So long Illinois!

[Pax]

I've made no bones about the fact I dislike living in Illinois...long cold winters, wet miserable springs, hot and humid summers, followed by about a week of wonderful fall. I'm not from here and have no reason to be here other than my SO's job.

Well my SO just signed a new contract and we're moving to Tucson!!!!!! I can't wait...warm weather, sunshine, blue skies, riding year round...YAY!!!!!!!!! :D

[Nanci]

Congratulations! (I was hoping you'd move to FLorida, though.)

Nanci

[CorsairMac]

Even tho I live in New Mexico - AZ is the place I want to get back to. I want to get back to Phoenix tho as Tucsan is still too cold for me! :D Congrats on the move!!


so............you planning on doing the Tour De Tucsan in the fall?? My friend here wants to do it soooo bad and I told her I would go with her!

[bouncybouncy]

Congrats Queen!!! hope you LOVE it!!!




Congratulations! (I was hoping you'd move to FLorida, though.)

Nanci

you are always trying to recruit aren't you??? keep posting ride pics like you did last week with the herons and beeeautiful scenery and you just may one of these days!!! i wish i ended up in that part of FL instead of the southern part...i may have not developed such a bad taste for the state...altho, my parents are looking for a retirement home and like the more northern/eastern but still close to you! ...and looking to get the in-laws more in your territory (anywhere but SoFla actually!)

anyway...back to Queen...good luck with all and keep us posted!

[Jo-n-NY]

Oh, do I envy you. As the Long Island part of NY is not my different to how you described IL, I sure wish we were moving to AZ also.

Congratulations and I am wishing you much luck!!!!

~ JoAnn

[Brandi]

Wooohooo! When is the move date?

[maillotpois]

Congrats! And be sure to do the Tour de Tucson in November - it is a great ride, and the nice police types stop cross-traffic for you!!!

[Pax]

Thanks for all the positive thoughts!

The move will happen in mid-April and we're running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to tie up loose ends and get the packing done.

The Tour de Tucson happening in NOVEMBER is taking some getting used to...seems they have all the fun stuff scheduled in winter. :confused: :D

[SadieKate]

I usually love northern California's climate (except for the fog) but since it is the first day of spring, raining cats and dogs, and 44 degrees, I wish I were going with you. I bet no one ever thought they'd ever hear me say living in AZ could be a good thing.

I'm going to get those Bay Area girls to start posting weather reports, like "it's clearing here is Concord, blue skies on their way!" On the other hand, I don't want to hear "black clouds on their way" so maybe ignorance is bliss.

Just remember, Queen, it's a dry heat.:p

[maillotpois]

Perfect weather for that race in November, I tell you. Usually arm warmers at the start and bare arms/legs the rest of the day!

SK - I had to go to court in Fairfield this AM. Wow - TONS of rain, but it was all east of Benicia. And, um, sorry, but it is cloudy here in Oakland, still.

[betagirl]

Fine Queen, just LEAVE us behind. :D

Congrats on your move. I'm sure you're going to have a fabulous time there. I know you're "down state" (which for non-Illinois people means everywhere except the greater Chicago area), and I'm amazed you lasted as long as you did :)

[Trek420]

Queen, somewhere in a parallel universe there's another board where someone writes

"I'm sick of this blue state, and all these strong, healthy, outdoorsey people on their bikes and kayaks and all i want to do is sit in front of the TV and computer, maybe walk...in the mall. I long for long cold winters, wet miserable springs, hot and humid summers, followed by about a horrid week of wonderful fall. and I got it!! I'm off to Illinois"

[Quillfred]

******WoooooHoooo******

Many congrats!

I was there briefly last September and loved it. It looks like a very livable city. You will have a great time there. Toss out the tights:cool: Invest in sunscreen. Just a "hint" of envy here.

[Trekhawk]

Hey Queen a friend sent me this and I thought of you.
(Alice Springs is a place in Australia so all temps are in Celsius but I think you will get the drift).

> Diary of an Alice Springs Summer
> August 31st
> Just got transferred with work into our new
> home in Alice Springs!! Now
> this is a city that knows how to live!!
> Beautiful sunny days and warm
> balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the
> sunset from a deck chair on
> the verandah It was beautiful. I've finally
> found my home. I love it
> here.
> September 13th:
> Really heating up. Got to 35 today. Not a
> problem. Live in an
> air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned
> car. What a pleasure to
> see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning
> into a sun worshiper.
> September 30th:
> Had the backyard landscaped with tropical
> plants today. Lots of palms
> and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more
> mowing lawn for me.
> Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
> October 10th
> The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week.
> How do people get used to
> this kind of heat? At least today it's kind of
> windy though. But getting
> used to the heat is taking longer than I
> expected.
> October 15th:
> Fell asleep by the pool. Got 3rd degree burns
> over 60% of my body.
> Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do.
> I learned my lesson
> though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate
> like this.
> October 20th:
> I missed Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car
> when I left this morning.
> By the time I got to the hot car for lunch,
> Kitty had died and swollen
> up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up
> the $3,000 leather
> upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away.
> The car now smells like
> Wiskettes and cat poo. I learned my lesson
> though. No more pets in
> this heat.
> October 25th:
> The wind sucks. It feels like a giant
> blow dryer!! And it's hot
> as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the
> blink and the AC repairman
> charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he
> needed to order parts.
> October 30th:
> Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights
> now. Bl**dy $300,000
> house and we can't even go inside. Why did I
> ever come here?
> November 4th:
> It's 38 degrees. Finally got the ol'
> air-conditioner fixed today. It
> cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 25,
> but the bl**dy humidity
> makes the house feel like it's about 30. Stupid
> repairman. I hate this
> stupid place.
> November 8th:
> If another wise arse cracks, "Hot enough for
> you today?" I'm going to
> throttle him. F*&%# heat! By the time
> I get to work the car's
> radiator was boiling over, my clothes are
> soakin wet, and I smell
> like baked cat!!
> November 9th:
> Tried to run some messages after work. Wore
> shorts, and sat on the black
> leather seats in the ol' car. I thought my
> arse was on fire. I
> lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the
> back of my legs and my
> arse. Now my car smells like burnt
> hair, fried arse, and baked
> cat.
> November 10th:
> The weather report might as well be a bl**dy
> recording. Hot and sunny.
> Hot and sunny. Hot and bl**dy sunny. It's
> been too hot to do anything
> for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it
> might really warm up next
> week. Doesn't it ever rain in this d**n
> place? Water rationing
> will be next, so my $2,000 worth of palms just
> might dry up and blow
> into the pool. Even the palms can't live
> in this heat.
> November 14th:
> Welcome to HELL!!! Temperature got to 41 today.
> Now the
> air-conditioner's gone in my car. The repairman
> came to fix it and said,
> "Hot enough for you today?" My wife had to
> spend the $2,500 mortgage
> payment to bail my arse out of jail for
> assulting the stupid bugger.
> F*%^ Alice Springs! What kind of a sick
> demented idiot would
> want to live here?
> December 1st:
> WHAT????? This is the first day of Summer????
> You are bl**dy kiddin
>

[SnappyPix]

Trekhawk,

:D

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time - even made me laugh out loud (and I never do that if I can help it!)

Brilliant!

[pkq]

Good luck with the move and better weather! I envy people with new adventures.

[allabouteva]

Trekhawk,

:D

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time - even made me laugh out loud (and I never do that if I can help it!)

Brilliant!


Ditto SnappyPix!:D :D Too much of a good thing, Eh?

Congratulations Queen, Tucson sounds great, Hopefully not as 'great' as the Alice. I was in the Alice last year in January (right in the thick of summer), yep, know what you mean Trekhawk... It's seriously hot.:cool:

[Pax]

Hey Queen a friend sent me this and I thought of you.
(Alice Springs is a place in Australia so all temps are in Celsius but I think you will get the drift)...
That was hysterical! :D

Now that the plans are made I'm like a little kid waiting for school to be out for summer...I wanna go NOW!!!! :p

[fixedgeargirl]

Hey Queen a friend sent me this and I thought of you.
(Alice Springs is a place in Australia so all temps are in Celsius but I think you will get the drift).


I laughed out loud :D ! You just described my first Texas summer to a T! More than 20 days over 100 degrees F :eek: . Yeah, Queen, it's a dry heat :p . But I'd take that over wet and grey (BTDT).

[uk elephant]

I totally sympathise with your wish to get out of Illinois! I managed to get away from central Illinois for good last fall. But for different reasons than you. I hated the hot sticky summers, but most of all I hated the flatness and endless straight rows along incredibly boring corn fields. Now I am finally back in civilization. It is still cold in the winter, but more plesantly warm in the summer. And although I am in the flattest part of England, it is nowhere near as flat as Illinois. And although this is also full of fields, the fields are smaller, with hedgerows, dotted with fluffy sheep and not a corn plant or soybean in sight. wonderful!

[Trekhawk]

That was hysterical! :D

Now that the plans are made I'm like a little kid waiting for school to be out for summer...I wanna go NOW!!!! :p

Glad you liked it.
I love Arizona. Lots of great things to see - sending wishes for a easy and safe move and a wonderful new warm life.

[Crankin]

Love that thing about Alice Springs. Exactly how I felt about living in Tempe... yea, endless summer was not my thing. I always thought we should have had our summer vacation in the winter, so the kids could go outside.

Every time I go out to my car after school and the wind is blowing and it's 5 degrees F. out, I stop and think about what it felt like when it was 112 F and i had to open the door of my car.

Tucson is more temperate. Evenings actually get below 100 in the summer and winter nights are well, like winter!

[Lise]

living in Illinois...long cold winters, wet miserable springs, hot and humid summers, followed by about a week of wonderful fall.
Welllll...when you put it that way....sigh.

You've summed it up in 21 words. And yet, I love my home. But fer the love of...all that's holy...ENOUGH with the freaking cold weather! My car announces "Ice Possible" everytime I turn it on. Someday it's gonna say, "Sunshine Possible"! :p

Congratulations on the new digs! We expect ride and race reports year 'round, you know! :D L.

[Pax]

Welllll...when you put it that way....sigh.

You've summed it up in 21 words. And yet, I love my home. But fer the love of...all that's holy...ENOUGH with the freaking cold weather! My car announces "Ice Possible" everytime I turn it on. Someday it's gonna say, "Sunshine Possible"! :p
When I stepped outside yesterday and have to scrape and dig for about an hour to unearth my car I figured it was just Ma Nature flipping me off one. last. time. Sorry you got caught in her wrath too. :p


Congratulations on the new digs! We expect ride and race reports year 'round, you know! :D L.
Will do! Although having not seen a curve (or a hill) in recent memory...I have visions of tipping over a lot. :D

[VenusdeVelo]

Have a brother and family in Phoenix, very jealous Queenie. But you'll love it.

After I return to the US, I end up back in WI where the weather is as temperamental as IL! The only thing I would miss in AZ would be the cross country skiing when it snows....