OFF SEASON PART I

Tucson AZ

I decided to blow-off the finals of the PGA Q-School and headed out west with Tucson my final destination. I've spent a few Winters there and enjoy the desert landscape, cool mornings and mostly mild days.

The trip; The journey out was uneventful, taking four days instead of the customary three, with no hurry to get there. Day one took me along I-10 through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana with remnants of Katrina evident by the destruction of numerous billboards and the downing of trees. The by-pass around Lake Charles found roof after roof laden with the ubiquitous blue tarp awaiting repair. Over-nighted in Lafayette LA at a Motel 6.

San Antonio was my second stop and it's a good thing I decided to pack it in early. The temperature dropped to 17° with rain in the forecast. Those two conditions add up to icy roads and I wasn't about to chance it. Camped out at a Ho Jo's that offered free Wi-Fi.

Usually I'm on the road before dawn, like to see the sunrise as I drive, but held off cause of the weather. Made it to El Paso this time and chose a Red Roof  to rest my head. I'm just short of accumulating enough points with my RediCard for a free nights stay and the rate was in the ball park with the rest of the motels.

Only 360 miles left so arriving in the early afternoon so the final leg was completed with ease. 

Since this was not a trip of expediency, I decided to experiment to find out how much gas mileage my 97 Chrysler Concorde could squeeze out over this 2000+ mile trek. Keeping the speed at a constant 60 mph, without the use of cruise control by the way, I averaged just over 30 mpg. Not bad for a car that has over 186K on the odometer. Oh, that pesky cruise control started working after my trip was complete. Go figure.

Dec. 12th:  Hadn't seen a movie in ages so I opted for Syriana showing at a mall nearby. As the movie began, it came to me why my absence had been so prolonged. The distractions of people talking, chomping on their popcorn, constantly dipping into a box of Milk Duds or some other sugary confection or opening and closing containers of home grown goodies is not conducive to concentrating on the screen.

As far as the flick goes, don't waste your money. The plot is difficult to follow and quite tedious at times finding myself desperately wishing to pull out my cell phone to check the time but I held fast an endured.

Before the movie started, a party of three enter with the most humongous tub of popcorn on the planet. I wondered if there was enough time to consume this zillion-calorie profit maker

Dec. 19th: It was a good weekend. Saturday found my civic duty exercised by reporting a brush fire in the Rillito River. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it? But not if you're familiar with the desert environment. These desert rivers are devoid of liquid in all but rainy times (the city storm drains empty into the desert) which we are not in at the moment. But I digress. I have been diligently putting in 5+ miles a day walking around the neighborhood and found  the secluded paths along these washes a welcomed respite from the busy and often dangerous (many are vacant of sidewalks) edges of the roads. I came upon a stream of smoke almost unnoticeable giving its location. As I grew closer, the smoke thickened and the sequels of children broke the silence. It was evident the three boys, who were making a rapid bicycle powered escape, kindled a small fire which was getting a bit larger than anticipated. No need to panic though, the nearest structure was not in reach. I called 911 and waited for the firemen to show.

It only took a few minutes for help to arrive but it was difficult to get the truck very close. As a result, two men were initially sent out armed with a shovel and canister extinguisher. Not good enough. The flames were spreading so, they carefully maneuvered the truck within reach of it's hose and ample water supply. That did the trick. Funny thing happened though. Two kids on bikes came up next to me asking what happened? They looked familiarly like two of the boys (especially the one in the yellow shirt) who started the fire. What do they say about arsonists returning to the scene of the crime?

• Rocket man; Sunday was even a better day. I hooked up with Dave Hirashima (Quite Dave) for some fun 'n games. He also caddies on tour and dabbles in model rocketry in his spare time. Engineering the real thing before joining the tour, this must be a way of keeping in touch with his past while enjoying this often misunderstood hobby. The SARA has a monthly launch out in the desert and I haven't been to one since the last time I joined Dave three years ago. So, lets go rocketing!

Dave executed about six launches but the most intriguing included an altimeter which recorded an array of information.

Altimeter

Setting Up

Final Check

FIRE!

Not really. This was a different rocket but impressive just the same.

An altitude of 993 feet was achieved after viewing the downloaded altimeter results.

Santa even showed at this month's launch.

Mr. Claus seemed to have an unusually spry spring in his step and for good reason. See below.

This is no joke.  These are Santa's kicks.

As in all scientific endeavors, there is an element of risk and today was no exception. One of Dave's rockets experienced a catastrophic engine failure and self-destructed ten feet of the pad. Below is what's left.

KABOOM!

If you think these are just overgrown firecrackers think again. I was waiting for Al Quida to show with a shoulder fired Stinger Missile.

That's one huge phallic symbol.

After the launch, a a short drive found us at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The museum exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region and is a must se if you're in the area. This is just a taste of what may be seen.

Of course, the view is spectacular.

Here kitty.

Tweety Bird

Don't touch!

Everyone sing. I'm all right ...

Harris Hawk ala arm.

And so concludes you're lesson for today.