Call Me Fatass

here's a picture of my new home from its highest peak: camelback mountain.phoenix may just be a big ugly city, but it is surrounded by mountains and even has some random ones in the middle. and this one kicked my ass.

i will never make the mistake of thinking i'm in pretty good shape ever again. i mean, i'm not anthony famiglietti (although he is my super-secret boyfriend), but i run a lot, i like it, and i can do it (slowly) for a very long time. last time i went to the doctor, my pulse was 50, which means that my heart is nice and strong. i read in my tour book that lots of local people run up and down camelback. i wasn't going to run it (i'm too klutzy, plus i already did 4 miles this AM) but to me, that meant it couldn't be that bad. INCORRECT.

if there is a thin line between hiking and rock climbing, i witnessed it today. the trail was an almost vertical pile of rocks. some places even had hand railings and chain-link fences to keep you from teetering over the edge. there were tons of people out there though despite the strenuous terrain, and i did see many of them running. i stopped to let one guy go past and noticed he had a thermometer, the kind that you stick in your ear, attached to his pack. i guess so he can know instantly if he's overheating. another guy passed me while i was on the way down -- he continued to the top, turned around and passed me again while i was still going down, then went up again and passed me for a third time while i was still going down. he goes up and down at least 3 or 4 times a day.

BUT the weather was gorgeous -- sunny & blue skies -- i made the 2 1/2 mile round trip in a couple hours and am now attempting to never use my legs again. at least until next week -- maybe i'll make camelback a weekly challenge until i can do it back-to-back 5 or 6 times. although, it looks more like a camel laying on his back, wishing he were dead/at the all-you-can-eat ice cream parlor to me. which is how i feel right now, only less majestic.

and in other news, on my drive home, a real live tumbleweed rolled into the road in front of me. i actually said outloud: "are you f-ing kidding me?" i'm not sure i even believed tumbleweeds existed, let alone that they could disrupt traffic. is it safe to hit those things in your car? i was a real tourist and slowed down and gave it a good stare down, wishing i had my camera in my hand as i drove around it.