Residents of Tucson, Arizona and vicinity are very familiar with the winter visitors who converge upon our state for a few months during the snowy months of the calendar. Visitors come from the Midwest, Back East, Alaska - you name it - in the name of escaping snow. We call these yearly "visitors" Snow-Birds.
And then we have the Arizona residents - that "duck out" during the hottest months and head for the cool ocean shores, the majestic Rockies, and anyplace that doesn't average close to 100 degrees for the three middle months of the year. Summer Ducks.
But summer in Arizona has its own beauty, and you can live here happily year round if you take in just a little advice about things you might wish to avoid:
1. Careers involving road construction or roofing. There's a reason they stop at 2 p.m.
2. You can leave home without your wallet. You can leave home without your cell phone. You can leave home without your sunglasses. But never, EVER, leave home without water. Carry it in your purse. Carry it in your car.
3. Those big, empty riverbeds that we have giant bridges over - never, EVER play, walk, or drive within them during a rainstorm. Especially a rainstorm centered over a nearby mountain range. Two word reason why: Flash Floods - emphasis on FLASH.
4. On the same subject, don't think those signs are kidding that say, do not cross when flooded. Also note the scaled measurements of how deep the water is on the underpass walls. Your car can float, and roll, in ten inches of water.
5. Remember when hiking that it's easier to climb up, than down. So that really cool rock you feel like scaling? Make sure it's on a main path and you have a cell phone. Yes, we do have helicopter rescue.
6. Stout, hearty boots. Invest in them for hiking. And carry a big stick. Rattlesnakes are more afraid of you than you are of them, but no sense in being too trusting!
7. Stay inside when a lightning storm begins. If you're caught outside, stay low, and stay away from trees, water, metal, and tall objects. Never, ever, decide to go swimming in your pool
8. Last, remember that a rainy day in Tucson is like a snowy day up North. Something about the way the roads react to water have drivers careening like a kid on a slip and slide. Practice in a vacant parking lot or a wide, deserted road. Jam on those brakes and watch your car skid. Then realize you cannot, and will not, do this when tailgating on a public thoroughfare.
Honestly, I moved here over ten years ago after living in the snowy Midwest. I bask in the summer heat, ooh at the monsoon rainstorms, gasp at the incredible sunsets, and generally enjoy year-round living in the SW desert. Come and give us a visit! Just bring your water canister along. :)
Comments(2)