Temporal Gulch

"Life's journey is not about arriving at the gate well preserved, it's about skidding in sideways, all used up and worn out and yelling, 'Damn! What a ride!!!!"

I have to admit to feeling some remorseful longing lately for the good old days when I had two, if not pretty, at least un-scarred knees. And, truth be told, no stretch marks. And no c-section scar. I've sort of had this general sense that I'm only 31 and already my body's looking rather worse for the wear. So, when I saw this quote a little earlier this week, it sort of screamed out at me. As in, yes I have a nice set of nasty scars on my knees, that look awful with skirts, but at least I got them doing something I love--riding my bike to work. And yes my stretch marks and c-section scar are not lovely either, but my son definitely is and he is totally worth every mark his existence has left. And also, the lines around my eyes and mouth are from laughing hard and often, so who am I to complain? Honestly, what's the alternative 50 years down the road? The cosmetic-surgery nightmare that is Joan Rivers or a dried up old hag who has no stories to tell because she never had any fun, or adventures, or pain. Yikes! I think I'll take my beat-up self, use it up, wear it out, and be happy......
In pursuit of wearing ourselves and our truck out, today when we went on an adventure on an off road trail near Patagonia. The area was called Temporal Gulch (photos here). Neither Moses nor I, nor Garion for that matter, had ever been to the Patagonia area before, despite have lived in Tucson for over a decade (4.5 years for Garion). It was amazingly beautiful. The area is full of gorgeous old oak and juniper trees, with a few pines at higher elevations, and our trail took us back and forth several times over a shallow creek (I think Sonoita Creek). We had a great time exploring and we definitely plan to head back for camping and more extended adventuring.