Views along my rollerblading route
After more than three years of searching, and a move to the other side of town, I now have perhaps the most gorgeous rollerblading route a gal could ever dream up.
Most people I see rollerblading skate like an automaton. They lumber on wheels. For them, a sidewalk in a city park is fine, and there are plenty of those around here.
For me, a good skate involves fast speeds and glute-burning hills. A road needs to be wide enough to handle a wide stride, and be relatively smooth. And this last requirement is probably the most challenging part of the equation.
Heavier traveled desert roads have a much higher ratio of rock to asphalt otherwise it would be a goopy mess in the heat of the summer. That leaves for a bumpy surface which I don't find very much fun. (I'm spoiled by smoother surfaces back east.)
But these roads I found are blissfully low in traffic so the asphalt is almost what I'd see back east. Not quite, but close enough.
People do come here to walk their dogs, and access the Agua Caliente trail, but for the most part, these are quiet desert SMOOTH roads TEEMING with birds!
Anyone who says "nothing lives in the desert" clearly has spent no time in the Sonoran Desert. Not all deserts are created equal!
I don't rollerblade for exercise. I rollerblade for therapy.
A view of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Most people I see rollerblading skate like an automaton. They lumber on wheels. For them, a sidewalk in a city park is fine, and there are plenty of those around here.
For me, a good skate involves fast speeds and glute-burning hills. A road needs to be wide enough to handle a wide stride, and be relatively smooth. And this last requirement is probably the most challenging part of the equation.
Heavier traveled desert roads have a much higher ratio of rock to asphalt otherwise it would be a goopy mess in the heat of the summer. That leaves for a bumpy surface which I don't find very much fun. (I'm spoiled by smoother surfaces back east.)
The Rincon Mountains in a shroud of clouds.
But these roads I found are blissfully low in traffic so the asphalt is almost what I'd see back east. Not quite, but close enough.
People do come here to walk their dogs, and access the Agua Caliente trail, but for the most part, these are quiet desert SMOOTH roads TEEMING with birds!
Anyone who says "nothing lives in the desert" clearly has spent no time in the Sonoran Desert. Not all deserts are created equal!
I don't rollerblade for exercise. I rollerblade for therapy.
You can see my shadow where I'm standing on the road taking this picture.
Comments
Post a Comment