My hiking week in Arizona did not work out nearly as well as hoped. You cannot get around without a personal vehicle in the SW — when will I learn?
I should have consulted Crow’s book in advance: The Worst Towns in the USA.
Phoenix he describes as the nation’s “sweatiest” city. AmTrak won’t stop here. There are barely enough backpackers to keep one small hostel open.
Phoenix really is a sprawling, one-story megalopolis that takes HOURS to commute.
Yet, despite global warming, people are still moving south and west in the USA:
The highlight of my week in Arizona was biking and trail running in Phoenix.

Hi Rick, -39 in Saskatoon, I am stuck in San Antonio where it is around 20c (shirt sleeve weather). Getting around here isn’t very easy unless you want to take the tourist trolleys. However, the downtown is quite nice with their river walk. Alamo is only a block away. The gift store is bigger than the site itself.
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