The surface was rough and uneven. We had to remove rocks and cowpoops. It was windy.
But nothing can stop us from getting that Peaceful Easy Feeling of dancing far away from civilization, holding each other.
The surface was rough and uneven. We had to remove rocks and cowpoops. It was windy.
But nothing can stop us from getting that Peaceful Easy Feeling of dancing far away from civilization, holding each other.
The grasslands in this area really move us. They are so peaceful.
For the past two nights we have had long serenades by coyotes...inviting us outside to dance to their music.
So, yesterday, on an uneven surface, after we cleaned out the rocks and cow poop, in a strong wind, we danced to Sting's song Fields of Gold.
Here are a couple of photos of these grasslands in October. Literally they are Fields of Gold.
We want our ashes spread here, so we can walk in Fields of Gold for all of eternity.
Today we hiked to a 65-year-old homestead that is hidden in the middle of our grasslands.
This is the third time that we have returned to this homestead. We first discovered it while camping and hiking on the Rim in October 2019….this was before we bought our cabin in Pine.
The perfect place for our first camping trip in 2024.
And she did. After she had called her run because of insurmountable obstacles, she ran an ten extra hours and 20 more miles to make the last leg of her journey….to her home, our cabin in Pine. She said "I wanted to run home."
As she finished her run, we met her and her crew at the Arizona Trail Pine Trailhead.
I am feeling so happy.
My body will never recover. I am trying testosterone treatments now, in the hope that I will have my old energy and enthusiasm and staying-power back. It involves putting a cream on my chest every day, and then being careful to not touch Vicky until it dries. I don’t want her growing a beard (that’s not a joke, actually, it can happen). then I have to take a shower every afternoon to wash it off so I can still hold Vicky when I sleep.Mid-April at Nuestra Casa, our home in the Valley, is absolutely beautiful.
But every day the temperatures have been creeping up a bit more. The last few days it has been in the 90’s….too hot for us to enjoy long afternoons sitting out on our back patio.
Time for us to load up the Rat (Toyota 4Runner), hitch our electric bikes on the back rack, and pack the Turtle (F350 with our slide-in camper) with all we’ll need for the next six months.
Today with me driving the Rat and my Danny following behind in the Turtle, we headed north on one of the most scenic highways in Arizona.
The hills were still green from the winter rains….and they were covered with blossoming yellow brittle bush and purple lupine. The majestic saguaro cacti marched up the mountainsides.
You can see our bike through the window hitched to the back of the Rat. My love is in the distance behind me, always close and keeping me safe.
We will spend the next few days unpacking and getting settled in our cozy cabin, nestled beneath the tall pine trees.
I am 76 years old, which is the average age for someone born in my cohort. 50% of people born with me are now deceased.
This is a part of growing old.....my medical problems and operations over the past 15 years.
Here we are during my most recent hospital stay. We have a reputation of always wearing the same shirts.....so of course we even had to do it there. The staff loved it.
1. Three foot surgeries. In one foot I have about 18 inches of screws and a titanium plate. For many months we hiked with me having to wear a hard-soled sandal.
2. Three shoulder repairs, including one for a torn rotator cuff.
3. Two eye operations. One for cataracts and one a Yag something-or-other.
4. Hernia repair. Now my groin is really a "mesh" (ha ha)
5. Radiation treatment for serious prostate cancer. 9 weeks daily of it.
6. Lupron--removes all testosterone, for prostate cancer. For 2 years, with the effects being permanent for all over your body. My muscles turned to mush.
7. "Chicken shots" in my knees. The substance is no longer made from chicken crowns, but that's how they are still referred to, for fun.
8. Open heart surgery, even though I had no heart disease. One of my valves fused, explanation unknown, resulting in an enlarged ascending aorta that came close to killing me.
9. Heart attack last January. Had a stent inserted, and now take three pills twice a day to heal my heart. NO risk factors (low blood pressure, low cholesterol, great high fiber diet, exercising 2 hours/day)
10. Because of my blood thinners I can't take anti inflammatory medicines...which I have taken for the past 20+ years to control my chronic arthritis.
11. Today: A shot of cortisone into each wrist because my arthritis there is not allowing us to do what we want and need to do for our health and happiness. It's getting more difficult to cycle, for example, because it hurts to pull the brakes. Cross your fingers that they work. If not, MORE SURGERY HERE I COME!
12. Now that the worst of the risk of my cancer coming back is over, I am starting on Testosterone replacement therapy. It is a daily, time-consuming task. You don't just pop a pill.
Between all of the medicines and attacks on me, it has left my body unable to do what we used to do. We still do everything, but at a much reduced level.
Aging is gradual deterioration in one's body followed by rapid deterioration, followed by gradual deterioration, etc. etc.
BUT we are campers, and hikers, and dancers, and cyclists.......and did I say dancers?
We refuse to give up on these joyful activities together until they are no longer possible because we have exhausted every treatment.
We have to know we did our best because our life is camping, hiking, etc. etc........and did I say dancing?
In fact, here is one of our dances we video taped yesterday.
And today we cycled for an hour. As usual, in the dark and watched the sun rise over the Superstition Mountains.
We are not ready to give up. Life and aging holds back no punches. Punch back.
April 8th Candice left the Mexico-USA border and started running north on the Arizona Trail (AZT).
Candice is attempting to set a record for the Fasted Known Time (FKT) on the 800 mile trail from Mexico to Utah. The AZT is a beautiful scenic route that climbs over several mountain ranges and National Forests, through the Sonoran Desert, through the pine forests and grasslands on the Mogollon Rim, down one side of the Grand Canyon, across the Colorado River and back out of the Grand Canyon, to finish on the 7500’ high plateau of the Kaibab National Forest which leads to Utah!
Candice has pulled together a team to help her complete this run. The record that she is attempting to set will be for the fastest known time to complete the Arizona Trail for a supported run.
This crew will be supporting her by providing supplies, taking turns pacing her, and helping to carry supplies during the long hauls in areas where no vehicles can access the AZT. These incredible runners and friends will also be there to tend to her medical needs, bandage up her feet, and give her moral support.
As her Mom and Dad, we’d like to give a big thank to all of her amazing crew!
Day1: