arizona | Books and my backpack

On our way to Arizona, we stayed at the Chiriaco Summit Rest Stop off Interstate 10. Expansive views of California’s Colorado Desert and mountains. A gravel pad. No hookups. And it was free!

This is the moment it hit me. Sue and I had sold our Oregon home and moved into our travel trailer for a winter in Tucson before our search for a new place to live. Where? We don’t know. When? Good question.

I have never felt such freedom. We can go anywhere. No more worries about our townhome. We donated most of what we owned, save for a few important things that we left behind in a small storage unit. All our remaining possessions fit in our trailer and in our pickup truck.

Henry David Thoreau, who lived alone in a tiny cabin in Massachusetts for two years, wrote in Walden that the mundane details of life can keep us from seeing the big picture of our lives. He stripped his life to just the essentials.

In The Shortness of Life, Roman stoic philosopher Seneca wrote that possessions are “the greatest source of human misery.” Let them go–without delay–and really live, he urged.

As I write, Sue and I enjoy the warm southern Arizona desert. There are moments when my mind wanders to the path before us, but I am not worried. Our tiny home has all we need–and more, if I am honest.

For now, I am enjoying the view, sleeping better than I have in years, and most of the time staying focused on the big picture that I feel so fortunate to experience.

When we arrived in Tucson in early January, I poked the AllTrails app to look for a moderate day hike to get us started. I was stunned. Dots all over my phone’s screen and “500 trails” in the blank space across the bottom. I zoomed in to focus on trailheads within about a half hour drive. Still, 200 trails filled the map. Where do I begin?

Since that day, Sue and I have climbed mountains, hiked to waterfalls, meandered through canyons, and marveled at the varied cacti everywhere. Sue got so close to a cholla that a lemon-sized piece attached itself to her. A warning: cholla hurt—a lot—and are tough to remove.

Clusters of trails abound in the foothills and spectacular mountains that surround Tucson. Many have detailed maps posted at intersections. We discovered trekking adventures in Saguaro National Park, both the west and east sections, and in the expansive Tucson Mountain Park, accessible at several trailhead parking lots. We walked a few times at the Sweetwater Preserve. Then we drove 45 minutes to trails in Catalina State Park.

It has been in the 60s and 70s most days, interrupted by five or six days of rain, which many around here have complained about. They have no idea. Have they ever lived in Oregon?