I moved from Cincy to California’s Mojave Desert 20 years ago and immediately fell in love with the mountains, flora, and weather. Although, I may be the only person who left Ohio for the desert only to experience allergies for the first time... the plants here don’t seem to agree with my sinuses.
I live an hour from Joshua Tree National Park and less than an hour from snow covered mountains. It is also the most affordable part of California- but you have to ignore the fact that it feels like someone scooped a bunch of racists and dumped them here. However, the majority of people are pretty decent if you find the right town to live in. I live a mile from where Roy Roger’s and Dale Evans called home for many years. We still get the occasional snow fall but it rarely rains (except this year) and the evenings and mornings are magical. The Southwest isn’t green but I grew up around green and this feels more interesting to my eyes.
Was just thinking, "hey, haven't seen a TML in awhile." Glad you are able to do what you want when you want. Hope to get there someday. BTW, I'm taking a few golf lessons...man helping me so much!. I know it is still early but it will be nice to have the Burrow deal done so that distraction is gone and the team can concentrate on building a Super Bowl season. Thanks for checking in with us Mobsters Doc!
Can vouch for the roll on desert fairways and thin air.. my all time best 18 took place just outside of Moab, Utah. What was it? Well that’s for me to know…
I took out a Gila Monster here (it swerved into me) and a beautiful snake, squirrel, and chipmunk on the Little Miami Trail. I fared fine, the animals not so much.
I agree re the perils of road cycling. Prefer the higher risk, lower (non-fatal) consequence of mountain out here. White paint on the road is not protecting me from a F-150 going 60 mph. A cyclist was hit and decapitated nearby a month ago. Hard pass.
If you ever return to Phoenix, drop me a line and I can point you to myriad trails based on your ability and desire. The mountain biking here is surreal.
A trail suggestion is always welcome. I do love the Scottsdale Sedona areas along with a nice Grand Canyon/Kaibab National Forest foray. Stayed at the Gainey Ranch a few times. Great place.
Gila monster?
(quick dive in my brain for childhood memories and there was a movie about a gila monster)
I had no idea a Gila monster was a real thing! Wow. I need to look that up and learn. That’s embarrassing.
Yeah, a doe. Single track in late summer. My trail riding friend was a freak of nature at 50 years old back then. He could climb the hills like a mountain goat. The only way I could beat him was the downhill back to the car. I knew the trail and I was flying past overgrowth, eyes blurry from the wind, when I took the slightest of turns and BAM! The front fork folded over to the rear of the bike and the stem snapped. I went over the handlebars and the deer and landed on the trail with nothing more than trail rash on my knees and elbows. I had to carry my bike a half mile out of the woods.
I do miss riding trails. Life seemed to get in the way of those weekend trips. I hope to start riding again but with a more civilized and safe approach. :)
Uhhh! I’m getting Costa Rica lizard vibes about your Gila infestation. Have you been to CR? The lizards are everywhere. Thousands upon thousands just in the resorts. On the ground. In the trees. Climbing walls. Tops of courtesy golf carts. Sitting on bar tops. Huge ones. Big ones. Small ones. Everywhere. The resorts tell you to never leave your patio or room door open for any length of time.
I don’t dislike exotic reptiles and snakes but I absolutely hate being surprised by one. They are shifty lil’ f*ckers. :)
Been to CR - this is nothing like that. Gila Monsters are reclusive and slow moving. A local friend who rides has never seen one and says that I have been fortunate to have seen one, much less five of them, the past two years. Admittedly, I am on the trails a bunch i.e. 1.5 hours per day, five days per week. Increases the odds of a sighting.
My long OG drive these days is maybe 200, if I’m lucky. This one just took off then must have rolled 30 yards. I watch these guys on Sundays hit 6 irons 200 yards and think OMG. Never in my wildest dreams!
Thanks for the Trip Report, Doc. Looks like I might be heading out to see my 97 year old god-father next month. He lives on the fifth fairway of Tucson National's Sonoran course and still plays 4-5 times a week. Love those two courses but hitting in the rough had me looking for rattlesnakes more than the actual ball.
Good golf trip report. Everything in the desert (just like Australia) wants to kill you. Glad there were no close encounters with the pigs. Always love that the album cover shot makes Peter's hair look pink.
The Snyder ROI is the answer to the Burrow contract: Offer him shares of the team that will be signed over to him upon retirement. Of course, give him some cash now to keep food in the fridge. But have a big chunk of his compensation be ownership of an entity that will only increase in value. I'd love to see The Family skirt salary cap and cash flow issues by making their loyal star QB an heir to the kingdom. Would be the most Mike Brown move ever--in a very good way.
Spent last week in the Charleston/Savannah region. Wife and kids were great sports in allowing the car audio to be the final round of the Masters on the ride down. New respect for Mike Tirico painting the pictures and portraying the drama over the airwaves. Interesting comments on desert golf. I've never experienced it, but I did experience coastal marsh golf in SC. Similar to Harbor Towne, this course has tons of water, swamps, and wind--and played 6500 from the whites. Was a blast nonetheless and I noted to my wife that I could deal with playing courses like that year round. She quickly retorted that The South's humidity would be too much and that any dreams of warm retirement would need to be the desert. Guess I need to look into beater clubs.
I was in Az. last February. Stayed at the Tubac Golf Resort (where a bit of the film “Tin Cup” was filmed.). Sadly, I did not play golf there but I did play at a course in Green Valley and what you describe is accurate. There’s nothing around here to compare. It was a beautiful sunny, temp in low 70’s. However, it was very windy. I played decently (for me) and was hitting the ball well. I came to a Par 5 over 500 yard hole with the tee on top of a hill. The wind was blowing from behind me. As I took my back swing, a strong current kicked up. I swung through my ball clean and watched my ball go straight and clean. Obviously I was aided by that wind and, being very dry, a tremendous roll. When I got to my ball, I realized I had just hit a ball over 300 yards. I’ve never done that before and probably never will again. It still took me two more shots to get to the green though. I did par it. That was the most exciting shot though, for me…EVER! I did not get out there this Winter but I’m planning on doing it again next year. This time, I’m playing that Tubac course.
After careful reflection, thought, and in-depth analysis, I've concluded that we retirees can't really be on vacation. What we are is retired in a different place.
Welcome back, Doc. Louis Cessa may be glad you were gone, but the I think us Mobsters missed you.
If there's anything that will get me to turn the channel faster than NFL draft talk, it's NFL contract talk. Still, it's hard to imagine QB1 didn't do a little happy dance seeing the Hurts news yesterday. And shout out to Jalen's his for her Brink's truck tweets. Quite the flex. (I think I could scrape by on her 10%.)
Did you actually see a javelina on the golf course? Pretty sure that'd send me over the edge. Snakes and scorpions are one thing, but angry bacon with tusks? I'm out.
Always liked the Redskins, now Commanders. Cowboys? Hah. Phillies? The fans. New York? New York. Was a great and colorful franchise. Goodbye and good Riddance!
Option and roster bonuses that trigger in scheduled seasonal progression. You can search sites like sportrac and examine PM's actual contract schedule structure. There are people's guesses/projections online you can find for how they think JB's will be
I moved from Cincy to California’s Mojave Desert 20 years ago and immediately fell in love with the mountains, flora, and weather. Although, I may be the only person who left Ohio for the desert only to experience allergies for the first time... the plants here don’t seem to agree with my sinuses.
I live an hour from Joshua Tree National Park and less than an hour from snow covered mountains. It is also the most affordable part of California- but you have to ignore the fact that it feels like someone scooped a bunch of racists and dumped them here. However, the majority of people are pretty decent if you find the right town to live in. I live a mile from where Roy Roger’s and Dale Evans called home for many years. We still get the occasional snow fall but it rarely rains (except this year) and the evenings and mornings are magical. The Southwest isn’t green but I grew up around green and this feels more interesting to my eyes.
Roy Rogers claimed to have been born ca the infield of Riverfront Stadium ... a little Sons of the Pioneers 'Tumblin' Tumbleweeds' TBL trivia
https://youtu.be/j1epEtB0lVo
Hmmm wonder if there's another Ohio synchronicity on the actual former turf?
https://bamfstyle.com/2019/04/20/medina-sod/
Was just thinking, "hey, haven't seen a TML in awhile." Glad you are able to do what you want when you want. Hope to get there someday. BTW, I'm taking a few golf lessons...man helping me so much!. I know it is still early but it will be nice to have the Burrow deal done so that distraction is gone and the team can concentrate on building a Super Bowl season. Thanks for checking in with us Mobsters Doc!
Can vouch for the roll on desert fairways and thin air.. my all time best 18 took place just outside of Moab, Utah. What was it? Well that’s for me to know…
Hit a deer? Just like Matt Lauer. 😀
I took out a Gila Monster here (it swerved into me) and a beautiful snake, squirrel, and chipmunk on the Little Miami Trail. I fared fine, the animals not so much.
I agree re the perils of road cycling. Prefer the higher risk, lower (non-fatal) consequence of mountain out here. White paint on the road is not protecting me from a F-150 going 60 mph. A cyclist was hit and decapitated nearby a month ago. Hard pass.
If you ever return to Phoenix, drop me a line and I can point you to myriad trails based on your ability and desire. The mountain biking here is surreal.
A trail suggestion is always welcome. I do love the Scottsdale Sedona areas along with a nice Grand Canyon/Kaibab National Forest foray. Stayed at the Gainey Ranch a few times. Great place.
Gila monster?
(quick dive in my brain for childhood memories and there was a movie about a gila monster)
I had no idea a Gila monster was a real thing! Wow. I need to look that up and learn. That’s embarrassing.
Yeah, a doe. Single track in late summer. My trail riding friend was a freak of nature at 50 years old back then. He could climb the hills like a mountain goat. The only way I could beat him was the downhill back to the car. I knew the trail and I was flying past overgrowth, eyes blurry from the wind, when I took the slightest of turns and BAM! The front fork folded over to the rear of the bike and the stem snapped. I went over the handlebars and the deer and landed on the trail with nothing more than trail rash on my knees and elbows. I had to carry my bike a half mile out of the woods.
I do miss riding trails. Life seemed to get in the way of those weekend trips. I hope to start riding again but with a more civilized and safe approach. :)
Wow, you are so fortunate to not be paralyzed (and also unfortunate to hit a deer in the first place).
If you return to this area, let me know and I can tell you where to rent a mtb and where to ride. The riding is exhilarating.
Saw a Gila Monster last night. Big one with orange markings. Beautiful, but venomous. Slow enough that I could stop and take a pic.
Uhhh! I’m getting Costa Rica lizard vibes about your Gila infestation. Have you been to CR? The lizards are everywhere. Thousands upon thousands just in the resorts. On the ground. In the trees. Climbing walls. Tops of courtesy golf carts. Sitting on bar tops. Huge ones. Big ones. Small ones. Everywhere. The resorts tell you to never leave your patio or room door open for any length of time.
I don’t dislike exotic reptiles and snakes but I absolutely hate being surprised by one. They are shifty lil’ f*ckers. :)
Been to CR - this is nothing like that. Gila Monsters are reclusive and slow moving. A local friend who rides has never seen one and says that I have been fortunate to have seen one, much less five of them, the past two years. Admittedly, I am on the trails a bunch i.e. 1.5 hours per day, five days per week. Increases the odds of a sighting.
El Conquistador?
My long OG drive these days is maybe 200, if I’m lucky. This one just took off then must have rolled 30 yards. I watch these guys on Sundays hit 6 irons 200 yards and think OMG. Never in my wildest dreams!
Thanks for the Trip Report, Doc. Looks like I might be heading out to see my 97 year old god-father next month. He lives on the fifth fairway of Tucson National's Sonoran course and still plays 4-5 times a week. Love those two courses but hitting in the rough had me looking for rattlesnakes more than the actual ball.
Good golf trip report. Everything in the desert (just like Australia) wants to kill you. Glad there were no close encounters with the pigs. Always love that the album cover shot makes Peter's hair look pink.
Your schedule is your own. Enjoy it all the time.
It's not a vacation, It's a lifestyle and you've worked hard enough (and a little lucky) to have earned it.
The Snyder ROI is the answer to the Burrow contract: Offer him shares of the team that will be signed over to him upon retirement. Of course, give him some cash now to keep food in the fridge. But have a big chunk of his compensation be ownership of an entity that will only increase in value. I'd love to see The Family skirt salary cap and cash flow issues by making their loyal star QB an heir to the kingdom. Would be the most Mike Brown move ever--in a very good way.
Spent last week in the Charleston/Savannah region. Wife and kids were great sports in allowing the car audio to be the final round of the Masters on the ride down. New respect for Mike Tirico painting the pictures and portraying the drama over the airwaves. Interesting comments on desert golf. I've never experienced it, but I did experience coastal marsh golf in SC. Similar to Harbor Towne, this course has tons of water, swamps, and wind--and played 6500 from the whites. Was a blast nonetheless and I noted to my wife that I could deal with playing courses like that year round. She quickly retorted that The South's humidity would be too much and that any dreams of warm retirement would need to be the desert. Guess I need to look into beater clubs.
Humidity here is about the same as there. Sun's hotter there.
Former Indian Hill resident, expert with the wah wah pedal, coming to PNC Pavilion in June. CHECKITOUT!!!
I was in Az. last February. Stayed at the Tubac Golf Resort (where a bit of the film “Tin Cup” was filmed.). Sadly, I did not play golf there but I did play at a course in Green Valley and what you describe is accurate. There’s nothing around here to compare. It was a beautiful sunny, temp in low 70’s. However, it was very windy. I played decently (for me) and was hitting the ball well. I came to a Par 5 over 500 yard hole with the tee on top of a hill. The wind was blowing from behind me. As I took my back swing, a strong current kicked up. I swung through my ball clean and watched my ball go straight and clean. Obviously I was aided by that wind and, being very dry, a tremendous roll. When I got to my ball, I realized I had just hit a ball over 300 yards. I’ve never done that before and probably never will again. It still took me two more shots to get to the green though. I did par it. That was the most exciting shot though, for me…EVER! I did not get out there this Winter but I’m planning on doing it again next year. This time, I’m playing that Tubac course.
We had big wind last Thursday. And yeah, my straight tee balls rolled out 20-30 yds beyond average
After careful reflection, thought, and in-depth analysis, I've concluded that we retirees can't really be on vacation. What we are is retired in a different place.
Welcome back, Doc. Louis Cessa may be glad you were gone, but the I think us Mobsters missed you.
If there's anything that will get me to turn the channel faster than NFL draft talk, it's NFL contract talk. Still, it's hard to imagine QB1 didn't do a little happy dance seeing the Hurts news yesterday. And shout out to Jalen's his for her Brink's truck tweets. Quite the flex. (I think I could scrape by on her 10%.)
Did you actually see a javelina on the golf course? Pretty sure that'd send me over the edge. Snakes and scorpions are one thing, but angry bacon with tusks? I'm out.
We did. Stayed 100 yards at least away from them. Was told they're aggressive only if you get too close. Never looked up the def. of too close.
Who was determined to be the slowest afoot of your foursome?
Always liked the Redskins, now Commanders. Cowboys? Hah. Phillies? The fans. New York? New York. Was a great and colorful franchise. Goodbye and good Riddance!
Joe B and his team are smart in delaying the negotiations. The prices for premium passers are only going to escalate.
#9&ftknox2soonb2gether
How does that make the team smart? Unless you mean Burrow's advisors.
Yes, Burrow’s personal team. Katie would have been smart to close the deal before free agency???
I remember reading somewhere there's a possible loophole in the league bonus escrow funding requirement that is scheduled for an April triggering?
Adam Schefter is reporting that the cap hit for Hurts the next four years is:
🏈2023: $6.15 million
🏈2024: $13.56 million
🏈2025: $21.77 million
🏈2026: $31.77 million
Someone else in his comments referred to something called the "triple bonus" whatever that is.
Option and roster bonuses that trigger in scheduled seasonal progression. You can search sites like sportrac and examine PM's actual contract schedule structure. There are people's guesses/projections online you can find for how they think JB's will be
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/patrick-mahomes-21751/
I think i read they did some level of bonus conversion restructuring tweak on PM's deal to help KC get back under the cap this spring
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/bengals-joe-burrow-contract-projection-timeline-extension/j7djtbwkdbygg2fkec2sqbcb