Road Trip Notes

I made it to Tempe last Sunday and am in the midst now of new graduate student orientation, unpacking, and climate shock. I knew it was going to be hot here, but I've dealt with hot before. I think it was the summer of 1998 in Oklahoma where we had 30 days in a row of 100 degree weather. But that doesn't even compare with the consistent heat of Tempe, and as always, it's the little things that get to you. Like the fact the cold tap water here is scalding. Makes sense when you think about it, but boy is it an inconvenience. If I want to drink cool water I have to make sure to keep water in the fridge, and to take a shower that's not hot, I have to wait 10 minutes for the water cool off. I still haven't touched the hot water knob on the shower.

The drive out here was nice. I stopped by the Guadalupe Mountains to say hi, and also stopped by Saguaro National Park to get the most out of the last month of my National Parks Pass. The visit to Saguaro led to one of the funnier conversations I've had with my parents recently:

Me: I'm probably going to stop by Saguaro National Park tomorrow
My Dad: Where's that?
Me: Near Tucson
My Dad: It is? I'm not seeing it on the map.
Me: Yeah, it's right in Tucson.
My Dad: That's odd, all I'm seeing is something called Sa-gu-ro.
Me: That's it Dad, it's pronounced "Sawaro".

Sigh.

I spent at least half my drive making it through Texas, which allowed me to observe the three annoying habits of Texas drivers:
1) Texas drivers rarely drive slow, but when they do, they make sure to do it in the farthest left lane available to them.
2) When you attempt to pass a Texas driver, it reminds them that no one is allowed to drive faster than they are, and they speed up to make sure you don't pass and then proceed to return to their preferred speed
3) The preferred vehicle for a Texas driver is a Dodge, Chevy, or Ford truck large enough to steamroll a Prius. The preferred passing location of a Texas driver in this type of
vehicle is a double yellow on an uphill.

Electric Peak

Finally finished the video about the 4th of July backpacking/skiing trip I went on.