note to self: do at least one cool thing per week!

My second week was a whirlwind of different experiences.  Tuesday I spent the morning at Hanger Orthotics & Prosthetics, observing orthotists and prosthetists.  The afternoon was spent at the Disability Resource Center on the University of Arizona campus, learning from the PT on staff there about the wheelchair sports, gym for people with disabilities, and adaptations made throughout the university to accommodate all people - from dorm rooms, classrooms, and public access buildings to class curricula, testing methods, and event planning.  The university apparently has some of the nation's best wheelchair athletes.  Most of the teams are not collegiate teams, but community teams based at the university.  I got to observe the wheelchair basketball team practicing with new recruits.  It's a pretty amazing sport to watch, with specialized basketball wheelchairs crashing into each other, players locking wheels with each other to block and screen, fast breaks, three-pointers, free throws, and the occasional player falling to the floor.

Wednesday I worked at HealthSouth again, and Thursday I spent all day at a different office of Hanger Orthotics & Prosthetics, this time spending the whole day with a prosthetist/orthotist as he built a couple different prosthetic legs and worked with several patients in various stages of getting prostheses.  Friday I was back at HealthSouth, but spent the morning observing of Speech-Language Pathologists (Speech Therapists) at work and the afternoon with an Occupational Therapist.  It was an interesting week learning about different facets of rehabilitation.  In the afternoons, I either went for a walk in the neighborhood or for a bike ride.  Friday after work I hopped on my bike and sought out "Tahoe Park" since I'd spotted it on a map.

cottontail in the front yard when i got back from a walk

cooper's hawk i happened to spot on a power line in the neighborhood

tahoe park!!

That Saturday's adventure was in Saguaro National Park - West.  This national park is in two parts flanking the city of Tucson to the east and the west.  I drove to the northwest corner and parked on the road.  From there I crossed the street to the Cactus Wren trailhead.  I could've even parked on the other side of the street and not even had to cross it.  I hiked the Cactus Wren trail to the Signal Hill picnic area where there are petroglyphs carved into the rocks by the Hohokam, a prehistoric tribe.

walking in the desert is surreal for a non-southwesterner

can you get a sense of the density of a saguaro forest?

petroglyphs up on signal hill

I stopped in a stone shelter at the picnic area for lunch - it was amazing how cool it was inside the shelter despite the 80+ degree temperature outside.  I proceeded on from Signal Hill to the Wild Dog trail, and from there to the Valley View trail.

saguaros are not little things

valley view

After checking out the Valley View, I doubled back and got onto the Bajada Wash trail.  I walked along, a little nervous that I was going to miss the trail when it left the wash.  I was pretty relieved when the trail left the wash and stayed above it for a while, but it then went back down into the wash itself.  My fears played out when I got to a point at which I knew I should've already joined another trail but couldn't find one anywhere.  After searching fruitlessly for a little while longer, I pulled out my smartphone and used the satellite view on the Google Maps app to help me bushwhack my way back to the trail on which I had started, staying along the washes to minimize contact with cacti!  I figure I hiked 7-8 miles with at least a mile and a half of finding my own way through the desert.  It was beautiful and totally worth it - hedgehog cacti, ocotillo, and a few cholla were blooming.

hedgehog cacti in bloom

cholla on its way to full bloom

Sunday I went back to the Presbyterian church and also attended their newcomer's luncheon.  I ended up deciding I didn't really fit in, so probably won't be going back there after all.  Sunday afternoon I participated in Cyclovia Tucson, where several streets downtown were closed to all motorized vehicles.  It was nice to see a different side of town as the route made its way down to South Tucson.

one of the activity areas along the cyclovia route

the route was pretty well-marked

kinda nice having the streets closed to cars