Three Bikes in the Desert: Two Versions of Spring

Desert Wildflowers - Sabino Canyon

In the last post, I noted the signs of spring, and how the last vestiges of winter are fading away. This is true up to a point. Last weekend, Kathy and I returned home from a short trip to Tucson, AZ, where we enjoyed spending time with family, played some golf, tried out new golf clubs. (Taylormade R7 Irons!), enjoyed some baseball, and soaked up the warm sunshine. We were treated to blue skies and 80-85 degree temperatures every day! Wonderful!
Then, Sunday night when we returned home, we got smacked with 4 inches of snow. It was a rough transition back to cold weather and of course, work. Not the best combination.

But, who wants to talk about cold weather! Back to our Arizona trip; one of my outings in Arizona was to Sabino Canyon. The spring wildflowers were lovely, and I enjoyed a nice hour-long hike up the canyon.

The canyon itself is paved, but there are several trails that break off on either side. I kept mainly to the road, as spring is prime season for snakes on the trails. I have attached a few photos of the flowers, apologies that I can’t recall their names.

At the Desert Museum

Kathy and I also enjoyed a fine afternoon at Tucson Electric Park for the last MLB Exhibition season game. TEP is a lovely ballpark, and we had great seats, about 30 feet from first base. During the game we enjoyed a rare event; there were 3 “3-6-3” double plays. For you baseball neophytes, there will be a quiz later, but it means, the ball is fielded by the first baseman, who throws to the shortstop to get the first runner, and then the shortstop pivots and throws back to first to get the hitter. Everything happens very quickly!

This photo is classic...

Here's the Pitch...

A Called Strike...

Back here in Utah, I took my Cannondale mountain bike out for a spin today, only to find that the Bonneville Shoreline trail east of highway 89 still has a lot of snow in the shaded areas. So, I rode, hiked through the snowy parts, and rode the western exposure. I discovered that I am definitely not in mid-season form. Climbing legs? What climbing legs!