Rynski's Blogski » environment

Add more street obstacles on purpose with Urban Assault Ride

Rynski — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:10:17 +0000

Tucson streets offer plenty of fine obstacles for motorists and bikers alike.

Bicycle limbo/Urban Assault Ride photo

We get potholes, jagged palm tree shards, random cardboard boxes, those metal street plates put down during construction and occasional bouts with darting pedestrians and roadkill.

Bicyclists are particularly lucky as they are not protected by a couple of tons of metal car-shaped armor with cushy leather seats.

But bikers need not despair – they can get training instead – all in the name of fun.

The fun comes in the form of the Urban Assault Ride, kicking off its 2010 tour in Tucson on April 18.

Bicyclists sign up with partners and then bike around the city, conquering a number of strategically placed obstacles.

Drivers don’t fret – no obstacles will be set up in places like Aviation Parkway or the middle of Speedway.

More than 450 bikers in Tucson signed up for the Urban Assault Ride’s debut last year, which once again started in Old Pueblo before moving on to other cities across the nation. The ride hits Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis and Des Moines – just to name a few.

Paperboy relay/Urban Assault Ride photo

Learn more or register at www.urbanassaultride.com/tucson

Cost is $45 per person, which goes up to $60 per person as even draws nearer. Monies help benefit Sonoran Desert Mountain Bike Association. The association is also looking for event volunteers.

Oh! There is one other requirement. Bicyclists have to be ready for a beer-filled party at Maynard’s Market following the event. Belgium Brewing sponsors Urban Assault. And we’re glad the beer comes after, not before, the ride.

While the organizers would not disclose this year’s obstacles – “that would ruin the surprise,” said PR rep Sharon Cutler – she did mention some of last year’s challenges.

They included a bike limbo, BMX racing, a paperboy relay, the human wheelbarrow, boats and water slides.

Riders are allowed to dismount their bikes for some of the obstacles.

While neither roadkill nor big metal street plates were on the list, obstacles in the Urban Assault Ride will make us safer if we ever happen to encounter a water slide while bicycling down the street.

You never know.

Two major bicycle obstacles floored me in the past, both about 100 years ago and both while biking in Michigan. The first was a woman who pulled her car into and stopped in the middle of my path as she was pulling out of a driveway. The second was those dang construction barrels.

My bike rammed into the side of the woman’s car, leaving a colossal dent in her passenger door. Rather than apologizing, she quickly rolled up her window and sped away. My bike cracked in half on the way home.

The construction barrels were my fault. I was swiftly tooling down the street and thought it would be fun to kick one. No one ever told me they were filled with sand. I woke up in the middle of the roadway.

For some strange reason, I have not been biking a lot – or at all – lately. But if I were to start up again, I’d definitely go for the Urban Assault Ride to get some preliminary training.

Tucson Urban Assault Ride foot race/Urban Assault Ride photo

What do you think?

Will you be signing up for the Urban Assault Ride?

What other biking events have you attended?

What’s the most annoying obstacle on Tucson roadways?

Clouds do more than spew rain – SLIDE SHOW

Rynski — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:35:21 +0000

Cloud cover/Ryn Gargulinski

Tucson’s cloudy dark skies of late can only mean one thing. The cloud spirits were pretty dang angry.

Cloud spirits, of course, help rule the world, at least according to some Native American beliefs.

As we might suspect, dark, foreboding clouds means the spirits are irate. When they get thoroughly disgusted, they will spew down rain to help purify the Earth and wash away our wrongs. I like to think of them puking.

Seems we’ve had quite a litany of wrongs lately.

The spirits get especially mad if you kill a spider, as superstition says killing a spider will make it rain.

When the cloud spirits are happy, they go play, leaving our skies as a clean, blue palette. If happy clouds do come frittering around, they are light and fluffy, like marshmallows or the stuffing that comes out of ripped-open dog toys.

Thin, wispy clouds mean the spirits are off to isolate, either bored or annoyed with our world. No, we can’t go join them.

Different cloud formations also send different messages to those that bother to gaze at and interpret them. If we pay attention, clouds can even tell us what streets to travel in Tucson, as chaotic cloud formations often mimic the chaos on the streets (see slide show photo 15).

If all this cloud spirit talk is too “woo woo” for you, you can always sit around and discuss the cloud’s Latin names, types, genesis, classification and the scientific reasoning behind the weather.

Just don’t kill a spider while you’re doing it.

Those scientifically inclined may also enjoy an Arizona Cloudscapes presentation that’s on the horizon.

What: Arizona Cloudscapes presentation by Glenn Minuth
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 18
Where: Sierra Vista Campus of Cochise College Center for Lifelong Learning, 901 N. Colombo Ave
Register by March 11: Call 520-515-5492 or 800-966-7943 ext. 5492.
How much? $19

In the meantime, take a break and enjoy the cloud slide show. To help you visualize cloud formations, I’ve included eyeballs on the first pic. The rest are up to you. At the very least, clouds are art – and a soothing way to escape daily grind.

Slide 1 of 31.
Tucson seascape with eyes to get you started/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Do you ever bother to gaze at the clouds?

Can cloud spirits direct and guide you?

What the heck is a Far-log? VIDEO

Rynski — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:07:36 +0000

Some may dream of riches. Others may dream of Jeannie. Local guy Andrew Farley dreamt of the Far-log.

Andrew Farley with his Far-log/Ryn Gargulinski

The Far-log is a self-contained campfire, a fire log that works on the concept of convection.

Thanks to a hole down the center of the log, the wood burns from in the inside out, making it safer than a scattered campfire and longer-burning than your average log.

First developed in 2008, the Far-log has come a long way. Farley created an easy fuse lighting system and even branched into Far-log key chains based on the gas station restroom key holders. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.

The ideas keep on burning.

Far-log key chain/Ryn Gargulinski

Currently made of cottonwood, mesquite and a variety of wood in various shapes and sizes, Farley is working with a friend in Guatemala to create the Tiki Far-log made of palm trees.

Far-logs work well for cooking, especially for hot dogs, corn, marshmallows and the cow hearts Farley likes to feed his dog. They can heat up the whole backyard with the handy Johnson Attachment (JA) and make a fine centerpiece for any burning ritual.

Break out that sage.

Meet inventor Andrew Farley and check out the Far-log in action in the video below.

CREDIT: Ryn Gargulinski

CAPTION: Andrew Farley and his Far-log

MUSIC: Courtesy of Heithaus Productions

NOTE: Video quality suffers due to high compression necessary to view video on this site.

Click here for cleaner video on YouTube

For more info, click here to join the Facebook Far-log Fan Page.

What do you think?

Is the Far-log the greatest thing since sliced bread?

What other cool inventions have you seen lately?

Odd Pueblo: Snappy or crappy?

Rynski — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:11:22 +0000

This fun Odd Pueblo feature asks the audience to rate a trend, topic or sighting of something around town: is it snappy or crappy?

The last snappy or crappy, thug outerwear, was riddled with crappy votes – 76 percent. Seven percent said such fashions were both snappy and crappy for different reasons while 2 percent said they didn’t know and had to go ask their parole officer about it.

The latest snappy or crappy weighs in at the opposite end of the scale: a big pink rhinoceros.

Side view pink rhino/Ryn Gargulinski

Front view pink rhino/Ryn Gargulinski

This sweet pink rhino stands atop Jack Furrier’s Western Tire Center on South Palo Verde Road, just north of Ajo Way. Every time I drive by I try to get a picture of it – and for once a fat truck was not in the way.

Overview pink rhino/Ryn Gargulinski

The rhino is a bright spot along an otherwise dour stretch of road. This particular stretch happens to double as a speed trap. At least if you get pulled over in the area, you can gaze at this real keen beast. The rhino is one of those phenomenons that cross the line from tacky to cool.

Besides, a giant rhino has got to be better than both white and pink elephants.

The pink rhino rules.

What do you think?
Please vote and leave comments below.

What do you think?

Would you put a big, colorful statue on your business?

Are you afraid of rhinos? Are you afraid of big pink things on top of buildings?

Miracle Mile no longer gives us heebie jeebies

Rynski — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Tucson’s Miracle Mile has seen its share of transformations – not all of them good.

Miracle Mile file photo/Ryn Gargulinski

What began as the showy gateway to Tucson and a prime stopping spot for families in the 1950s turned into an equally prime spot for drug dealers and prostitutes from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

But don’t let its past reputation deter you from checking out what it’s like today.

A facelift plan, Tucson’s Oracle Area Revitalization Project, went into play several years back. The fruits of this plan will be showcased in an upcoming historical tour and festival on April 24. More details from the news release appear below.

The strip has undergone one heck of a transformation.

While I never personally saw Miracle Mile as the hooker haven, I heard stories.

Those tales were reminiscent of Detroit’s Woodward Avenue or New York City’s Times Square before it was transformed to into its current – and boring – squeaky clean self.

Some Miracle Mile stories were told as few as two years ago, when an employee at the nearby Evergreen Cemetery said he still found syringes littering the lawn and once spotted a prostitute taking a shower in the cemetery fountain.

But things on the strip have gotten cleaner, better.

One major plus for the area was the bulldozing of the Tropicana Adult Video Theater in 2004.

Another was the opening of Tucson police’s spanking new Westside Service Center in 2007.

We’d say building a giant police station is a very good way to give ne’er do wells the hint to move on.

The Gateway Business Alliance kicked off in October 2008, comprised of business owners who are further helping Miracle Mile’s economic development.

Miracle Mile will always have its place in Tucson – and we’re glad people are working to preserve and revamp it, rather than mow down and trash it.

Photo Ryn Gargulinski

One of the highlights is definitely the retro motels and signs. The one for the Ghost Ranch Lodge was even designed by the renown Tucson architect Josais Joesler boasting a logo by artist Georgia O’Keeffe.

O’Keeffe is the reason I have dead skulls in my kitchen.

Golden Pin Lanes, with its $1 million makeover, is also one very fine bowling alley.

Upgrading Miracle Mile is the way to go, as long as the upgrades continue to preserve its history and kitschy charm. Too many notable Tucson homes, buildings or other structures around town have already been torn down or left to decay – or replaced by things like the abominable DeConcini U.S. Courthouse.

We’d even take a seedy Miracle Mile over that monstrous courthouse.
___

What: Historic Miracle Mile Tour and Festival – Motor Courts, Motor Cars & Memories Festival
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24
Where: Miracle Mile Strip: Miracle Mile-Oracle-Drachman area
A bevy of activities are planned for the daylong family-friendly event: Car buffs will enjoy a vintage and collectible classic car show. There will be tours of the vintage motor courts and memorabilia, live musical venues, folklorico dancing, paint-out competitions, a fine arts exhibit, local business vendor booths, food-tasting competitions, mariachis, Yaqui mask carving and other adult and children events.
Booths are still available for food vendors, artists and other individuals and organizations. Deadline is March 19. For info, visit www.CelebrateHistoricTucson.com.
__

Miracle Mile timeline

1930s: Miracle Mile Strip, which included some of what is now Oracle Road, was built as a northwest gateway into Tucson and hailed as the best road ever made.

1937: Miracle Mile gets high acclaim in Arizona Highways magazine. “There was nothing like it the Southwest,” the publication said. The strip had thriving businesses, mainly hotels, for the next three decades.

1960s: Interstate 10 completed, diverting travelers away from Miracle Mile and hurting businesses. The strip begins its decline.

1983: Massive police sweeps result in the arrest of 400 suspected prostitutes and 87 men for soliciting police decoys.

1986: Shootouts common, usually involving pimps over their real estate and human property.

Late 1980s: “Miracle Mile” name taken off sign south of cemetery because North Oracle Road businesses didn’t want the Miracle Mile reputation.

2002-2004: Miracle Mile found to be the most violent section of the city in Tucson Citizen analysis.

2004: Birth of the Oracle Project, a coalition of neighborhoods and businesses working to improve Oracle from Drachman to Miracle Mile.

March 2004: City condemns Tropicana Adult Video Theater because of building code violations. The building is torn down.

Sept. 2005: Miracle Mile repaved.

Fall 2007: Beginning of Oracle Area Revitalization Plan, an 18-month project to revitalize the area that includes Miracle Mile.

September 2007: Tucson Police Westside Service Center opens at 1310 W. Miracle Mile.

October 2007: La Paloma Family Services moves to 870 W. Miracle Mile.

January 2008: Police receive OK from City Council to buy six acres next to West Side station to build new crime lab.

May 2008: Golden Pin Lanes gets $1 million makeover.

Source: Tucson Citizen archives

What do you think?

Are you a fan of Miracle Mile?

Do you have any Miracle Mile stories to share?

What other areas in Tucson should be preserved for their kitschy charm?

10 worst things about being sick

Rynski — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:17:31 +0000

We have the technology to send guys romping on the moon and e-mail India in fewer than two seconds, but we still have no cure for the common cold.

What the cold would look like if it were a bird/Ryn Gargulinski

Mine began in the middle of last week with a sore throat. It has since snaked through my nose, ears and eyeballs until it finally coiled fatly in my skull, making it feel as if it’s about to explode.

Thus I have a sick day off to lie in bed and drink things like NyQuil and echinacea tea, hoping to return to work on Tuesday.

Enjoy the top 10 list in the interim.

Top 10 worst things about being sick:

10. Your dogs do care to an extent, but but still demand their daily fast-paced trek through the rocky riverbed.

9. You trip in the rocky riverbed.

8. You look as horrific as you feel.

7. Everything tastes like a stale rice cake.

6. Any attempts at art resemble a preschooler’s bad crayon day.

5. You can’t read your own writing (which is why it’s good this is typed).

4. You read the same sentence two or three times and still have no idea what you just read. You read the same sentence two or three times and still have no idea what you just read.

3. All things that normally annoy you are 500 times more annoying than usual. Phoebe – will you please stop barking?

2. You have to add “coughing yourself awake” as your new favorite hobby.

1. You waste a perfectly good sick day from work actually being ill.

What do you think?

Have you been yet hit with this season’s cold or flu?

What’s the sickest you’ve ever been?

What’s your least favorite aspect of being sick?

Balloons are fun – so outlaw them

Rynski — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:17:21 +0000

Balloons are colorful, happy and fun – which means they will soon be wholly outlawed.

Balloons in Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski

The growing trend has been to regulate, warn against or downright outlaw things we enjoy.

Don’t go in the sun. Stop eating salt. Watch your kids’ toys for lead levels.

Stay away from balloons – they pose too many hazards.

Balloons are already riddled with restrictions in some states, like Virginia, where it’s illegal to release balloons into the air.

“Balloons return to the land and sea where they can be mistaken for prey and eaten by animals,” says the Balloons as Litter web page. They especially resemble jellyfish and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, dolphins, sea turtles and whales, one of which was found dead in 1985.

An infant sperm whale starved to death because it ate an inflated Mylar balloon that lodged in its intestines.

While we don’t have to worry about balloons killing sperm whales here in Tucson, balloons still pose choking hazards to our kids and pets.

Balloons in Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski

We also have flurries of balloons dancing along the road, ready to distract the already distractible drivers.

A trek through town on any given day showcases numerous examples of balloons trying to get motorist eyes off the road. Balloons beckon to instead check out amazing sales or apartment complexes touting the first month free.

Bursting balloons can send children into a tantrum or scare the bejesus out of hospital patients trying to recover. Some hospitals don’t allow them, period. Others don’t allow latex balloons due to the latex allergy craze.

Go to bigger balloons and we get even bigger hazards. A hot air balloon crashed Feb. 17 near Interstate 8 about 40 miles west of Gila Bend, according to an announcement from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

No one was hurt – save for the red and white balloon. DPS crews and U.S. Border Patrol air and ground units located the balloon’s pilot and three passengers.

See how much trouble these dang balloons can be?

Balloons in Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski

Mass release of balloons is illegal in several states and cities, including Virginia. Jurisdictions that have laws in effect dealing with balloon releases include: Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, New York, Texas, California and Virginia. Cities of Ocean City, Maryland; Louisville; Huntsville, Ala.; San Francisco; and Baltimore.

Source: Legislation regulating the release of balloons on Clean Virginia Waterways site

Balloons in Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Are you a balloon fan?

Have you seen balloons cause mayhem?

Are balloon restrictions warranted or ridiculous?

Odd Pueblo: Tucson jinxed locations

Rynski — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:23:42 +0000

Stolen tent at the corner of Campbell and Fort Lowell/Ryn Gargulinski

Paul Bunyan may have gotten his stolen axe back – although he’s still clutching that giant candy cane – but another theft in town was even bigger and more brazen.

Someone stole a giant tent. At a lot by a thriving intersection, no less.

The lot in question dustily sits at the northeast corner of North Campbell Avenue and East Fort Lowell Road.

Folks have set up to sell everything from area rugs with naked lady silhouettes to pumpkins, from chopped firewood and Christmas trees to tiger striped faux fur car seat covers.

My tiger seat covers are grey and black.

But now they don’t have a tent to protect them from the elements. Wherever will we go for our naked lady area rugs?

Upon closer inspection, it seems the area is haunted. My first photo captured a host of orbs, which are either believed to be spirits or dust on the camera lens, depending on whom you ask.

Orb-o-rama at Campbell and Fort Lowell/Ryn Gargulinski

Orbs on their own will not bring bad luck. Some folks, like Tucson’s ghost girl Rebecca Petithory-Hayes, get backyards full of them with no ill effects. She says they seem to be drawn towards electricity. They also seem to be drawn to her since she’s a historian with a penchant for researching ghosts.

Same angle as orb-o-rama photo a few seconds later, after orbs went to hide/Ryn Gargulinski

But this particular corner, which is across from a Nico’s Mexican taco place that just shut down and relocated, may be one of those jinxed areas.

Every town has them. Whatever business tries to thrive in the jinxed place fails.

Another jinxed area of town, an Eastsider tells me, is near East Wilmot and South 22nd Street. The area has seen a slew of businesses come and go, including Cory’s Eastside Cafe. The restaurant died years ago but still has its sign in place.

One more jinxed junket has to be downtown. Its redevelopment, or lack thereof, kind of proves that one. Storefronts still sit like missing teeth.

And someone would probably steal a tent if there were one to steal.

Orbs where the tent used to be/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

What other areas have you seen lead to a stream of failing businesses?

Do you believe in jinxes or is it all a bunch of hooey?

What’s your take on orbs?

What is art? Not one dude’s graffiti – Slide show of found art

Rynski — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:44:31 +0000

Tucsonan Bobby Leverette’s potential career as the next Picasso was cut short last week when he was busted for his alleged graffiti spree.

Bobby Leverette/TPD photo

Leverette, 28, was arrested in connection with more than 20 different cases that involved graffiti, according to a news release from the Tucson Police Department.

A search warrant at his house covered enough evidence to link him to the numerous cases – and some other stuff. He was booked into Pima County Jail, charged with one count felony criminal damage, along with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of narcotic paraphernalia.

C’mon, Leverette, everyone knows you can’t do your best artwork when you’re stoned.

Police evidently found Levertette’s handiwork to be more like vandalism than anything else. Yet other graffiti – and various scenes around town – can definitely qualify as art.

Don’t take it from me, as I find roadkill artistic. Judge for yourself in the slide show below. No, I did not include any roadkill photos – although I have a whole gallery of them.

Slide 1 of 19.
Art or not? Shopping cart wheel/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

What’s your definition of art?

Does art have to be beautiful to qualify as art?

What makes art beautiful? What makes it ugly?

Who wants to live to be 100?

Rynski — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:28:10 +0000

Real cool grandpa I met in New Mexico/Photo studio photo

Unless we happen to be Michael Jackson or those 20-something kids who keep killing themselves with drugs, people are living longer than ever before.

Folks are increasingly hitting age 100. Age 40 may be the new 20, while folks in their 60s can still be considered youngish. After all, they may have four more decades of living to do.

By the year 2030, one in eight folks across the globe will be age 65 or older, according to an article in Senior Journal. Because Tucson is a popular retirement area, our regional totals may be even higher.

This prediction will only hold true, of course, if the world doesn’t blow up like it’s supposed to in 2012.

While living forever – or at least to age 100 – may seem like a good thing, there may be some drawbacks.

“Population aging strains social insurance and pension systems and challenges existing models of social support. It affects economic growth, trade, migration, disease patterns and prevalence, and fundamental assumptions about growing older,” the Senior Journal article says.

We’ll also have to start worrying about the Earth instead of using that standard line: “Who cares what happens, I’ll be dead by then.”

But the biggest fear may be how to fund retirement – or even being able to retire. Social Security is pretty much a joke, although it’s none too funny when it sucks away a chunk of our paychecks.

A recent announcement from the folks who run Tucson’s exclusive, upscale Splendido senior community, goes on and on about how growing old is a great thing.

Sure it is, if you can afford to go live there. Prices were not listed on their website, but they did showcase a few living units, some of which are twice the size of my house.

The company, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, also pointed out some trends for 2010:

Scientific breakthroughs will demonstrate that healthy lifestyles can actually repair DNA by boosting a key enzyme – telomerase – that is vital for improving the body’s immune responses and may even increase longevity.

Translation: Healthy living makes you healthier.

The movement to more homelike environments for older adults living in long-term care communities will grow. Programs will provide care, support individuality and promote safety in a residential environment.

Translation: More kids will be sick of caring for their parents.

There will be an increased focus on positivity and its impact on happiness, health and longevity for older adults.

Translation: You WILL BE happy, dammit.

The use of technology among older adults will grow exponentially – whether this means surfing the Internet, joining social networks such as Facebook, or using technologic devices in the home to monitor their health as well as promote independence and safety.

Translation: You’re going to need a computer and you may be tracked with ankle bracelets.

Progress on extending human life will be a growing focus of researchers as more is learned about substances in our foods. One example is how resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes and in several other plants, may protect us from some life-shortening diseases such as diabetes.

Translation: You’ll be forced to eat grapes.

The best trend by far is a focus on positivity. Enough young people are nasty and cranky and, unless their nastiness and crankiness is nipped in the bud, it’s surely only going to get worse with age. On the other hand, any age can be fun with the right attitude.

Other things can even get better with age, such as knowledge, wisdom, self-awareness and self-acceptance.

But we may still have a few concerns, like we’ll end up driving into lamp posts, lose our looks or lose our minds.

But hey, that’s progress for ya.

What do you think?

Is the trend of everyone living longer a good thing?

Do you want to live to be 100?