Most snowbirds with any common sense packed up weeks ago to fly north. But not us. Oh nooooo, not these sunstroked snowbirds. We are much too rugged for that. We just had to wait until it got unspeakably hot at the Fountain of Youth. When the thermostat looked like this for too many days in a row, that’s when we knew it was time to get out.

The emerging rattlesnakes and desert rats also encouraged us to pack up and scram.

Sure, we had full hookups. But why run our brand new air conditioner when we could sweat it out to see how rugged we really are? I mean, it’s not like we’re wimpy or anything, right?

Nellie, however, was not having fun in that heat. Poor girl, she has a fur coat after all. So we ran the A/C because she was one hot, miserable dog.

After we finished our Old West 50k Ultra, I convinced Jim we should get one more race in this year; the Eugene Marathon on April 29. So we’ve been getting up super early to train in the coolest part of the morning. But after running last weekend’s half marathon training distance in temperatures much hotter than we would ever like, I knew without a doubt it was time to fly north.

The problem with running in extreme heat is that even dressing properly for it doesn’t help you cope that much better. Running in extreme cold is so much easier! At least in a cold Alaska winter, you can put on layers of good gear, go outside and get that run done with a high probability of making it home alive. But in the desert, you can only strip down so far to stay cool. Then you hope you’re carrying enough water to make it back without going into heatstroke.

Hanging out in the heat isn’t all bad, though.

For starters, you practically have the whole park to yourself. The gym, spas, and pools are nearly empty most times you want to use them. And no more waiting in line to do laundry, either!

And there was one extra special bonus we enjoyed this time around: one of FOY’s most beloved employees Sarah, got her divorce finalized in March, and threw herself an 80’s themed party. Smart lady! I can’t recall a better party, and it’s the first one we’ve been to at FOY where the throwback music was from our generation. No boomer rock, just all 80s music and a whole lot of bopping around!

Now that we are on the road again, it’s nice to know our wheels didn’t go square on us. We actually have an RV that can go places so we are headed north for our third Eugene Marathon at Track Town USA. Will you come cheer for us at the finish line?