Tux Day One

Blasted in last night, ended up crashing in a hotel just three miles west of Tucson. So much for splitting it up. I always get that way during long drives: sure, sitting in a car for 13 hours sucks, but the idea of stopping at hour eight and having to resume the torture in the morning is, well, torture.

What a mind blower so far. Tucson is the same as it was two years ago, of course, but I am in a completely different place personally. I am sitting at an outdoor table on University Drive, about two blocks from the U of A convention center. I came here first to snag some coffee from a hip little shop I visited before, but to my surprise it’s been torn down with a Starbuck’s erected in its place. Works out for me, viva la corporation, but it’s sad to see the little guys go under.

Thus, I will kill some time until it, ahem, “warms up” and I can head out for my first ride. It’s 7:45am and 53 degrees right now, not too shabby. Elko was glacial yesterday morning when I waved goodbye, but thankfully the conditions cleared about thirty miles into my journey and I had smooth sailing. My Tucson host was not expecting me until today, so I’ll just poke around town until the afternoon when we can rendezvous. During my vagabond months in the VW bus, I learned that time-killing should be finessed and not depended on… I do fine playing tourist for a day, but car-living makes me feel degenerate.

If you have never experienced Tucson, I suggest you escape for a winter weekend one year. Good culture, good weather, and beautiful views. I won’t endorse the summer season, but around New Year’s I prefer no other place in the U.S.

Lots to come. The next 16 days should allow me to ramble on and on and on about all of my activities. Lucky you, I also got a digi-cam (finally) and will figure out how to post pics on PROLIX. First pointless blogs, now pointless pictures too? Have mercy.