Tucson Hiking Clubs

[Jim]

I give up. I've held out on this. I know Joe would prefer I don't and might delete this, but after several days of it, and yet another Memorial Day Weekend ruined by high winds, my Colorado Trip canceled due to high wind and cold, and nothing do to but sit and think, I take to the key board. When it comes to my location, I give up.

As some of you know, I moved to Kayenta on September 30. Liz knows I was cautiously optimistic at that time, but generally trying to stay positive about the move. I was getting excited about many aspects of the move, such as renting a house instead an apartment (something I later learned was sort of silver cloud with a gray lining), having a yard, living in a rural area and so on. The house is in terrible shape and isn't even 10 years old. Let me put it like this, "the building should be condemned. There’s serious metal fatigue in all the load-bearing members, the wiring is substandard, it’s completely inadequate for my power needs". Then there's the neighborhood (though this was obvious before the move). It's a disaster area. You might say, "the neighborhood is like a demilitarized zone". The yard is pointless and nothing but dirt, blowing dirt, unless it is mud, or hard packed clay, depending on season. Mostly, the yards seem to function as catchments for the blowing trash and people's 8 trucks they park on them. The rural area, is more of a prison of isolation, hours and hours from anything not this place. Then, there is the air pollution. Not from cars, but coal that people burn. It stinks like an old 2-stroke lawn mower idling with the choke clamped down, and it hangs around on cold winter nights.

All of that pales in comparison to the high winds made so much worse with fierce dust. I never thought it could be that bad. No wonder people in Oklahoma went insane in the 30s during the dust bowl. I had gusts so bad this afternoon, the house shook like I was in an earthquake. I mean windows rattled, the roof shook, and dust hit the windows so hard sounded like they were going to break.

Still, you would think that at some point, it has to get better. Summer is nearly here, it's time to enjoy the yard, the house, the warm weather and enjoy it by starting a garden to get food from. And, I did. I bought some stuff when I moved out, a peach and plum tree, and some other plants, as well as two pines. Virtually everything is dead. Dead, dead, dead. Stuff that looked fair after the last big wind event is now dead. Dried out and dead. All the leaves on the fruit trees, the sage brush I planted, the grapes (long since), and now all of the stuff I had planted in the last month and had come up. I really liked seeing some life, something green, something growing in the world of virtually nothing. My broccoli is shredded and dried out to stalks on the ground. My corn that came up is dead, my watermelon seeds, honey dew seeds, and sunflowers that had come up, all dried out and dead. My tomatoes, my basil, my radishes, my lettuce, and my gramma grasses, all dried out and killed in the last 48 hours. All dead. Even one area where I put in corn and it started growing, not only is that dead, but the wind has been so fierce that the soil I had planted the corn in- that is blown away. Completely gone! I have seedlings in pots that I could re-plant, but I am having a hard time wanting to bother again. I mean, what is the point? I put a lot of work in out here, just to have the wind destroy it. I had a lawn that got buried under 6 inches of dirt. Gave up on that, as you can't shovel your lawn. I had a native plants garden of grasses and wild flowers I planted and seeded last summer right after getting in. That was blown away in April. Not doing that again. I shoveled the dirt out of the street. That came back. Not doing that again. Seriously, I give up. Time to get up on the Model-T and move on.

[rwstorm]

Why do you even have to ask? There have been plenty of posts over time here that have answered your questions.

[Jim]

@rwstorm
Really, I was not able to find any. I searched for, "tucson hiking clubs", and got 14 results, some from this thread, which was why I recycled it.

Which are they, anyway?

[rwstorm]

I'll let some of the other "Tucson apologists" step forward and answer this for you, while I sit back and lmfao. I mean, dude, you of all people are not a group person. Me, the lone wolf, is more of a joiner than you are. You crack me up Mr. Jim.

[Jim]

Also, which has a strong membership of single, young to youngish, members?

;)

[RowdyandMe]

Well I am a member of HAZ and I hike alone 95% of the time. Now I jump in a event every once and a while.
I have always enjoyed the events that I went on and the HAZ members that I met on the hikes.
I really don't think Iwould have the time for a hiking club. I want to hike and not have meetings that some clubs do.
Again thats just me.

[big_load]

Really, I was not able to find any. I searched for, "tucson hiking clubs", and got 14 results, some from this thread, which was why I recycled it.

That's because you misspelled "Tuscon".

[PrestonSands]

...strong membership of single, young to youngish, members?

I'm with you on this, Jim. I have not come across any, though.

[SpiderLegs]

You just might have to create your own Meet Up group of swingin' singles who like to hike. Here in Phoenix we have places like Squaw Peak, North Mountain and Camelback that attract young women hikers. Any place like that in Tucson you can start trolling around?

[RowdyandMe]

@SpiderLegs
Do they have to speak English?

[Jim]

Well, I don't know. THe Las Cruces group had a good showing, but they were right next to NMSU which didn't seem to have any hiking clubs. Under 25 is pushing it, though. In general, I have found people my age are not around, and single.

[SpiderLegs]

Well, I don't know. THe Las Cruces group had a good showing, but they were right next to NMSU which didn't seem to have any hiking clubs. Under 25 is pushing it, though. In general, I have found people my age are not around, and single.

People over 25 all had to move to Phoenix to look for work. Only reason I live in Phoenix rather than Tucson is my desire to have a decent job.

[Jim]

Well, I don't know. THe Las Cruces group had a good showing, but they were right next to NMSU which didn't seem to have any hiking clubs. Under 25 is pushing it, though. In general, I have found people my age are not around, and single.

People over 25 all had to move to Phoenix to look for work. Only reason I live in Phoenix rather than Tucson is my desire to have a decent job.

Really? You would think there would be a fair number of decent jobs here, but what do I know. I guess there are too many grads from the Universidad? Well, too many in the past, who took those jobs and then all the new ones have to go elsewhere?

Actually, as I am getting more familiar with Tucson, both since moving here and paying a bit more attention over the last year or two when I visited from New Mexico ( I was too touristy when I came from northern AZ to visit), I notice that there are very few people here in summer compared to winter, which has me wondering if Tucson is heavily supported by snowbirds? Also, while there are tech jobs, being smaller, it doesn't have a lot of the other industries that Phoenix has. Distribution, stuff like that. Obviously, it has an economy, but I guess it isn't as diverse as Phoenix.

[SpiderLegs]

I always joke that Tucson is the slacker capital of Arizona. The bulk of my friends that I worked in the bike shop with 20+ years ago are still working at the bike shop, opened their own retail store or are now the manager of a retail store, became real estate agents, have become barristas or are stringing together a few part time consulting gigs. Unless you work in the medical field, work at the U of A or at the air force base it's pretty tough to find a career position in Tucson.

Tucson used to be a place that while the wages were low, the cost of living was lower than Phoenix. So my friends that were making $20,000 a year in retail could combine their income with a spouse/girlfriend who was making $20,000 as a worker bee in an office and find a way to buy a nice little house in town.

Don't know if it is still like this, but Tucson used to be a work to live type of town. Your job was just a way to fund your hobby. So when I went to parties I would be introduced to people as hikers, runners, bike racers, climbers, artists, musicians and where they work often never came up.

[Jim]

Well, then my field puts me at an advantage, then. I guess.

[SpiderLegs]

I haven't seen him around in a while, but you might have to look up SAMBA to have him bring you around to some of the more colorful watering holes in the Tucson area. Might be easier to troll for a date at some of those spots than Sabino Canyon.

[rwstorm]

@SpiderLegs
That will be the day yeehaw!

[SAMBA]

I haven't seen him around in a while, but you might have to look up SAMBA to have him bring you around to some of the more colorful watering holes in the Tucson area. Might be easier to troll for a date at some of those spots than Sabino Canyon.

Funny you should mention ME, SAMBA, in your post, because there is a gathering storm of interest (does "2" qualify as a gathering storm?) for ME, SAMBA, to host Bike-Pub Crawl LXXXVI ("86" for those of you who never took high school German). Should I, SAMBA, post B-PC LXXXVI on the HAZ Event Calendar once my (aka SAMBA) crawl itinerary is finalized?

[Jim]

I'm not sure I understood a word of that, but post what you can!

[SpiderLegs]

@SAMBA

If you include stops at the Bambi, Kon Tiki, The Bomb Shelter and Bay Horse I might have to come down. Though I'm glad the Manhattan Club has been torn down, that was one scary place. About the only bar I've been to where I feared for my safety.

[SAMBA]

Manhattan Club??????

Tell me more.

QUESTION: "Bomb Shelter"? Are you referring to the Shelter on Grant Rd.?

CHALLENGE: Do you know the previous name of the Bashful Bandit? Hint: It changed name sometime betwixt 1978 and 1981.