Tucson, Tennis Tousan

After a three hour plane trip, I seem to have found summer again. It wasn't a blazing hot day in the desert, only in the lower 80's. Pictured below is my host in his backyard next to a cactus. Cacti are everywhere here. The vegetation is alien, but it's a nice place to spend a few days and to get acclimated to the climate for the upcoming athletic event. Rich has shown me around and has been the perfect host. Tomorrow we'll play some desert tennis and go for a walk in the mountains.


Below is another cactus in Rich's yard. Cacti are everywhere here. There is even a National Park in town named for a cactus, Saguaro National Park. We drove through it today and it is filled with cactus plants. Cacti are everywhere here. There is a bike trail along the rode that could be used for a Tour De France mountain stage. There were no riders on it, but Rich says that there are plenty of accidents here each year on a particularly steep section of the road with a hair pin turn at the bottom. No place for a great flatlands rider.

There will be tennis news in the days ahead.