A run with a view

The trail.

The views are the best part about going running where we live in the Shenandoah Valley.

But it will be hard to top the ones from our western trip. Just the sheer diversity of scenery was incredible. It was even worth getting up at 5 a.m. (to avoid running in triple digit temperatures).

My favorite was the trail in Tucson about a mile from Gena and John's house that went into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Although, it was definitely not a run in which mile times mattered. Going up the first mile of the trail was nearly 12 minutes both because it was steep and because I was trying not to get myself killed. I ran with my iPhone (ostensibly to reassure Elizabeth in case I got lost but really so I could take some photos).

A view of the valley from the top of one of the hills on the trail. Yes, that's the moon. It was 5:30 a.m.

After careful study, beach running is easier than trails. These are some of the snapshots of my early morning runs in San Diego, where we stayed near the Pacific.

Those are the stones I had to cross to get up to the biking/running trail from the inlet. 

Running at the Grand Canyon is challenging for a different reason. The Grand Canyon's rim trail near where we stayed is paved and relatively flat. But the trick is not getting so distracted by the spectacular views that you run right off the cliff.

Seriously, how amazing is that view? 

The rim trail in the early morning light. The only other people who were awake at this time were the people hiking up the canyon from Phantom Ranch. One group told us they left at 3 a.m. 

Our return to Phoenix was obviously a scenic downgrade. But there were still some interesting urban features.

Yes, that's a 25-cent water station in a random Phoenix neighborhood.  But I brought my own with me, thank you. 

And the city had a bunch of murals. Some were artsy. Some were culturally relevant. Others were big ads, like this one on the side of the Diamondbacks' stadium Chase Field. But it featured dogs at a baseball game, so I couldn't resist.

Added bonus of taking pictures on these runs: It was a great excuse to stop and take a breather. 

As for the other sights, I spotted a snake -- not in Arizona, but crossing the bike/running path in San Diego. (Sorry, I kept running and didn't stop to take its photo.) I came close to a couple of rabbits in Tucson. But that was about it. No bobcats or coyotes or gila monsters or scorpions.

Now it's back to plain old views of the Shenandoah Mountains to west, the Massanutten Mountain range to the east and the green fields of the valley in between.

The coolest place to see in the desert

Desert flowers.

The second leg of our western trip brought us to Tucson, where we visited with our friends Gena and John and their children Ellie and Johnny.

And I admit that when I found out they were going to take us to the Desert Museum, I thought the same thing as Gena's sister, "Wait, is that a thing? Is it just a museum of different cacti and grains of sand?"

It does, in fact, have cacti and sand and much more. It's pretty awesome, even if the mountain lions didn't cooperate and stayed hidden in their den.

A forest of Saguaro cacti at the Desert Museum. 

It offered amazing views of this part of the Sonora Desert. There are several types of cacti in the desert with the biggest ones, the Saguaro, standing like trees. Many of the big ones are well over 100 years old because they don't grow arms until they are at least 75.

The museum also has all kinds of desert mammals, snakes, birds and other critters on display.

Prairie dog on the move. 

That included a family of bighorn sheep. We were there in time to see the most violent attempt at nursing nature has ever produced. The little bighorn sheep calf trotted under his mother and jumped up at her hard as the bugger could. I hurt for her. (I'll skip the utterly ridiculous jokes).

Got milk? 

And petting stingrays (that have been de-stung) also is a thing. They did not come from the desert but from the Gulf of California, which is considered still part of the regional ecosystem.

John, Johnny, Gena, Ellie and a mysterious lady with a black hat (Elizabeth) try to coax the stingrays to brush by their hands.

Another missed opportunity. It thought about letting her pet it but then decided Elizabeth's hat looked too funny.

I spent much of the time trying to take pictures, which was easy with stuff that stayed still, like flowers and cacti and grains of sand. 

Meta shot. 

The hummingbirds were a different story. I'd get all set-up with the lighting and color balance and a fast shutter speed and try to focus on one, and as soon as I'd take the shot, zip -- it was gone.

This was the best I could do. 

 I'm pretty sure they were messing with me.