Boyce Thompson Arboretum

While we've been very happy with our membership with the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, we decided that we wanted to branch out and check out another local garden, a bit more out of town. We certainly weren't disappointed. 

Boyce Arboretum is due East of where we are, about 40 minutes away. We were struck by how much is was like just going on a hike, with the benefit of perfectly planted surroundings and beautifully maintained trails. 

We were thankful for the beautiful weather (especially compared to our 100+ temps this week). 

There were a lot in bloom, including some poppies. 

 What we most enjoyed, though, was how everything was nestled beneath these huge stone walls. It certainly felt like the ideal of what you'd imagine as the wild west.

Of course, there were more blooming cacti, which are just wonderful. I came into living in the desert more or less hating cacti, but I can't help but feel some affection for them when I can see how pretty they can become. 

Ed, being Ed, wanted to go off down some of the more narrow paths and explore. 

This trip also encouraged our budding appreciation for golden barrel cacti (so much so that we now have two of our very own!).

What I am most impressed with, with desert plants, is their verticality. The height that so many gain when in bloom is astounding. 

 In search of narrow trails, we soon found another that fit the bill, the "high trail" that was up above the park. We'd seen others hiking, and sought it out for ourselves.

It did not disappoint. 

Finally, I got to have a trail experience that I'm familiar with. Beautiful and accessible single track. 

We were up high above a creek bed that did even have a little water in it, once we got further up. 

Once we crossed over the creek, we began heading back up again. 

I thought these signs were super cute for restricted areas!

I could not get over the perfectly groomed nature of this trail. Why can't they do this in other places in Arizona?

 As we headed back into the main part of the park, we got to see some more pretty blooms.

The classically funny Beduoin (sp?) tree.

More lovely barrel cacti.

As we were headed back, we were very excited to spot an unusually exciting creature. 

A Gila Monster! 

He headed into hiding pretty quick, but was pretty awesome to see. Funny that we still haven't seen a rattlesnake or scorpion since we've moved, but we've seen a gila monster. 

By this point, it was definitely warming up, so we decided to end our visit, even though there was still so much more to see. 

"I am whole"

So, it' been pretty quiet in these parts lately. Mostly because I am slowly but surely redefining my meaning of the words "fitness," "active," and "athlete." I've started attending a yoga class a few weeks ago, and have to say that it's lovely. It's much more stress relief than cardio focused, but it does seem to satisfy the stress relief aspect that I am missing from running. The class talks about, when something is hurting or feeling uncomfortable, as just being increased sensation. Whenever my leg of foot is bothering me too much, now, I am trying to acknowledge it as increased sensation, rather than pain, which I think does help some. Also, at the beginning of each class, you are supposed to identify an intention for that day's class; a phrase to repeat as you focus on breathing. The last couple of classes, mine has been "I am whole."

Ever since I got injured almost 6 years ago, and especially since I started dealing with my much more debilitating foot nerve pain last year, I have felt like just part of a person. It's been hard on me and on Ed, to have lost the ability to go out and run. It was so weird - I ended up telling my principal about my nerve issues a couple weeks ago, as walking around a lot in the classroom can exacerbate my issues, and I wanted her to know why she might come in and find me sitting in the front, whether than walking around. She was super understanding and said she'd noticed that I limped, but hadn't wanted to ask. It was just so odd to me to think that people can tell by looking at me that I'm not completely 100%. That the injury is actually something that can be, at least to some extent, seen. I think I've just been in denial, but I think I need to move beyond that. This is part of who I am right now.

In addition to yoga, I've started doing weight lifting a few times a week. Again, it's so nice to be doing something where I don't feel worse when I finish. Granted, it didn't give me the satisfaction at first like a running workout would, but I've noticed that as I keep doing it, I'm enjoying it more and more.

So, for now, being an athlete for me means yoga and weights, not running. I have to believe that someday my pain will be solved. I actually have an appointment with a new neurologist this Friday in hopes of learning something.

But, in the meantime, I am working very hard to be okay with who I am at this very moment, and feeling like a whole person despite everything. Today's class had us look within ourselves to that constant part of ourselves that always remains the same, despite the changes within our world and ourselves. We were supposed to focus on this part, and connect with it. So, that's what I'm trying to do.

Racing in the Desert

While we all know my trail running since moving to the Sonoran Desert has been a little  very subpar, Ed's been pretty darn awesome, attending 4 trail races so far. While I'd opted to stay home and work on the other occasions, this time I decided that we should make a trip of it, and I'm so glad we did.

It's amazing how spending months and months with the traditional, pretty barren desert makes the transformation to spring profound.

Everything was just so....green. 

The race was up in Black Canyon City, and area we've driven through numerous times en route to Flagstaff/Sedona, so it was fun to actually stop and explore. 

Ed hadn't had time to pick up his race bib beforehand, which ended up working for the best, as it allowed me to just drop him at the finish. We made it just in time for him to hop on the bus to the start for this point to point course. 

Once he was off, I headed to the Rock City Cafe, a little place I'd read about in Sunset magazine and had been eager to try, mostly for their pies, but I figured breakfast would be good, too. 

So did not disappoint! That biscuit was one of the best I'd ever had, and the home fries and eggs were both also fabulous. It was fun to sit and read (I'm still trudging away through Vanity Fair, an almost 900 page monstrosity I'm reading for my book club). It was super nice to just relax, and brought back fond memories of similar experiences at Stinson Beach. 

The restaurant itself was super cute and had a number of real life cowboys, down to the flannel shirts, 10 gallon hats, cowboy boots, and big mustaches. Was a little too self conscious to snap a picture, but I'm sure you can all tell what I mean. 

After breakfast, I decided the day was far too gorgeous to just wait around whiled Ed was running, so I actually headed out into the desert. 

On a trail. 

Alone. 

Okay, so I never really left view of the parking lot. And there may have been runners warming up going by periodically. But still, I got out there! 

There was also some furrier company. 

Experiences like this make me wish so much there were more firetrails out here. Walking on a relatively even, wide surface really makes the desert so much more approachable to me (considering one of my biggest fears are the many, many varieties of rattlesnakes out here). 

It was actually pretty relaxing to be out there, a feeling that I have definitely not found to be true in general for me. 

The topography around here is just so interesting to look at, as well. So many mesas and buttes definitely give you that feeling of being in a Western. 

And, just about everywhere you looked, there were signs of new growth. 

The ocotillo continue to be one of the plants so foreign and yet so fascinating, especially when paired with their more famous cousins. 

After walking down my firetrail for a while, I decided to check out the actual race trail. The little singletrack made me a bit more happy I was just hiking rather than racing (ugh...who would have thought I'd lose my love of singletrack?!?)

It was interesting to read how massive this trail is. Seems like a great fit for ultrarunners. 

True to form, I got about 20 feet down this trail and decided that was enough for me. Gorgeous, but a little too full of hiding spots. Also, the time was ticking away, and I knew one of the shorter distances races would be coming this way soon, and I wanted to be out of the runners' path. 

Ends up I got of the trail just in time. As I was about to walk around the corner, the racers began flying past. More or less trapped (unless I wanted to cross their path), I decided that the only thing that made sense was to start cheering for them. I was a little out of practice, and felt a bit silly at first, but got some "thanks" and smiles, so I think it was a good call. 

As I watched the last racers begin trailing into the hills, I resumed my walk back to the finish. 

I headed back to the car, grabbed my chair and book, and headed to the finish, surprised that it was only about 20 minutes until Ed's predicted finish time!

I really enjoyed the view from my spot and quite content to wait. And, well, wait I did. Ed's finish time went by (and seemed way to fast, as the winner was only a couple minutes ahead of it). But, when his slowest range time also flew past, I got a little worried. Okay, maybe a lot worried. But I held it together. 

And, finally, he came around the bend. 

He looked strong and determined, and ready to be done. 

Ends up, he took a bit of a tumble out there, scraping up his arm but, more importantly, losing the gel he'd brought with him. These races don't really have much in the way of food out there, so without that, he basically ran himself down to empty and lost steam. 

Luckily, he said that the spectacular beauty of the course made him totally content with his slower time. 

Unsurprisingly, his first stop was to go get something to eat. These races do a great breakfast spread for the runners, complete with eggs, bagels, and other goodies. Totally up Ed's alley. 

After hanging out for a while and getting his fill, we  had one more stop to make. 

We definitely couldn't leave without getting some pie. 

Inside, there were about a million choices. We went with it's well known Jack Daniels pecan pie and the banana cream pie - a slice of each. 

We took the pies home, to be enjoyed later (and they were. Wow). And then we were off. Back to home, civilization, and real life.

But, I have to say, it was fun to be amongst runners once again. 

Evening Walk

After my last crazy long, full post, I thought I'd share a lovely outdoor experience I had tonight. Granted, it's nothing compared to my old outdoor adventures. But, I've decided it's actually pretty perfect for someone like myself who can't seem to go two steps in Arizona wilderness without a bit of a panic attack.

Enter, the riparian preserve. Right next to our library, this lovely area is surrounded on all sides by very well developed Gilbert cityscape. But, when you are out on the very wonderfully groomed trails, it does really feel like you're in the middle of nature.

The huge plus side for me is that the likelihood of encountering a big predator (i.e. mountain lion) is about the same as encountering one at our house. Pretty darn small. 

This means that I can explore the trails solo without deciding that every little sound is a lion out to eat me (this doesn't mean that every little sound doesn't make my heart race a little, but I'm at least can overcome it). 

Saturday afternoon, since I had to take a trip to return some library materials, I decided that it would be silly to skip the opportunity to wander the preserve, so off I went on the trails. It was definitely bustling with others enjoying the beautiful, if brisk, afternoon.

The entire preserve is made up of different ponds that hold much of Gilbert's water as it seeps down into the aquifer. Different ponds are periodically drained, so that they can be kept as effective as possible. The pond above was being kept with less water, which made the local birds quite happy. 

I probably was only walking for about 30 minutes, but walking 30 minutes in nature was a luxury I never would have enjoyed in California (or even in the "real" Arizona wilderness). As I said, perfect training wheels for a scary-cat like me. 

At least until the weather gets unbearable again, I'd like to come here at least once a week, maybe even with running shoes, instead of walking ones. It may not be a huge expanse of nature, but it's a comfortable, beautiful one, and one I'm so glad is just a few miles from home.