Type “A” Travels: Arizona

It’s a tent, mind you.  Not a pop-up.  Not a camper. Not an RV.  It’s a nylon, lightweight, nail-to-the-ground-so-it-won’t-fly away…tent

….and so Type A retires and begins to travel, albeit, not so luxuriously.

Brad loves to camp, but we’d never done it.  Our life was spent working in an office and shepherding girls to schools, concerts, lessons, tutoring and parties.

Right before we retired, Brad consulted with our son-in-law, who is a camper extraordinaire.  I mean, he’s taken courses in survival. The guy can guide people into the wilderness and bring them out alive. Taylor knows his stuff.

Taylor made his recommendations. The result: I was given a thirty pound backpack filled with sleeping bag, dried food, water purifier, tent, and water jug. It made me slightly top heavy, but I looked rugged.  Brad was equally equipped.

Brad and I were ready to travel!  Enter: Arizona.

Superstition  Mountain at Apache Junction is awesome. Brad sets up camp. I inflate my little air mattress. When night falls and temps plunge to 30 degrees, I’m  snug as a bug in my cozy bag.

Unzip my tent door. God dazzles me with desert stars which drape the mountain in a sparkling blanket. Frosty mist rolls through the canyon.  Zip up the tent door.

Unzip my tent door. Blazing sun glints off the golden cascade of a shear rock cliff. The mountain stretches massive giant fingers above cacti and brush trees.

By 11 a.m. the temperature is in the 90s and stifling. This desert unleashes in fury. Oh, the shear stark beauty of this fierce country! I can literally feel it in my travel tent!

My Type A travel may not be fancy

…but it sure is downright dirty and delightful!

Tent travel awakens your senses

because you’re plunged into the thick of it all!