Planes, Cactus and Jim Crashes

These are Warthogs landing at Tucson International Airport. They usually go into Davis Monthan. Lately there have been more than usual going in to the Tucson airport. They are noisy!

This is the first blooming cactus we've seen this year. There was no rain last December, so we're not going to have much of a cactus bloom this spring. The rotten yellow bushes, and the trees, however, are a different matter. They're blooming just fine.

I continue to suffer the agonies of the damned with the sore throat and coughing brought about by pollen. Although when I read the list of symptoms on the Zyrtec package, I note that I don't have sneezing or a runny nose. One wonders if it really is allergies, but one does not know where to go for a solid diagnosis.

Today we went out to Fantasy Island. We were talking to a guy out there who just bought a full suspension 29er. He loves his new bike. So we watched him go down the Shaft. He kept his speed up when he hit the left turn and went high into it. Jim was able to make the left today. I rode down the Shaft but I was so surprised to be at the bottom of it, I didn't make the left. I stopped at the tailgate.

After the Shaft we rode down the trail full of rocks to Bo's Loop. Jim was ahead of me, and got a little too far left. He hit a rock the size of my head with his left pedal and unearthed it from the side of the trail. His bike just stopped, and Jim went down like a giant tree into the trail side rocks. Fortunately, Jim was fully armored on his knees and elbows. Judging by the scrapes on the elbow pads, that would have hurt. I'm not sure we'll be posting pictures of his butt, but look at the pedal! The spike on the far right is mushed down to the level of the pedal, the one to the left of it is bent over. That was pretty good pedal strike on the rock.

So, today was better riding than last time. I think the Zyrtec is better than the Claritin in terms of not making me feel like I am half dead. Plus I slept all night last night, so that was helpful.

If you're still here April 17, there will be a criterium in downtown Tucson. Come out, enjoy the race.

Can you believe the UofA Cats beat Duke? I am stunned.