Arizona heat... not a joke - by Vijaya Schartz

 

Sizzling summers are the norm in Phoenix, Arizona. This year, however, we are setting new records. We have been named the hottest place on Earth, with the highest consistent heat records in night and day temperatures, going for over three weeks now.

I remember being amazed as a newcomer to the Valley of the Sun, when people actually fried eggs on the sidewalk to prove their point. The excuse of “but it’s a dry heat” didn’t seem to matter then. Yet, it was child’s play compared to what we are experiencing this July.

My cell phone keeps running out of juice. At first, I thought it was the phone, then I learned it’s only the heat. Part of normal life in Phoenix Arizona.

This year, both ABC15 News and Channel 12 experimented with cooking a pizza on the dashboard of a car parked in the sun. It took four hours, but these pizzas were thoroughly cooked. I don’t want to think of how the inside of the cars will smell for weeks to come.

But besides the funny experiments, the heat is no joke. Over the last three weeks, 18 people have died from the heat… another record. The mountain trails are closed, public services are distributing cold water on the streets. The many homeless souls living in tents on the sidewalk are being evacuated to air-conditioned centers, but many refuse to leave their tents.

Several fans waiting in line for a concert at the stadium had to be treated for heat exhaustion. Their phone batteries overheated and drained from the heat. Some clever concert goers kept their phones in the cooler with the ice to avoid drainage. And the stadium allowed them to bring sealed bottles of water inside.

We are eagerly waiting for the monsoon rain, praying that it will come and cool things out a bit. But be careful what you wish for. With the violent monsoon storms come the power outages, the floods and the mud, and the cars carried away by the current.

Yes, this is a bus, swept away by Arizona monsoon flood (courtesy of ABC NEWS)

Did you know that in Arizona we have a stupid motorist law? It’s true. That’s its official name. It states that you should not cross a flooded stretch of road. And if you do, you are subjected to a steep fine. The reason is that the water is always much deeper than it looks, and a car can be carried away by the current in six inches of water. Many have lost their lives in such accidents, yet, still some drivers are stupid enough to take their chances.

Stupid motorist law - Courtesy of 12NEWS.com

But for now, we just want relief from the sweltering sun.

Stay cool out there. Stay indoors with the AC, grab a book, and escape to cooler places, like space. Find all my books at these venues: amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 

Happy Reading.

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo - FB

THE TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS GOES VIRTUAL FOR 2021

For the first time ever, the Tucson Festival of Books presents a free and entirely online festival for 2021. On Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7, 2021 we will host a full virtual festival with live author sessions from all genres, featuring favorite sponsor venues, all offered with the quality you’ve come to expect from the Tucson Festival of Books.

“We value the safety of the Tucson community and are excited to share this immersive, virtual experience with all book lovers and fans of the Tucson Festival of Books,” said festival Executive Director Melanie Morgan.  “For planning purposes and the continued safety of our festival patrons and community, it makes the most sense to plan our 2021 festival as an online event. This event allows us to pivot and provide wonderful online content in our current environment, while looking to the future and bringing the full festival back and better than ever to the University of Arizona campus—as soon as it is safe.”

The two-day event will showcase live author events for adults and children from many categories and will feature familiar venues such as the Arizona Daily Star stage, the Pima County Public Library Nuestras Raíces stage, Western National Parks and Science stage. Most content will be provided live or with live Q&A with select sessions on demand.

Beginning in April 2020 the Tucson Festival of Books began providing online content with author presentations through the Authors In Conversation Series, Author Podcast Series, and recently introduced Imagination Fridays, a series for children and teachers in partnership with the University of Arizona’s Worlds of Words. Since, the festival has done weekly online events and will continue with the Authors In Conversation Series and Imagination Fridays through the end of 2020. To view this content and learn more about what the festival is doing visit www.tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.

My Grand Canyon Hike—January 26-29, 2017 - by Jane Ruby

Last year I wrote about my maiden descend to the historic Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon “basement.”  I enjoyed everything about this wintertime, eight-woman, historical and cultural tour. It motivated me to enroll in this year’s trip,not realizing that winter conditions can affect the enjoyment factor.
 

In 2016, our descent to the Colorado River occurred before a snowstorm and subsequent cold front. We had no difficulty descending the South Kaibab Trail, its first mile covered by a few inches of hard pack snow and ice. The same went for ascending the Bright Angel Trail a few days later, its last mile covered by less than a foot of fresh powder. Mule service to and from Phantom Ranch was never interrupted.

This year was drastically different. Our descent was scheduled after three heavy snowstorms. Several feet of snow blanketed the first three miles from the rim. Park Service closed the South Kaibab Trail and suspended mule service. Idle mule drivers and wranglers weren’t making money, so they helped the cause by shoveling out “The Chimney,” the first half-mile and steepest section of the South Kaibab Trail.

A day before our descent,one of our guides checked conditions of The Chimney and a mile further to Cedar Ridge.  She rated both sections passable. The weather forecast called for sunny weather, so we got the green light for our Friday morning descent.

At first light, we started our descent, equipped with poles, crampons and boot gators. Though dug out, the trail was still covered with hard pack and ice.We took twice as long as last year, fighting the chunky unstable conditions.

The descent got even tougher below Cedar Ridge (barely two miles down),which hadn’t been shoveled at all. Only a narrow strip of surface was packed (probably by a few day hikers and our tour guide). Deviating from this strip meant a sudden dropping to two to three feet of snow—very unnerving! It felt like walking on dinosaur eggs!

The area between Cedar Ridge and Skeleton Point was most treacherous. Our lead guide, a thirty-year veteran of this trail slowed our pace because she couldn’t see the trail’s edge. One wrong step and we could have plunged through the snowdrift and down a few thousand feet! I wondered why we weren’t fastened to safety lines. It didn’t help when an ascending group of hikers approached us. We had to lean against the cliff wall to let them pass.

Somehow we survived the trek to Skeleton Point, where the snow ended and only a few ice patches remained. We kept our crampons on until reaching “The Tip Off,” approximately five miles down.My stress level decreased, but muscle burn had already set in. We made more stops to rehydrate and snack than we did last year—odd for a descent. I ran out of gas the last mile and trudged the flat river trail to Phantom Ranch. The descent took seven hours.Upon arriving at our cabin,I stretched for an hour, napped for another and lingered in a warm shower until dinner.

Phantom Ranch was in dire straits because of suspended mule service. We watched helicopters with fixed lines haul away a week’s worth of trash (two trips) as well as drop down food and beverage for Phantom Ranch guests.

Our hike was supposed to be mule-assisted, so my pack weighed a few extra pounds despite eliminating batteries, rain gear, and extra change of clothes. I was determined, however, to haul down my first novel, “The Azurite Encounter,” depositing it on the cantina’s bookshelf. It weighed less than a pound and was worth leaving behind most of my toiletries in the car.

I have mixed feelings about this year’s trip to Phantom Ranch. Yes, the canyon views were breathtaking. Yes, I enjoyed meeting other hikers at the Phantom Ranch. But I didn’t enjoy the mental and physical stress of the descent.  The only saving grace was my group.They kept a positive attitude the entire time, which helped me. We spent much of our “recupe” playing the card game, “Uno.” I mentioned to my group how the characters in my novel also passed the time playing Uno on their Grand Canyon trip. My group requested I do a reading over dinner. How flattering!Other dinner attendees heard my reading, and after dinner, one hiker took my book off the shelf to read!

Our ascent to the rim did not seem as grueling.  My spirits were lifted by the humor of my lady compadres. Like young spring deer they passed me, yelling something about rainbow colored Skittles. I was at least a half hour behind them but could still hear their encouraging words bellowing down to me.

Don’t think I’ll ever do a winter hike to Phantom Ranch again, but I have enough memories and photos to enjoy and share. My advice to anyone considering this trip: Know your limits, check the weather, and make sure the tour has a refundable cancellation policy. There’s no shame in “chickening out” in the name of safety. It’s less stressful to postpone your trip than trying to “tough it out” and risk sudden death.

Jane Frances Ruby 
Award-Winning Author 
The Azurite Encounter 
www.TheAzuriteEncounter.com