Welcome to Tucson!

December 17, 2023

One of the multiple appealing things about our stay at Chrysocolla Inn is morning coffee. Libby showed us where the pot is when we checked in, and in the evening it’s primed so that we can just start it ourselves when we wake up. No need to wait for breakfast at eight or for Libby or her daughter to show up and prepare it for us.

What we do have to wait for though is the pot itself, which is delivered in an excruciatingly slow drip. We learn that the first morning, waiting around impatiently for about ten minutes until the pot finally fills. Now that we know that though, this morning Rachael went down and turned it on as soon as she woke up and then came back upstairs for her morning routine.

if I write a review for this place, maybe I’ll suggest that a remote be installed up in the bedroom so you could just activate the coffee pot from bed and then roll over for another brief doze. That would be perfect.

So this morning we’re down at about six. Rachael does her usual by downing her two cups in about three minutes to get her engine revved, and then heads back up to the room to work on bookings for France - we’re done with Spain and the UK and are now steaming south down the coast toward Normandy. I like to take my time with my coffee though, and spend the next two hours savoring it while I wrap up the day’s post.

Breakfast is on promptly at eight, and two hours later we’re leaving town on the short drive to Tucson.

Another winner. The muffins were delicious but the frittata was especially good.

When we arrive we make a quick stop at the nearby Target store to pick up a cardio watch I’ve ordered to start monitoring my heart rate, and before one we’re letting ourselves into our home for the coming six weeks. And the place looks great inside and out - a typical Tucson casita just off Speedway near the university. We’ll be very comfortable here.

It’s got a large refrigerator, so there’s no issue storing the $350 worth of groceries we come home with later from Safeway after we’ve stopped there on our way from dinner at the HUB; and it’s got a good, out of the way place to store the bikes safely inside; and it’s got an interesting selection of coffee flavors for Rachael to choose from each morning while I stick to the basic black we bring home from Safeway.

We spend several minutes unloading the car, setting bags and suitcases on the parking strip while I reassemble/unfold the bikes and take them inside and Rachael starts packing things away in the kitchen.

A perfect fit, in the utility room next to the washer and dryer. It looks inconvenient but that’s the door to the back yard and we have no plans to go out there.

Enticing! And so much fun to choose your poison each morning. Today Rachael starts the day off with butter pecan and butterscotch swirl. I can’t wait for her to tell us what’s beneath that mystery label.

So, Tucson again.

This is our fifth straight winter we’ve come to Tucson, and we’ve extensively blogged all the previous ones here. We don’t think we really need complete coverage this time - you’ve all seen the Loop, you know there be roadrunners here, so we really, really are going to take something of a blog break here and rest up for that grueling nine months in Europe we’re bracing ourselves for next year. So don’t wake up every morning looking to us to entertain you while you take your morning drink.

We won’t go completely dark though, I’m sure. We’ll check in when there’s something newsworthy enough to feel worth sharing - new birds of course, or a lizard or plant for Bill to identify for us, or other unusual wildlife sightings, or new street art, or social encounters, or explorations of new or unusual areas, or noteworthy weather conditions, or personal news, or my birthday ride. That sort of thing.

Well, speaking of that, there’s some personal news to report. We’ve been robbed.

Back when we were taking our multiple trips unloading the car I had a brain fart and left my suitcase outside. I didn’t realize it until about twenty minutes later when I went to get something from it and found it was missing; and when I went outside to bring it in, it was gone.

And it really is gone. There’s not much of real value to anyone else so I cruised the neighborhood hoping to see it had been chucked somewhere down one of the many alleys near here. No luck. So after calming ourselves down we resigned ourselves to the situation and took an inventory of what we could remember had been in it. I’ll note that Rachael started relaxing significantly when it became clear that the loss is mainly mine - she had a few clothing items in the dirty clothes bag we’d crammed in there, but other than that she skated.

I, on the other hand, lost everything but my bike clothes (fortunately packed in a different bag), my shoes and my raincoat. Oh, and my red hat. Thank heavens I keep my red hat with my bike clothes! Other than that though, all I’ve got is the clothes I have on.

So, the inventory of lost things:

Rachael’s dirty laundry, which she’s not certain of but doesn’t appear to have included anything dear to her.
My clothing: 6 pair of underwear, a pair of blue jeans, my brown Pendleton, 3 t-shirts.
A spare bike mirror.
I think a pair of backup glasses, but I don’t remember for sure.
Toiletries: 2 electric toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, razor blades, ibuprofen, Rachael’s cheapo hair brush, a few other minor items.
My prescription medications.

Not so bad, all in all - it’s not like losing a wallet, or a bike, or a camera, or a souvenir shirt like the one from Bassano del Grappa. One of the benefits of traveling light is that it puts a cap on how much you can be harmed by an incident like this. It’s not like we lost irreplaceable musical instruments as happened last month with Alistair Fraser and Natalie Haas up in Portland. The meds are a nuisance of course, and it’s a top priority tomorrow to see how I can get an emergency refill down here.

I don’t like having lost the Pendleton of course, but I only wear it in the winter anyway and I have the blue one down with me. Oddly enough, the loss I feel the most is my razor, a classic Gillette Atra that I think I’ve probably been using since basic training fifty years ago. I see there’s one available on eBay for about $50, but it’s not quite worth it to me; and after all, it’s been getting harder and more expensive over time to find replacement cartridges for it. Time to move on.

Welcome to Tucson!

A classic. They don’t make them like this any more.

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Comment on this entry	Comment	18

Kelly IniguezThat is not a good welcome to Tucson! Things need to look up from here.

Can't wait to cross paths with you on the loop. I'm sure it will happen often.
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Kelly IniguezYup. Could be today! Were heading out Julian Wash as soon as we get the prescription refill ball rolling.
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Wendy BeaudoinSorry that happened to you. I guess we have to be extra careful in Tucson. I had my rental bike stolen when I was there last month. Thieves cut right through the cable, so I didn’t have a bike to ride for the last two weeks of my holiday. It can happen anywhere, I guess.
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10 months ago

Armin ZieglerDear Scott, dear Rachael

By pure chance I came across your journal. This afternoon I followed you through Spain, Italy and even through the Death Valley. I really enjoyed reading your travel stories and the fotos are just awsome. Most of the sites I know from our own bicycle journeys. We travel with a RANS-Tandem, with HP-Trikes or with velomobile. You can find our travel-reports under "armin.zcag.ch". Looking forward to reading more from you.
P.S. Next Fall we will take our RANS Screamer from SF to LA.

Greetings from Switzerland

Armin and Karin
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Wendy BeaudoinOh, Wendy! That’s really sad. I hope you still made good use of the rest of your time here anyway, but that’s so discouraging. Were you far from home and was it difficult to get back?
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Armin ZieglerOh, my gosh! You two have taken that velomobile on some amazing journeys! I can’t believe you made it down the Adriatic coast, and over Logara Pass! And the Gargano Peninsula, and Sicily. Those are really impressive journeys. You should post them on the website here. I think folks would take great interest in them.

I know one man in particular would be interested: Ben Parke, who also rides a velomobile - he’s from Minnesota, but took his to Germany and Italy a year or two back. I’ll bring you to his attention.

And thanks for reaching out! You might be interested in a couple of our other tours posted here: North to the Balkans (Chania to Ohrid in 2018, by way of Corfu and Logara Pass), and Balkan Dreams (Croatia in 2020, the Covid year).

Keep in touch, maybe our paths will cross someday.

Cheers,
Scott
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10 months ago

Wendy BeaudoinTo Scott AndersonIt's kind of a long story, but my November trip was a last-minute decision, and I ended up renting a condo that was on the second floor, up some steep steps. There was no way I could carry the bike up the steps, and the condo owner had insisted that there was a safe place to leave it locked up outside, but obviously there wasn't. I did enjoy the warm weather for the rest of the trip, but I kept looking longingly at the lovely Loop, and wishing I was on it!. Lesson learned, I guess.
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10 months ago

Kathleen JonesTo Armin ZieglerArmin and Karin, as a longtime owner of a RANS Stratus (recently sold), I approve of your trip from SF to LA next fall on the Screamer. You may go right by my house just south of SF, so if your plans permit, please get in touch so I can show you our ICE trikes. Kleen at sonic net
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Wendy BeaudoinThat’s really sad, and maddening I imagine. Hopefully the bike was insured and you weren’t financially hurt by it.
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10 months ago

Rachael AndersonTo Wendy BeaudoinThat’s so sad!!
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10 months ago

Andrea BrownWell, crap. That sucks that your stuff was stolen, I’m so sorry. It’s an awful feeling.
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Jen RahnSorry about your dear razor and the brown Pendleton!

And the other things that were stolen, too.

Was the brown Pendleton one that your mom gave you or one that you bought?

Humans' relationship with their possessions! This is a topic worthy of attention, especially for the non-nomadic amongst us.
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10 months ago

Armin ZieglerTo Kathleen JonesSure we will pass by for a cup of tea. Lets keep in touch. You find my mail adress on the website "armin.zcag.ch".
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

Bruce LellmanSo sorry this happened to you, Scott. If you have used that razor that many years it might be hard getting used to another. I hope you find one that is acceptable. I know I have a hard time pleasing my face.
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Bruce LellmanNo biggie. Pretty minor event, really - it’s not like DJT cursed us out on some noxious post and ruined our lives. We’re very adaptable.
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnYes, it’s the last shirt mom bought me, which is sad alright. On the other sleeve though, it was damaged goods - it looks like we need to put some fresh mothballs in the bin of woolens in our storage unit. I might not replace it, because I only wear it when we’re back in the state anyway.
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10 months ago

Ron SuchanekArgh! (I had a more descriptive four-letter word in mind). My generous side says that whoever stole it might need it worse than you. My arsehole side says I hope they slide into a storm sewer.
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10 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Ron SuchanekThat was my thinking also. I don’t think my pills will do anyone any good, but hopefully someone will make good use of the Pendleton and jeans. I’ll be keeping my eye out for it around town.
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10 months ago