We just returned from a glorious two night camping trip at Mount Lemon's Rose Canyon Lake campground. Over 7,000 feet above sea level, this magical spot is less than an hour's drive from our house. Indeed, I spend more time getting our little trailer ready for the trip than I actually do driving it. This trip was spectacular, with a heavy rainstorm washing over our camp for nearly an hour and a half, moisture that those in Tucson some 5,000 feet below can only dream of. The nights were cool and blissfully quiet, too. This oasis from the heat is something we will be using a lot in the coming weeks.
This afternoon it is 107 degrees fahrenheit at our little adobe house on Fort Lowell, and our air conditioner is working mightily to keep us in at least a range of comfort. I remember as a child growing up in Tucson that the summers were hot, but not unbearably so. How things change when one reaches their sixth decade of life. I now dread going outside at midday, and take my morning walks prior to sunrise. Lest you feel that is the "cool" time let me add that often it does not get below 86 degrees in any twenty-four hour period during mid-summer here.
I do not despair of our choice of a retirement home, but I do reserve the right to complain about the grueling heat. I simply lack the stamina to do anything when it is this hot, and spend my days writing, reading, or watching the endless selections available on our streaming internet service. But wait, I can do SOMETHING, and that is hook up our little trailer and make that fifty minute drive up the mountain for a day or two of rest and relief! I know next week we will be doing the exact same thing.
I will leave this entry with a photograph of our little trailer, our mountain cabin that allows us the freedom to escape this inferno for a day or two.
