August 2020 - Reston

Sorry for long delay between posts.  It has been quite a year.  Here is a summary:  I spent my second winter in Tucson from September 2019 - March 2020.  I did take some pictures and go on hikes but it was mostly a repeat of the previous winter. 

Then, in late March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I left Tucson to head back east for good.  I landed in Harpers Ferry, WV for a couple of months in a furnished house rental while I decided my next move.  I started looking at condominiums in Reston, VA in mid April and ended up deciding to buy a 2 BR 1 BA condo near where I used to have my townhouse in Reston (and where I was renting when I retired and started on my US travels).  I closed on the condo in late May and am now spending the summer hunkering down in Reston.  My days are filled with wonderful walks (almost every day), unpacking and going through my lifetime accumulation of junk, and playing golf about once per week.  Here are some pictures from my walks on the many paved (and shaded) Reston walkways. 

Here are some pictures from my balcony (2nd floor of 4):

Here are some pictures from my walks:

And I waited for thus guy to slither away before going on:

I plan to continue traveling from my Reston home base, starting this winter, as I plan to spend at least 1 month in Hilton Head, SC.  I also plan to continue my quest to play golf in all 50 states starting next year.  I have 34 states on my list so far, and am still missing many in the northeast US, as well as some in the middle of the country.  I will keep updating as I progress on my journey.

September 2019 - Tucson

I finally arrived at my winter destination in Tucson on Sep. 13.  I got settled in and played some golf.  It is still a little warm but starting to cool off.  I played a spectacular golf course that is prohibitively expensive during the winter but is affordable during the summer season.

This is what I saw my first evening in Tucson.

First walk around the neighborhood

Ended up playing Ventana Canyon golf course twice the first week because the price was right (In the middle of winter - in season - it costs over $150 to play).

This roadrunner was on a tee box as I approached. 

More scenes from Ventana Canyon golf course.

I also played the golf course at the Marriott Starr Pass resort in Tucson.  Here are some pictures.

More pictures from my Tucson adventures in upcoming posts…

September 2019 - Flagstaff

From Las Vegas, I drove to Flagstaff in northern Arizona and spent 2 nights there.  I did not play golf there, but I did go on a nice hike.

I drove past Hoover Dam on the way to Flagstaff and got a couple of pictures.

First, I walked around Flagstaff and NAU, Northern Arizona University.

These little robots were roaming all around campus, I think they were delivering pizza!

The next day, I drove to Sunset Crater National Monument and went on 2 hikes.

The first one was Lava’s Edge Trail (3.4 mile round trip)

The next hike was the Lenox Crater Trail, up and around a dormant volcano.

Next I drove to the Wupatki National Monument nearby.  This is one of the most well preserved old peublo villages, among several in the park.  Native peoples lived in this village in the 1100’s. 

From Flagstaff, I headed south to Tucson for another winter.  More posts from Tucson coming up…