Day One

At 5 AM this morning I was feeling apprehensive about leaving Carthage and almost regretted signing up for this trip. At Noon (Mountain Time)I stepped off of the plane to 60 degree weather and my apprehension was almost immediately dispelled. Our first stop in Tuscon was El Indio, an authentic Mexican restaurant. After eating an enormous burrito I fell into a food induced comatose state and slept for a few hours while my peers went on a hike (I am recovering from a broken leg). Once the group returned a few of us went to a local mall to pick up some essentials we had forgotten to pack. This was an interesting spectacle because of the diversity of the people there and I was certainly struck by the amount of Spanish that was overheard. We had the night off so I watched some playoff football and spent some quality relaxation time in the hot tub at the La Quinta resort. We met Sally and her son Greg by the pool, two interesting Arizona residents. We conversed over many things such as home schooling, our research, (on a sadder note)the shooting that happened in Tuscon today, and other miscellaneous topics. All in all I am already enjoying my stay in Arizona and cannot wait to begin with our scheduled activities and get up to the mountain to do some observing!

I must say, the first hike was very much enjoyable. I already have a grand memory of Arizona from previous trips with family members and this shall surely add to them. Many great pictures of the hike were taken and immediately uploaded to Facebook... Thank the cosmos for smart phones, given my lack of a laptop. At least the blog is manageable! I loom forward with great anticipation to the observations next week. Although the night shift is arduous, it's nothing new... Hopefully I can provide some kind of assistance to those who are not as accustomed to the sleep schedule it demands... It's the least I can hope to do given the friendly attitude of my companions on this trip. I look forward to working with all of you!

-ZT

Starting our Blog

Here is the blog where our Carthage astronomy students will post their reports!

First night at La Quinta...

As I started writing this, I caught myself worrying about the upcoming days; everything we did today went great, with absolutely no hiccups. I have no doubt Murphys law is going to catch up with us soon.

The plane ride was easy and stress free. The agents and flight attendants were all cheerful, helpful and clearly having a good day. Chalk one up for American Airlines. Attached is our view coming into AZ as the mountains just came into view.

A feast at El Indio taxed everyones belt buckles once we got into town. We must remember to get their recipe for refried beans...

After lunch we had a short break and headed to Ventana Canyon for a quick hike. A general note to anyone hiking with DA: There is ONE speed: His. Jenny, deciding to stop to take some pictures, found this out the hard way. Don learned another hard lesson: Cacti spines, despite popular belief, go right through your pants and skin without hesitation. I'm convinced they have a taste for blood.

A few of us ventured to a local (and upscale) mall to get a few odd items...the stores were nothing special but the food court was host to a CHOCOLATE FONDUE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. I didn't know this was possible.

We ended the evening with a loooong dip in the hot tub. So far, this trip is perfect. I recommend the flogging of anyone complaining in their blog post for today.