November 19 - Tucson, Arizona



Aunt Mil and Jenn (my mom’s sister)

Jenn and Nita (my friend Rhonda’s cousin)

Jenn and Rose with pickleball paddles 

Rose

Rose at Tour de Tucson 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 

Rose the turtle

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Rose taking care of Ken - pushing a wheelchair
In the heat and up hills was really tough


Rose riding El Tour de Tucson - 32 miles

Rose with her medal - a big accomplishment 

Jenn and Rose after the 32 mile ride
We were soaked! 

We had a great stay in Tucson. We were able to visit with Aunt Mil a few times. She had us all over for dinner the night before el Tour de Tucson and we also hung out with Uncle Gary, Lori, Sean, Brian, Allie, Joey and Conner. It was great seeing our Tucson relatives again. We also met up with Nita and her husband Galen. We met Nita in Soldotna so it was good to see her again and meet her husband.

Rose did 2 gymnastic private lessons at Old Pueblo Gymnastics Academy and I did one class at Iron Grip CrossFit. Ken got an MRI of his left knee since the pain has become quite unbearable. We are still waiting for results. 🙏

Friday we spent a good amount of time at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is an outdoors museum showcasing desert plants and animals. Since cacti don’t provide much shade, it was hot. Ken rented a wheelchair to minimize walking. I thought it was a great idea but I never realized how much of a workout wheelchair pushing is especially with hills and unpaved surfaces. 

Saturday was el Tour de Tucson, the big bike ride. We opted for the 32 mile ride option which was the longest distance Rose has ridden to date. She did great! We stopped at all but the last rest stop because Rose wanted to beat as many riders as possible. A big downpour got us SOAKED the last 2-3 miles. I asked her if she wanted to stop for some shelter and she declined. We finished in just under four hours which I thought was great time.

Just steps from our camper were two pickleball courts, one of the two pools and hot tubs, and great laundry facilities. It was a great KOA campground! 

Thanks again for the prayers for safety and health and we appreciate the prayers for Ken’s knee. Wishing you and yours a great Thanksgiving! So many things to be thankful for.

We are headed to Phoenix today and will be there until the end of the year. 





 

Comments

  1. MomNovember 23, 2023 at 4:25 AM

    I hope Ken's knee is not serious. It looks like you are having a wonderful time. I loved the Rose the Turtle. congratulations for doing the 32 miles! WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HollyJanuary 13, 2024 at 12:58 PM

    I'm just getting caught up since it's been a while. Congratulations to you and Rose on the el Tour de Tucson bike ride - that is amazing! I'm really enjoying following along, enjoying your beautiful pictures and reading about your trip. Hope and prayers that my now Ken's knee is on the mend and much better. Looking forward to more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JennJanuary 15, 2024 at 1:38 PM

      Thanks. Ken is doing better and is starting to run again.

      Delete

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