The River Tao

I took my first morning walk since arriving in Sierra Vista this past Monday. Weather: 40°, sunny. I walked 1.3 miles just around the neighborhood. I didn’t want to overdo it on the first day. I had been using the treadmill at home due to weather conditions there before we left. I don’t like the feeling of having gone too far and then your muscles ache all day.

Walking the neighborhood produced some interesting sensations. It is an odd feeling to have the sun shining down on you, seeing desert topography all around you, and yet your hands are cold because the actual air temperature is 40°. This neighborhood we are in feels brand spanking new compared to back home. Every house is in great condition. There seems to be a lot of roofs being repaired. All the houses, as noted earlier, are one-story ranches, all with that southwestern stucco look. Every dog in the neighborhood seems to be a barking dog. With all the sculptured landscaping (tall thin trees of some sort) and the rock-filled front lawns, the place looks like something that was just dropped onto an empty parcel of land, ready-made. I am so used to wood-framed houses that this all feels artificial to me.

The walking path on the nearby boulevard has a slight uphill grade, which is great for getting in just a little extra heart action. It travels alongside a spillway, which I would assume collects stormwater and guides it into the vacant rangeland to the SE. The neighborhood comes to an abrupt end, beyond which is nothing but empty space. I looked for signs of a walking path through this area but couldn’t find one. Oddly, there are no signs telling you to keep out or no tresspassing. The map indicates it’s in the city limits, but nothing indicates who owns it or what its use is.

Any direction you look, there is always a mountain about. Any non-paved hiking paths are located outside the city. There is no body of water in the general vicinity. AML is discovering that she is going to need a humidifier for the house, as the dryness is affecting her sinuses. I forgot my trekking poles at home, so I have to go to Walmart to pick up a cheap Ozark Trail pair for when I get out on a hiking trail. I still am undecided about buying a Walmart ebike and then selling it when we leave, but I am beginning to lean against that idea. I got the knobbies put on the Trail 125 yesterday, so once I get the mirror ball delivered I think the combination of the 125 and walking will get me the exercise I need.