Tucson is spectacular. So much amazing nature all over the place. And I’m blessed to have been staying with people who are helping me to experience it all!
Sharon and I went to the Sonora Desert Museum today. (Coincidentally, this is where my previous host, Sonya, has worked for decades. Unfortunately we did not see her today; it’s a big place.)
This museum is to the west of town, so it took about an hour and a half to drive there. But once we arrived, we saw so many beautiful cacti and other plants (and a few animals).
Here are some of my favorites; I hope you enjoy them as well!
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Wow, what a gorgeous place this was! My Servas host Sharon took me over there for a hike. Shortly after we arrived, we listened to the beginning of a talk about the geology of the area—generally not a topic of high interest to me, but what I heard was pretty cool—and then we split off on our own to explore the desert paths.
Mostly we saw a lot of cacti, especially saguaro, barrel, and cholla. We also saw lots of mesquite and other trees.
One structural highlight: she pointed out a WPA project when they tried to build a lake with a dam in the 1930s, including a cool waterfall. People came out to swim, fish, and boat for some years, but before too long the lake filled up with silt. They re-dredged it to make it usable again, but when it once again filled up with silt, they abandoned the idea. Now the waterfall is still there, but the “lake” is only a few inches deep.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. What an amazing place. The light on the mountains reminded me of the Taos, NM area at times.
Tomorrow, we plan to visit the Sonora Desert Museum, way over on the other side of town, to the west.
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This morning I accompanied my host Jim to his workplace at the University of Arizona, to see the cool building where he works as a mapmaker of the local natural areas. We biked over together, which took about 15 minutes, much of which was on nice bike-path infrastructure within the campus. There is a really nice courtyard (see pic of me admiring it) right in Jim’s office building, with water catchment technology to capture all the rain when it does come, to irrigate the plants.
After that, I said goodbye to him, then Sonya back at the house, and I went to explore the nearby Tucson Botanical Gardens. They is housed in a small former estate, and contain many beautiful plants, fountains, and art pieces.
After that, I headed about ten miles east, to the outer-Tucson area of Tanque Verde, to meet my new Servas host and her dog and two cats. Her house, like Jim and Sonya’s, is built in a classic southwestern style, with traditional tile floors and stucco and brickwork.
We had a wonderful talk over dinner about our various travels around the country and the world, and we also watched a beautiful one-hour video that depicts the Sonoran desert (this area) in all five seasons (there is “dry summer” and “wet summer” here, with the monsoon season).
Tomorrow, we will get up early to explore nearby Sabino Canyon with a guided tour. I’ve heard good things (thanks, Lysa and Dave!) so I’m looking forward to it.
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After an oatmeal breakfast with my Warmshowers hosts (have you ever tried clove powder on your oatmeal? I recommend it!) I biked over to check out the Sunday morning ecstatic dance in a nearby park. Many years ago, in Portland, I attended Sacred Circle ecstatic dance religiously. Like, almost once a week, for probably about five years. I loved the practice, and it felt wonderful to be a part of the community that formed around the dance. In fact, I’m finding that many people I have connected with on this tour—especially here in Arizona—are people I knew from the Portland dance scene. (I think of the phenomenon as the Portland ecstatic dance diaspora, which I find bittersweet.)
My friend Jenny—whom I knew in Portland for some years, many years ago, although we did not meet through dance—lives here in Tucson, and tipped me off to the event.
It felt great to attend! I had been away from ecstatic dance for years. At first I had moved away from it because of scheduling conflicts, and then over the years, I noticed an unfortunate, if inexplicable to me, phenomenon: nearly every time I tried to go back and enjoy it again, I found that my energy somehow was not in the right place, such that it never felt quite right to me; I often left in a worse mood than the one in which I had arrived, which is the exact opposite of what ecstatic dance usually does for participants. But, eventually I accepted that I must have reached a new chapter of my life, where it wasn’t a good fit for me. I held open the possibility that I might return at some point and find it a good fit again.
Today felt kind of like that. It was a very different experience to have the dance outside, in a park. They do it that way for COVID safety, which I appreciated. It also gives a different feel to the practice. I spent a lot of time moving with my eyes mostly closed (though enough to keep safely distanced from other dancers) and just soaking in the music, the sunshine, and the felt-sense of community. I also got the chance to connect with Jenny and her wife, Karen, which was great since I hadn’t seen them in person in many years.
After dance, I returned to the house to do some communications relating to my upcoming lodging plans. Shortly afterward, my host Sonya and I, and a neighbor of theirs, piled into the car for a volunteer excursion.
Sonya has been passionately involved, for some years, in the active removal of the invasive buffelgrass in the saguaro cactus lands here around Tucson. She leads regular work parties for volunteers who go out into the rocky natural areas and learn to identify buffelgrass (it looks a lot like another plant that is not harmful) and then remove it by hand, with heavy metal picks.
This was all very new to me! Luckily, Sonya loaned me an old pair of jeans; my leggings and thin nylon capris would not have held up well to the task of wading through all the cacti and other prickly plants among the rocky hills.
Our two teams of roughly nine people each spent about three hours sweeping our respective areas, cleaning them of buffelgrass as we found it.
Afterward, we were rewarded by a beautiful sunset—complete with a nearly full moon—back at the parking lot.
I’m really enjoying my time in Tucson so far. Tomorrow I plan to visit the botanical garden—not far from here—and then head to the east edge of town to meet my new Servas host.
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I’m posting this a day late, on the 16th, since the day ran late. I’ll try to catch up soon.
So, I left you off when I had boarded the train from San Diego to LA. The scenery was beautiful as usual, along the Pacific coastline until we hit the industrial areas.
When I got in to LA’s Union Station, I dropped off my trailer in the locked room in the first class lounge, and then headed out by bike to nearby vegan restaurant Café Gratitude to meet a new friend, Joni, who is yet another “Brompton lady!” We had a good chat over our meal, and enjoyed a few Brompton photo ops.
Then I boarded the train, and we embarked at 10 pm. By the time I boarded, my roomette was already in “bedtime mode,” with the bed made up. So I soon went to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I looked out the window to see the sun rising over the desert: pretty cool! I happened to be in the last car of the train, too, so I got to take a fun shot out the back. I always love those receding-track photos.
I took a look at the weather on my phone, and was glad to see that the day’s high would be 70, but rather chagrined to see that it was currently 37. That’s the desert for you, I guess. By the time I got off the train at 8:30, it had probably climbed just a bit over 40. The sunshine and my pedaling kept me warm enough as I biked through a new-to-me city. I liked it! I wove through the downtown area and the university on my half-hour ride to my Warmshowers hosts, Jim and Sonya. Jim is a published author. (His book, Into Thick Air, has a front-cover endorsement by none other than Barbara Kingsolver!) The book details his successful quest to bicycle to the lowest point on every continent except Antarctica. I was impressed by the concept, the execution, and the fact that he turned the experience into a book! He also told me that he was arguably the world’s first bicycle blogger, back in 1996 when most of us hadn’t even heard of blogs yet.
We all enjoyed some breakfast together, and then I went out to explore the town a bit. I visited the local co-op, Food Conspiracy, as well as another locally owned natural-foods store, and then met some friends for lunch: by a happy coincidence, my Servas hosts from Santa Cruz, Lysa and Dave (hi, Lysa!) happen to be visiting Tucson at the moment as well, as part of a much larger southwestern tour they are taking in their van. I’m finding that Tucson is a connection point for several people from my Portland past, as well as several others I’ve met on this journey, including one from my time in Tacoma, and one from Klamath Falls.
The weather was a bit odd today: lots of wind, which I understand is unusual. Because of that, even the 70 degrees felt chilly at times, so I was glad I had brought my layers out with me.
This evening, I returned from my exploration just in time to meet my hosts’ dinner guests, a couple who have been living in Spain for the past several years, although one of them lived in Tucson for many years prior, and the other is originally from the Netherlands. (Hi, Marianne!) We had some great conversation over dinner and then in front of the fireplace.
I’m loving Tucson so far! Tomorrow is another full day: ecstatic dance in the morning, followed by some outdoor volunteering.
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It’s late Friday afternoon, and I’m on the Pacific Surfliner train to LA as I type. We’re about to stop in Oceanside, a bit north of San Diego. The Pacific is to my left, and the sun is shining. I thought I’d write the blog post now, since tonight when I would normally do it, I’ll be on the Texas Eagle train, bound for Tucson, and there won’t be WiFi.
My last half-day in San Diego was lovely. I said goodbye to my wonderful host and her adorable doggie, as well as the French family of four—with their two heavily loaded tandem bikes—who have been camping in her backyard during my stay. Their tour is quite ambitious: a number of European countries, then Cancun, Mexico, now San Diego, and then up to San Francisco, and eventually all the way to New York! They are figuring out the itinerary as they go, taking into account temperatures, headwinds, elevations, and the end of their visa in 90 days.
I left the house and headed into Ocean Beach one more time, stopping for a burger at Plant Power. Then I pedaled to the train station, which took about an hour. The ride was lovely, mostly along the waterfront. I passed a unique park I’d never noticed before: Cancer Survivors Park, which contained several structures and sculptures. From what I could gather, it was conceived and funded by one couple, presumably at least one of whom was a cancer survivor. I liked the concept.
Shortly before I arrived at the Santa Fe train depot, I also passed the Maritime Museum. I’m not much of a “museum person,” but multiple people have recommended this one to me. Perhaps on a future visit. It did appear that the $20 entry fee might include tours of some cool-looking historic ships.
I’ve got a four-hour layover in LA, and I’m taking advantage of that by meeting up with another friend-I-haven’t-met-yet (another Brompton friend of Mimi’s) for dinner at a vegan restaurant near the station.
Then I’ll board the Texas Eagle, and probably go right to bed shortly after we depart at 10 pm. I’ll wake up just in time to disembark in Tucson at 8:28.
Once again, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in San Diego. Mark my words: I will live in that place someday.
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Today was a beautiful day. Weatherwise, it was mostly cloudy; I wouldn’t have minded a bit more sun. But highs were in the high 60s, and the scenery was wonderful.
After a leisurely morning here with my host in Point Loma, I took off into “town” (Ocean Beach) to get a delicious vegan “chicken” burger at Plant Power Fast Food, one of my favorite vegan fast-food chains.
After that meal, I stopped in at the co-op again to pick up a few more treats. I love the old-time feel of that place.
Then I headed out to my main destination for the day: Cabrillo National Monument, at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula.
Nearly every time I have visited San Diego in these past ten years, I have made a point to visit the Ocean Beach area. However, it’s a pretty big area, and not close to downtown. In the past, I’ve never had a bike with me, either. So I’ve always had to dedicate a whole day to get out and back by bus, and then I’ve been on foot once I arrived. (Hence why I had never made it out to Sunset Cliffs until last night.)
I always kind of wondered what was south of Peace Pies on the peninsula, but I never knew. Today I found out: it’s actually a national park! (I was happy to have my parks pass, which granted me free entry, and which brought my tally of national parks visited—both on this trip and in lifetime total—to four.)
On the way in, I passed many acres of a military cemetery, which was sobering and visually striking.
Once I got to the park, the views were gorgeous: ocean all around. The geographic area of the park was small, but the views were wonderful.
While I was up at the lookout area, I ran into two bicyclists who looked like they might be touring, so I introduced myself. Nate and Jace (hi guys, if you’re reading) were out for a day excursion on their bikes. Jace was visiting San Diego, and in fact is flying to Portland tomorrow! He does a lot of seasonal work in various places. Nate was local, and surprised me by asking if I had been staying in North Park, in a green house. Turns out he had seen me with my Brompton rig out on the sidewalk in front of my Warmshowers hosts’ house the other day! What are the odds? I love the small world that happens on a bike tour, especially with a Brompton. (In fact, an hour or two later I passed a couple on Bromptons, back in Ocean Beach. We were all in motion on the street, so there was no time to stop and chat, but we waved.)
Back in Ocean Beach, I did stop at the not only all-vegan, but all-raw, dessert standby Peace Pies. I got chocolate-mint and chocolate-almond treats, and then headed back to the homestead, lingering along the way to catch the sunset at the beach once more.
I’ll miss this place.
But, I’m excited for the next segment of my trip: east to Tucson! I’ll be taking a train tomorrow to LA, then transferring to the overnight train to Tucson. I probably won’t have internet access on the train, so the next blog post might come the following day. But I’m looking forward to my last few hours in San Diego tomorrow morning, and then the rail journey forward (including a dinner meetup in LA with yet another Brompton friend of Mimi’s!)
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I started out slow, relaxing in the morning, then venturing out for brunch. One of my longtime favorite restaurants in San Diego is Ranchos Cocina, very close to my Warmshowers hosts in North Park. I visited this place on my first-ever trip to San Diego nearly ten years ago. I’m pretty sure I ordered the same dish then (veggie scramble with tofu) and sat on the same patio, and was served by the same waiter. In a topsy-turvy world, I bask in such consistent institutions, especially a family-owned, vegan-friendly Mexican restaurant with delicious food.
After brunch, I pedaled over to Balboa Park once more—the northeastern corner this time—to appreciate the special place that it is.
Then it was time to hit the road. I packed up my things and headed out for about a two-hour ride to Ocean Beach.
The first part of the ride was not very pleasant. (Luckily that 15% grade was downhill! Even so, with a trailer it can be a bit scary to descend like that, especially on a busy road with two left-turn lanes at the bottom of the hill that I needed to get over into from the bike lane on the far right.)
Then a bit later, I had to cross a busy freeway overpass with not much bicycle infrastructure. I snapped this chain-link pic to give the feel of that segment of the ride.
Fortunately, soon after that I arrived on the car-free bike path that took me almost all the rest of the way. But I did make a strategic stop in the charming area of Old Town, so that I could enjoy some chocolatey goodness at another of my San Diego favorites, Nibble Chocolate shop.
Thus fortified, I continued on my way. I arrived in Ocean Beach just as the daylight was fading, which was the perfect time to catch gorgeous views at Sunset Cliffs. I had heard about these cliffs for the past ten years, but somehow never seemed to make it there. But my friend-of-a-friend host (thanks again, Mimi and Nicole!) lives right near this spectacular area.
And, it turns out she’s also a Warmshowers host, and she even has other guests tonight! It’s a family of four from France, who have been bicycling all around Europe and Mexico, just arriving in the US a couple of days ago, with their two recumbent tandem bikes. They are camping in the backyard in their tent, while I have an indoor room.
I’m looking forward to my last full day in San Diego tomorrow. I have two tentative coffee meetups with people I’ve met locally. And I plan to visit Plant Power, a local vegan burger chain, and probably also Peace Pies, an all raw dessert place. I’ve enjoyed both in the past. I already visited People’s Co-op this evening for dinner; it is San Diego’s only co-op, which is unfortunate for the rest of the city since it’s not at all centrally located, but lucky for the folks in this neighborhood. I got my dinner from their deli tonight.
I’m happy to be here, and looking forward to tomorrow!
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Today was pleasant and mostly low-key. I had a very leisurely morning, taking care of a few chores such as cleaning and lubing my bike chain (which was way overdue; eek!)
Then I cycled over to Hazel & Jade bakery in Hillcrest, one of two wonderful all-vegan bakeries along a brand-new (since I was last here, in October!) bike lane. The two bakeries are just about three blocks apart, although sadly I discovered that Starry Lane was closed today. But I got a decadent chocolate-peanut butter brownie at Hazel & Jade. (No pic—I ate it too soon!)
Michele came down with her doggie Dawa from Escondido to meet me there, and we drove out to check out a little vegan hotspot on the northeast outskirts of town: Grossmont Center, which is a shopping area with a very vegan-friendly food court. We got some good Chinese food at Tasty Inn Express. (Again, no pic—oops!)
Then we stopped at the vegan grocery store nearby, Mission Square Market. I always enjoy visiting there when I’m in town.
And then Michele dropped me off, just before sunset, in Balboa Park again. I watched the sky dim, with the purple mountains in the distance, from the rose garden. Then I biked back to my Warmshowers hosts’ house in North Park. We had some good conversation over a meal of homemade garbanzo bean curry. Before dinner, I had spent about an hour just sitting out on the porch; I love that it is now warm enough here to do that! I’m really looking forward to spending longer chunks of winter time in San Diego in future years.
Tomorrow, I hope to soak up a bit more time in the park, and then I’ll head west for two nights, to say a fond farewell to the Pacific Ocean in the fun little hippie enclave of Ocean Beach.
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Today I got to see a few friends, which was wonderful. But mostly, I spent the day in Balboa Park, which to me has always been the heart of San Diego. My favorite part is the cactus garden, as you may recall. I always have to visit every time I come to town, and center myself amid the particular beauty that is that place.
Then I always walk the Prado, and admire the fountains and architecture.
Meanwhile, on the way to and from the park, I got to enjoy the neighborhood signs that are such a classic part of this city.
I really do love San Diego. I’m continuing to set an intention that I will live here for part of future winters, for somewhere between one and five months.
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!
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