Tucson Updates

Here in Tucson we are feeling like baked potatoes. Why, you wonder? Well because it's HOT. We spent some time deploying sun shade material on the west and south facing windows and walls. It's pretty cool stuff, it's basically bubble wrap with aluminum foil on both sides. So you get reflectivity and a dead air layer at the same time. So the RV reminds me of the baked potatoes you get in the restaurants that are wrapped in foil.
Here is Jim measuring for a window.


The plastic zipper bag upper left is the container a blanket came in. It's full of various battery chargers and keys. That cabinet was getting so hot the plastic was deforming.

Behold the magnificence of the basement. Unused items have been banished to the forward storage bay and the space is now available for the good bikes and the outside TV. Yes, my beloved feels that he needs an outdoor TV, never mind the fact that it's too hot to sit out there! Maybe in a month or so.


So - I will now provide the later returning snowbirds with a Tucson update.

This is the 4th Avenue underpass. which is now open. There is, however, great controversy about the safety of the underpass for bicycles due to the trolley tracks. There are sidewalks which might be a better option than getting trapped in the tracks. Apparently there have already been several injuries, two of which occurred at the grand re-opening.

The I10 freeway is done! All on/off ramps are now open for your driving pleasure. We were talking to the shoe guy at Summit Hut and he told us the Gem and Mineral Show had threatened to go elsewhere if Tucson did not git'er done, so Tucson got'er done.

The Saguaro National Park (West) is repaving. Since they are aware of the heavy bicycle traffic out there they are using a minus 1/4 chip instead of the normal 3/4 chip size in the areas commonly utilized by bikes. This will provide a smoother surface. The article went on to mention that over the past 3 years they have observed an increase in user conflicts and bicycle accidents, and they are looking at ways to mitigate these problems through engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement. I will stand by to be amazed.

The work on Mountain is not complete. One side of the road is still excavated, there is a 2 way bike lane on the side of the road that is available. No ecd on that project.

We have been somewhat busy with the undone stuff that accumulates when one is traveling. We got a bike rack for the mountain bikes and a 68 inch grill cover to put over them. Our neighbors did that last year and their solution was better than our solution. The cover is really heavy, and since the bikes are under the nose sheltered from the howling southerlies we get here, we are hopeful that it will stay on and the bikes will stay upright (which was not the case last year). Today is truck beautification day, new oil and fuel filters and an exterior detailing. We've ordered the second air conditioning unit, but it will be awhile because the factory in Mexico burned to the ground. Tomorrow I go see the ENT to see if the hole in my ear is closing, or if intervention will be required. Allegedly the heat will break tomorrow so we'll be able to go outside and start regaining the fitness level we've lost over the summer.