nogales, Mexico dental clinic. Many of the folks in the park use the clinic as the procedures are modern and the costs are extremely competitive with prices we pay in America.

For example, a complete cleaning, including x-rays is $35. When I go to the dentist my co-pay for a cleaning is close to $70. Remember, that’s the co-pay. They do advanced implant and other procedures at the clinic and everyone I’ve talked to who uses the clinic is well pleased with both the procedures and the cleanliness.

Jim "the encourager"

We signed up a couple more Michigan folks for the party and I left proud that I had passed up any donuts or bagels. We spent the rest of Saturday re-organizing the trailer for the impending visit of our daughter Elin tomorrow. Joan cleaned and then we went shopping to lay in some groceries for the week.

Not sure when I’ll post next, but certainly by next weekend after Elin returns home to Michigan.