Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind

As a previous participant in the Tucson Marathon/Half-Marathon event a few times - it's always nice to see that the proof - surprisingly - still exists (see below!)! But over the past few years, I have become more of a run spectator and supporter of friends who are running in the Tucson Marathon!

It's one of the things that I really like about this event - it can be fun for everyone - runner or not!

Here are a few "need to knows" about the Tucson Marathon:

There is no race day registration - if you want to do it - sign up before Sunday, December 7th.

There is a full marathon, a half-marathon and a team relay event (relays are the fun way for those that don't want to do the full events but still want to be in the race)!

The Tucson Marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier - and an easy one at that!

Here are a few "might wanna" know things about the event:

If you want to do the half-marathon, you have to take a bus to the start line or have your really good, "doesn't mind getting up at 3am and standing in the cold kind of friend" to drop you off because there is no place close by to park.

I can't speak for the full marathon - but I can tell you - the half-marathon is mostly downhill and/or flat. There might be one or two slight inclines but nothing the average runner can't handle. So - if you want to try a half - this might be the one to go for!

The event is never boring - there is always something that makes you challenge yourself, you always know what mile you are at and there is plenty along the way to distract you from constantly thinking about the sound of your shoes hitting the pavement. In years past, I have even seen Lute Olsen and family along the course!

Your family and friends -- if they are positioned correctly along the route - can briefly jog along side you to check your welfare; they can drive past you, hand you food or take any of the "too warm" clothes that you are stripping off as you run; OR they can sit and wait for you at different spots along the course!

Unlike cycling events, it's easy to pick runners out in the sea of people because they are coming by a little slower! So being a run-spectator and supporter of my friends doing it this year - I have lots of fun posters to hold up, nourishment, and cheering that I can do and still be a part of one of Tucson's largest running events!

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!

According to a calendar I saw in a book store, today is National Pie Day!

In honor of this day, I decided to take a trip up to Mt. Lemmon, Arizona for a few reasons:

1) The Mount Lemmon Cafe is home to some famous home-made pies!

2) The Mt. Lemmon pies have, for various reasons, had some "not so nice" reviews over the years from the local papers and visitors. Sounds like a great pie-tasting challenge to me!

3) The pie place (as I call it!) survived the Mount Lemmon fires of 2003 -- the fires destroyed practically everything but this little pie shop made it!

4) The famous pie maker, Pamella Rinella, who along with her husband established the "pies" on Mt. Lemmon, died suddenly this past September.

After much "touch and go" about what would happen to the pie place after Mrs. Rinella died, local residents said her husband decided to keep his wife's tradition going - so he gets up very early every morning and, following his wife's recipes, begins making pies!

You'll never know what kind of pies will be available on any given day, but there is generally a selection of at least four homemade pies: sour cream apple, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb and peach. Go early though because that selection dwindles - FAST - as the comes to an end.

When I got to the pie place, these flavors were available: sour cream apple, chocolate cream and pumpkin. I had a slice of each - remember, it's National Pie Day and a good reason to sample pies! (There was also a really yummy looking chocolate cake - but I thought I would try that on National Cake Day!)

What did I think? I'll start by going back to #2 above. Things I've read that people did not like about the Mt. Lemmon pie place are:

1) It's a really old, tiny building and doesn't look to be clean.

2) The pies are made in the Rinella's cabin - up the street - and that makes people unsure about eating them if they can't inspect the baking area.

3) There is not enough of a pie selection.

OK - these are true! But - that doesn't necessarily make for bad tasting pies! If you can over-come these issues at least one time, I say, try it because:

1) Sure, the building is old, but it's cute and you can always sit outside on the nice patio, enjoy the fresh mountain air and look at the terrific views while eating pie! I have been in many restaurants around Tucson that look clean - only to read the Sunday paper and find out they did not pass health inspections. Looks aren't everything!

2) Yep - the pies are not made at the cafe. I asked my in-laws who have owned a cabin up there for nearly 40 years about this. Here is my mother-in-laws response: "These are just good old-fashioned pies -- and good old-fashioned pies aren't made in any fancy kitchen that I know of. Just enjoy what it is!"

3) Mt. Lemmon, Arizona is a small town and does not get high-volume traffic on a daily basis. The Mt. Lemmon pie making business is a simple, one-person operation that fits the community. If you go there knowing this - you'll be prepared for whatever pie choices are available and look at it as a chance to try something new!

3) I spent nearly $8 for each piece of pie (included tax)! Yikes you say??!! But each slice is 1/4 of the entire pie AND the slice was 3 inches thick. I got what I paid for!

4) The pies I ate tasted GOOD! And that was good enough for me to celebrate National Pie Day!

If you want to try the pies, Mt. Lemmon is a short 40 minute drive from the NE part of Tucson. Take Houghton Road north to Catalina Highway. Head east and you'll see the mountain. From the base, the town of Summerhaven is about 25 miles and once you get into the town, the first stop on your left will be the Mt.Lemmon Cafe! Enjoy!

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!

At the El Tour de Tucson Volunteer Meeting on Saturday I discovered these two really cool facts:

1) The event is nearing 8,000 cyclists that are coming from all across the country -- even as far as Japan - to participate in the largest Tucson cycling event!

2) El Tour De Tucson has traded in those plastic goody bags for something a little more earth-friendly -- reusable canvas bags! Yay! This "green" choice will prevent a minimum of 8,000 to 10,000 plastic bags ending up in our landfills this year alone! Thanks PBAA!

26th El Tour de Tucson - Saturday, November 22, 2008, sponsored by University Medical Center and presented by Diamond Ventures honors Robbie Ventura El Tour Champion, Vision Quest Founder and Tour de France Commentator

For more information about El Tour visit www.pbaa.com! If you are attending the event - please stop by and see me at the Bike Expo or ride with me in the 66-mile event!

Good luck in the 2009 El Tour De Tucson! (Logo and info courtesy of the PBAA folks!)

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!

New to Tucson? Visiting Tucson and want to do some cycling?  In town for the El Tour de Tucson next week and want to get some miles in before the big day? 

Or have you heard locals say,

"You should ride the loop...or the cave...or to the store......or Pistol Hill?! 

Then you have come to the right place for information on a great day ride on Tucson's eastside!

So here's what you do:

Either drive and park at 22nd and Houghton - or cycle there.

From there - ride about 3 miles east and you'll see Saguaro National Monument, aka, "The Loop".  It's an 8 mile loop around some pretty cool Tucson scenery.  Throw in a few hills - well, okay - there are 2 miles of some pretty intense uphill riding -but in the end, you've got some pretty decent interval training under your bike cleats.

Not enough miles?

Leave The Loop- keep going east - about 5 or 6 miles down the road - which is a little hill climbing, some flats and downhills.  At some point, you'll see The Rincon Country Store, aka "The Store".  They open early, have good eats and coffee and tons of snacks.  They even sell gas - if you look closely in the picture - you'll see the price for gas out there is $2.29 - not bad.

Still not enough miles?!!!

Keep on going from The Store about another 6 or 7 miles.  At that point, you'll start seeing signs for Colossal Cave National Park, aka: "The Cave"!  

But wait, if you've gone that far - right before The Cave- hang a right on Pistol Hill Road, go about 3/4 mile uphill and you have now ridden to Pistol Hill.  It's essentially Pistol Hill Road in Vail, Arizona and a hill - here is a photo of the road and the hill in the background!

Why do I think this is a pretty decent ride?  I rode it today and thought "this is great" because of:

#1)    35 - 40 miles of uninterrupted - "no traffic lights" - cycling!

#2)    Varied terrain - flats, hills, downhills - just like what you'll experience in the El Tour de Tucson.

#3)    I am just an average cyclist - if I can do it - pretty much anyone who has been riding a little can!

#4)    Motorists are used to seeing cyclists on this route so they are very courteous and likely won't run you over, push you off the road (cycle raging I call it!) or slam on their horns until they have passed you by.

#5)    You can stop at the Loop and Store for water and restrooms - just in case you need it or would rather not use the nice desert brush along the roadside (oh yeah - if you cycle - you've been there!)  Just remember to bring some money!

#6)    Tucson Real Estate!  No kidding - there are many beautiful new and recently developed home subdivisions all along Old Spanish Trail Road all the way out to Pistol Hill Road!  To name a few, Spanish Trail Estates, Wild Horse Ranch Estates, Rancho Del Jefe, Rocking K Ranch Estates, Mountain Creek and many more fine homes ranged price from the upper $300s to "whatever you want to spend"!  If you want more information or photos about these or any other homes in the area - please email me at info@GabrielleRhind.com or rhindohana@msn.com or call me at 520.245.0242.

Happy Cycling and Good Luck in the 2008 El Tour De Tucson on Saturday, November 22nd!

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!

It's warm in Tucson - sort of. It was about 70 degrees yesterday for a high and I was wearing my usual coat and gloves! (A little Tucson humor!) It's also a time when folks here shift their mood from cold, cool foods to warm cocoa or afternoon coffee!

Yesterday, my daughter and her friend talked me into a day-long playdate. After much fun eating fried chicken in the back of an old 65 Ford truck, playing at the park for hours, bike riding, picking through what was left of Halloween candy and several "We're hungry - AGAIN" giggles - my daughter's 7-year old friend says, "Let's get some Frost!"

"What is that? How about ice cream?!", I say. To which she replied, "This ain't no Dairy Queen - you need to try it!" OK. So we went to try "Frost Gelato" on Tanque Verde Road here in Tucson! It's a relatively new shoppe on Tucson's east side and though I have driven by it - I've never thought to stop and see what it was all about!

Gelato, I read on their pamphlet, means frozen in Italian. The shoppe treats are modeled after Italian gelateria's. Gelato is often compared to ice cream because it is a frozen, creamy product, but there are actually many differences. I quickly discovered my two favorite differences: #1) All the flavors! More than I can name! Anyone for Tiramisu? Or Strawberry Champagne? Or White Chocolate Macadamia nut? Then there is the ever so decadent Chocolate-Chocolate -- just plain bliss. #2) The low fat content compared to regular ice cream. So you can eat more and enjoy! Music to my ears!

The shop itself was beautiful, inviting and the gelato display was incredible - I thought I walked into a wedding reception by accident! The only downside was trying to decide which flavor to choose! After sampling about 10 of them - the lovely person behind the counter said, "Why don't you just get our sampler tray?" Oh??!! 13 small cones, filled with 13 different flavors of my choice? SOLD!

My girls opted for the gigantic waffle cone filled with their own three choices -- and I must say, the portions were more than generous. I figured their eyes were bigger than their stomachs and worst case, I got to eat the leftovers -so why argue with them this late in the day?!

Long story short - the girls finished off their cones, and I finished off my 13 choices - and left the store very satisfied and wanting more! My vote - cold or hot weather - if you are in town, or have a Frost in your neighborhood, I say TRY IT! Because, "It ain't no Dairy Queen!"

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!