It’s a Trap!!!

As most of you know, I spent the past two weeks basking in the glorious Tucson sun compliments of Erik R (whose name is now being abbreviated to protect his upright standing in society). Not only did Erik fly me out, he permitted my hobo camp to commandeer his living room for 2 weeks. Good times were had. Friendships were reunited. Bikes were ridden. The desert was explored. Mexican food was consumed. Expensive scotch was imbibed. The 24 Hour MTB race was conquered. The trip went about as well as it could, which meant that in the end I did not want to leave.

It was snowing the morning I left Chicago. I dragged my ass out of bed at 6 a.m. and headed to the train station. Jared insisted on getting up at 6:15 to accompany me, which was the most selfless, kindhearted gesture I’ve ever seen outta him. I think his underlying motives were selfish. It was clearly a last ditch effort to ensure that I actually returned from the beautiful Sonoran desert…

The CTA lady who saw us kiss goodbye and even told Jared he could help me bring the suitcase up to the platform for me. AAAaaaaw!

After a two hour train ride and lugging my 50lb suitcase through O’Hare, I was finally en route to the warmest place in the country. Life was about to get awesome really quick.





Touchdown. 70 and sunny. Time to take off the parka. Somebody get me to a taco truck stat. Luckily, Mickey swooped in and saved the day in his undersized sports car.



Mickey dropped me off in downtown T-town, and I wandered around until E was finished up in court. Stopped by my old casita:

Noticed some unearthed trolley tracks and a new bike path behind where I used to live.

Erik and I ran into Wes and hopped on the pedicab.

Saw some crusties with puppies (My visit coincided with the infamous Gem Show, which brings crusties and hippies from all over the planet together to do drugs, spread germs and STDs, trade rocks, steal things from townies, beg for money, and drag their dehydrated puppies around town.)

Saw some old people on Segways (Again, my visit coincided with the infamous Gem Show, which also draws in new age hippies from all over the planet who are into the “healing powers” of crystals, spending money on rocks, driving dangerously slow up Gate’s Pass, and pretending to be Indiana Jones.)

Here are some tents full of rocks. You see this type of shit scattered everywhere around town during the Gem Show.


Stopped by Ed’s shop and said hello to his new friend Sprocket and my old friend Ratso. You guys remember that I left Ratso with Ed before I rode away from Tucson. I can’t believe how big Ratso is now!



It was wonderful to see all the familiar faces of Tucson again. It was more social interaction than I’ve had in a very long time….and that was just the first day. Wait until you hear about the Sparkle Party, the desert expedition, and the 24 Hour race. But something fishy was going on…..

It didn’t take long for the conspiracy to be revealed: Erik R. had plotted with Mickey to fly me out to Tucson in the dead of Chicago winter in order to try to get me to come back to the desert. I have to hand it to them. I walked right into their trap. By the end of my stay, I was already trying to talk Jared into moving back to the desert with me. Now I have to live with the consequences…I am sitting here miserable in Chicago wishing I was still in the desert.

-L

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