Checked the weather for Phoenix, a couple of days before we were to depart. +22 C. Sweet. I could feel my toes already starting to curl in anticipation.
The balmy temperatures are the raison d'etre for Snowbirds everywhere. This damned winter jinx was over.
NOT!
We arrived in Phoenix just before midnight to my sister's big smile. Woke up the next morning to +3 C and a frost delay on the golf course. What the #*@$. Will this madness never end. The sun was shining but the day time high only reached +12 C. Screw it, I put on my shorts anyway. I had packed them across Canada and then back across the U.S so they there were gonna see some daylight. The daytime highs slowly climbed each day of our stay and the sun shone more than it didn't. Hey, we are Canadians for god sake, if its over 0 then who cares.
After a few days of acclimatizing ourselves to a Snowbird schedule which included a trip to an outlet mall and a Phoenix Coyote / Calgary Flames hockey game, we decided a trip down to Tucson and Nogales was in order.
Tucson is south of Phoenix, so it has got to be warmer, right? No one mentioned that Tucson is also 1200 metres (3400 feet) higher in elevation. Read, colder temperatures. The sun shone though and like reptiles we sucked up the warmth.
The day before we left, it snowed canceling the WGC Match Play Golf Championship being played at a golf course just outside of Tucson. Thankfully, we only faced cold temperatures as the snow had all melted away by the time we drove by the next day.
Crossed over the border at Nogales, USA for a quick foray into Nogales, Mexico. Things have changed in the border towns since we first crossed over into Tijuana in the early 80s.
The Americans have installed good neighbor fences.
And instead of market after market of cheap souvenirs and leather goods, the entrepreneurial Mexicans have moved on. Farmacias, the other drug problem in Mexico, cheap access to Viagra and Tylenol 3.
The pharmacies were nearly outnumbered by the numerous dental services that could be acquired at the dozens of dentist offices. No waiting, drilled, filled and across the border with some money left in your pocket.
Tuscon is a smaller version of Phoenix. We spent a morning wandering around some of the older parts but truthfully, there is not much left of old Tucson.. The sun was shining with decent temperatures so we headed home intending to stop for a short hike at one of the many National Parks that dot most of Arizona. Missed a sign, missed a turn, missed the park. Did see some interesting cactii. An enjoyable trip with more adventures to come.
So cold in the desert, the cactii were cuddling to stay warm.
