It's been over a week now since we left Calgary to start our new lives in Phoenix, and things are certainly different than what we had become accustomed to whilst living in Canada.
With having the animals, we had decided to drive down with the Jeep rather than flying - Wilson and Khayman had already had the experience of being loaded on to a plane when we emigrated 4 years ago and whilst they both arrived in good health with no effects from the flying, we didn't want to put them through the stress of it all again. Brandy of course was born Canadian and being a large dog, aside from the stress it would likely have caused her, the cost of flying her to Phoenix would also have been expensive.
We ended up leaving Calgary a week later than originally planned. Andy had just arrived from Sweden, only to be told that he would be needed in Malaysia a couple of days later, and so I spent a week at the Holiday Inn Express in Calgary with 2 dogs and a cat, waiting for him to return.
It felt strange staying in a hotel in Calgary - I felt like a tourist even though our house was only a 15 minute drive away, but I couldn't stay at the house because all our belongings had been packed up and were on a lorry headed southwards to the USA.
The good news is that I was at least able to do some familiar runs that week and I also took the dogs to Nose Hill and Southland Dog Parks for a good run around and a play in the river. We even headed up to Canmore for one last time, and had a lovely little walk on the Grassi Lakes Trail. Being September, fall had arrived and the colours were absolutely beautiful.
The good news is that I was at least able to do some familiar runs that week and I also took the dogs to Nose Hill and Southland Dog Parks for a good run around and a play in the river. We even headed up to Canmore for one last time, and had a lovely little walk on the Grassi Lakes Trail. Being September, fall had arrived and the colours were absolutely beautiful.
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| Grassi Lakes, Canmore, Canada |
Once Andy was back in Calgary, we managed to identify the problem as a sensor that controlled the fuel mix going in to the engine - nothing too serious but it meant less fuel economy, and it was something that would require attention at some stage. With that in mind, we made the decision to risk driving the Jeep and getting it fixed on route if things got any worse.
The drive down was amazing. I was feeling pretty emotional as we approached the land border crossing at Sweet Grass south of Lethbridge, and I thought back to all the fun and adventures we'd had over the past few years whilst living in Canada. It had been a tremendous couple of years or so and whilst we did have a couple of downs whilst we were there, we will always have very fond memories of our lives there.
We were expecting to be delayed at the border due to paperwork etc, especially with having the animals in tow, but we whizzed through without any problems and were making good progress.
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| Our amazing furry family on the road with us :-) |
Our route would take us through Montana, Idaho, Utah and finally Arizona and we were hoping to make the drive within 3 days - a total distance of around 2,500km.
The first night we stayed in Great Falls, Montana. We'd stayed here a couple of months ago when we drove to Colorado for the Transrockies Run and it seemed like a good place to stop again. We knew there was a dog park there so the dogs would be happy, and so long as I could find somewhere to do my 20km run the following morning, all would be good. It turned out really well - I took Wilson with me for my run and we found a lovely trail that took us alongside the Missouri River that runs through the city. We had so much fun, and the little lad was so excited as he ran along. Brandy and Khayman stayed with their dad as it was too far for either of them, and besides, I'm not sure Khayman would have taken too kindly to being harnessed up and expected to run with us!
Following the run, we had a very long drive ahead of us. Andy wanted to make as much progress as possible, and whilst it would have been preferable to have stayed in Idaho for the second night, Andy had booked us in to a hotel in Salt Lake City in Utah. It meant an 8 hour drive without stops, but of course with having the dogs and Khayman, we knew that stops were inevitable, so we anticipated arriving at around 10pm.
Montana is such a beautiful state and we got to see some wonderful scenery as we drove along. Up until that point, the Jeep had been running ok with the engine light flashing intermitently, but after about 6 hours in to the journey, we started to encounter problems. Andy had managed to get hold of the replacement part whilst I'd been running in Great Falls earlier that day, but we didn't have the tools to make the replacement. We stopped off at so many hamlets along the way in the hope of finding a garage or gas station that would have tools to assist us with the fix, but they were either closed or the tools they had wouldn't fit.
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| Beautiful Montana |
We still had a few hours of driving and the sun was already setting - it would be too dark to do the fix ourselves now and so we decided to take the risk and keep driving, aiming to get it fixed the following day in Salt Lake City.
We passed into Idaho when things had already gone dark so we didn't really get to see much at all. But it was a gorgeously clear night and we got to watch the entire lunar eclipse and the blood moon as we drove along - one of the benefits of night travel - finally passing in to Utah and arriving in Salt Lake City at around 2am.
The following day was long. We found a garage that was able to fix the car and although we took it in early morning, we were still waiting at around 3pm. With no vehicle, we were sitting around outside the hotel with 2 restless dogs and a cat in a cardboard box and no way of being able to let them let off steam. There was no way we would make it to Phoenix today, so we opted to stay in Las Vegas instead. We'd last been to Vegas about 10 years ago when we flew to LA and did a fly drive around California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, but this time was literally just a flying visit, arriving at 10pm and leaving by 10am the next morning.
Whilst we didn't go to the Strip in Vegas this time, it was good for the dogs to have a little walk around in the heat and to have some experience of the type of vegetation they would likely encounter when we finally arrived at our new home. They were both very wary of things, crouching down and sniffing cautiously at things, stubbing their noses on the odd cacti and jumping backwards at tiny lizards running from bush to bush.
5 hours or so later, we finally arrived in Phoenix and it was HOT! It felt strange being late September and it being so warm, and everybody was walking around in summer clothing. The poor animals were hot and we made out mission to buy a paddling pool as soon as possible for them to play in and cool off. I ran that evening too - it was dusk when I set off at around 6.45pm and I ran in vest and shorts in temperatures of around 80 degrees. I had no idea where I was running, but it was a beautiful night and I really enjoyed it.
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| Our home in Phoenix |
Tomorrow marks our first week here and it has been pretty amazing. Yes it's hot, but we're adapting. We have to be up very early in the morning for walking the dogs and going for runs - by 9am temperatures are already in the 80's or 90's - and the daily trips to the dog park have to be done in the evenings now to avoid the heat of the day.
The good news is that the paddling pool has been a great success and whilst Brandy is still plucking up the courage to actually jump in, Wilson loves it and refuses to come out! It's now 4 days old, it still has water in it, and as yet, there are no signs of punctures from doggy claws.
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| Wilson enjoying the pool :-) |
We've also been to nearby Lake Pleasant - a state park around 20 minutes drive from home - and the dogs had a fantastic time swimming and cooling off. Khayman is also doing fine - he loves the heat and is often found lounging around in the sun for as long as he can tolerate it, and now he's even pestering us to go outside and has started to explore the neighbourhood, even climbing the walls in the back yard and having a nosy into next door.
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| Lake Pleasant |
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| Khayman feeling at home :-) |
Of course there are risks here that we have to be aware of. We know that there are rattlesnakes and other venomous creatures live here, and we have to be alert whenever we are out walking either on our own or with the dogs. We saw our first snake a couple of days ago in the local neighbourhood. It was lying on a rock enjoying the sunshine, but thankfully we saw it before we got too close. We gave it a wide berth but it certainly makes you aware of the type of environment we now live in. We've seen lots of tiny lizards too which the dogs have been curious about, along with tons of rabbits, hummingbirds and roadrunners. I love wildlife of any type but I will be honest in saying that I am more paranoid about running into something here more so than I ever was in Calgary - you can generally see or hear a bear or a cougar, but reptiles are quiet and hide under rocks or can be mistaken for sticks, and don't even get me started on the likes of the poisonous spiders and scorpions that could be encountered.
In terms of the running, I'm surprised at how well I'm doing considering the change in temperature and not knowing where all the trails are as yet. I've done some exploring and found some good road routes, and last weekend, I managed to find the local Deem Hills - a great area with great trails for running on, and only 4km run from home. We had rain that day and when it rains here, it really rains. It was torrential and I got soaked, but it was warm at the same time so it didn't really bother me. It was amazing how quickly the trails flooded and got extremely muddy and slippery and it was another reminder about the risk of flash flooding here. The views from Deem Hills were certainly different with cacti and rocks everywhere, but it was no less beautiful than the mountains I've experienced in Canada.
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| Deem Hills on Sunday morning |
I won't deny that I have found it tough running in the heat - I've managed to do a decent pace but it has felt harder due to the heat - and so yesterday, we got hold of a treadmill to help with some of the longer tempo runs I have to do. I ran a 10k a couple of days ago and got through a full litre of energy drink in just 45 mins or so, and yesterday despite the rain, I still drank a good 2 litres on my long run. I hate to carry things when I do speed work, and so we agreed to purchase a treadmill for my speed sessions so I can do them indoors with air conditioning and hit the pace I need. My easy runs and long runs will still be done on the trails and roads of Phoenix and of course, with Flagstaff only being a 90 minute drive or so away with its more temperate climate, I will be heading out that way to do some of my weekend runs. I hate treadmill running but sometimes needs must, and there comes a time when you need to compromise on things if you want to be the best you can at your chosen sport.
So like I said at the beginning, things are a little different here and will take some getting used to, but so far I'm getting good vibes about Phoenix. Wilson, Brandy and Khayman have settled in well and they know this is home now, and for me, the welfare of my pets is far more important than anything else. I haven't yet ran with Wilson and Brandy since we've got here, but with fall temperatures now here, and winter set to be cooler (around 70-80 degrees), I'm hopeful that we will get out for some early morning runs at some point soon.
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| Wilson and Brandy on one of their daily walks :-) |
We went looking at new homes last weekend and we are hoping to purchase one in the new year. Our house in Calgary is finally Conditionally Sold, so providing the buyers don't pull out at the last minute, it means that we really can make our new lives here in the US. Of course, no sooner had we arrived in Phoenix than a day later we had notification that we had been granted Permanent Residency in Canada, so who knows, one day we may move back to Canada because we have that option, but for now, we're feeling pretty settled here and all of us are looking for to new adventures in new places.
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