Retired In Arizona: Our Second Arizona Summer

By Michael Yeager, Retirement in Arizona series

We’re entering our second summer here in southern Arizona. The day time temperature has reached an uncomfortable 100 degrees and the snowbirds have scattered to the north seeking cooler temperatures. We year-‘rounders are shifting into the hot desert mode of living. The mornings are beautiful, sunny and cool, but by about 11:00 am we’ve retreated indoors, closed the house up tight and switched on the air-conditioning. Being indoors most of day, we begin to feel claustrophobic with an intense need to get out and go somewhere.

Unlike many states in the US, on almost any day of the year, there is good weather somewhere in Arizona. In the hot summer, you just need to hop in your air conditioned car and drive to a higher altitude. There are plenty of mountainous regions in southern Arizona within easy driving distance.

We have often gone hiking and birding in Madera Canyon, just a twenty minute drive from our home in Green Valley. It’s located in the Santa Rita Mountain range which is the valley’s eastern border. The Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson is the other area we can easily escape to. The road goes most of the way up Mount Lemmon. Like Madera Canyon, hiking trails snake all through the area. When the temperature on the desert floor is over one hundred, these mountainous areas are usually in the 70’s, perfect for hiking and camping.

As I’m writing this article, a large portion of Arizona is on fire. One of the fires is reportedly the second largest in Arizona history. Many of the camping areas are closed including Mount Graham and Mount Lemmon. A few days ago the smoke from these fires was so thick here in Green Valley, that we could barely see the Santa Rita Mountains.

No place is perfect. I guess it’s our turn to have a natural disaster.

Check out my blog: A Retired Boomer