Moving to Arizona?

[ZX-2R]

So you Forum members know that I'm ready to leave Kansas and move to Arizona, and then I receive this timely advice...from a FRIEND...Thanks...



Subject: Moving to Arizona.......

May 30th: Just moved to Arizona. Now this is a state that knows how to live! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I've found my home. I love it here.

June 14th: Really heating up. Got to 100 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 worshipper.

June 30th: Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of Cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing lawn for me. Another scorcher today but I love it here.

July 10th: The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least it is windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer then I expected.

July 15th: Fell asleep by the community 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.

July 20th: I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the upholstery. The car now smells like Kibbles and ****s. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat.

July 25th: The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer! And it's hot as hell! The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged me $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th: Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now. $225,000 house and I can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here?

Aug. 4th: It's 115 degrees. Finally got the AC fixed today. It cost me $500 and gets the temperature down to 85 degrees I hate this stupid state.

Aug. 8th: If another wise *** cracks "Hot enough for you today?" I am going to strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!

Aug. 9th: Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the seats in the car I thought my *** was on fire. I lost 2 layers flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ***. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried *** and baked cat.

Aug. 10th: The weather report might as well be a recording. Hot and sunny, Hot and sunny, Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do **** for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn desert? Water rationing will be next. So my $11,700 worth of cactus will dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can't live in this damn heat.

Aug 14th: Welcome to Hell! Temperature got to 120 today Forgot to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and said " Hot enough for you today?' My sister had to spend $1500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Arizona. What kind of sick demented idiot would want to live here? Will write later to let you know how the trial goes.

[Hiker]

You get used to it.... It beats the snow...anyday.....

[ZX-2R]

If I want snow, I'll fly into denver, or someplace and NO I WON'T...I'll find a picture of it from Kansas, and even look at the peaks in Sierra Vista (4,800'ASL) or go north on a riding adventure...I don't need it...snow is not my friend anymore. I know they have snowmobiles, and they must be fun, but bikes can get you across country, while a snowmobile keeps you in a region. I wonder how many snowmobiles ther are in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona? Personal Water Craft is basically the same thing ans so is an ATV. They may be able to go some places bikes can't go, but I've been through the PWC, ATV scene, and I'm ready once again to do what I can with Motorcycles...

[Curt]

In Minnesota, we have a few places to go downhill skiing. We're no Rocky mountains, but we do enjoy what we have. We also do cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, hockey, ice fishing, building snowmen, snow forts and snowball fights, ice sculpture, and one of my favorites: sledding. And all of those things are a short walk from my door. Some people ride dirt bikes in the snow, but I haven't tried that yet.

Some people enjoy winter golfing. You don't lose any balls in the lake, but you make up for it by losing some in the fairway.

Minnesota weather helps us out in other ways, too. If you're deer hunting, the snow makes it easy to find tracks and blood stains. The temperature means you don't have to worry about flies or rotting meat.

And when the temperatures get really low, the women like to snuggle up close. And that leads to . . . well nevermind what that leads to, but you'll be feeling kind of hot.

I'm not saying that everything about cold weather is good, but there are some good things about it.

I once read a letter like that one above, only it was about life in Minnesota. It was pretty funny stuff.
Curt

[1Adam12]

Hey Z,

Minus the smog, fires, earthquakes,floods every 20 years and gang members in LA, It's a great place.

Actually in all fairness we do have plenty of luxuries...

1. Pretty much 52 weeks of riding weather and some of best twisties in the US.
2. You can go to the beach during the day and go skiing at night. Not too many places can claim that.
3. We have lots of amusement parks to take money from all the tourists. Magic Mountain, Disneyland,Knotts Berry Farm, Sea World, Universal Studios, Lego Land and I'm sure I'm missing a few.

Oh and if you want to live in the Safest cities in america, you can live in Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley who have the least amount of crime per capita in the US. Both those cities are beautiful and the cops have it made. They are aggressive in enforcement and are well respected.
You get the point.

[Hiker]

My vote if you can afford it, would be San Diego. Absolutely beautiful city with endless things to do. The wife and I would love to move out there but where we would want to live is alittle out of our ballpark. Paying $3000 @ month for a 2000 sqft home is not my idea of fun. So, being only a 5 hr drive from here, we visit SD every few months. Phoenix is nice, not much to do in the city limits. Maybe a few museums, shopping, sports, buts that about it. But the state offers alot. There is a variety of outdoor things to do statewide. And yes there are snowmobiles in Arizona. Northern AZ gets enough snow to ride a few months every year. If anyone is ever interested in AZ Real Estate info let me know. I DON"T SELL IT.....lol.. I just appraise it, but I do have all the resources on hand to let you know whats worth what...

[ZX-2R]

I miss the warm Weather, like S.CA, the real food, wine, the mountains, the coastal highways, the mountain highways/roads...all of Karens family live there...Even one with a BMW...but I don't want to be that close. I could love S. AZ. Sierra Vista area in a serious heartbeat...it's open, far enough away from the big city.yet not so far away from CA. I want to use my guns more, and ride some challenging roads. There are some near, but I miss the ocean, real Mexican food, great wine... I will not miss using my garden tractor to plow snow out of the driveway, WET snow, -12F, with winds -40F or so... The temperature extreemes are getting to this old man...time to move...time to enjoy what is left of life. I can send Karen to see family, and have the house (AND GARAGE to myself and my bike. Don't get me wrong, I love my wife, but she loves her fmily and ther are so many of them...and I like working on a cool slab of concrete, a throw rug next to the bike, and perhaps a pillow so I don't strin my neck cleaning the bottom of the crankcase, or whatever I can see and clean from the horizontal position. Soft music in the background, the buzzing from my computer in its corner, an occasional visit from one of my cats checking to see if I'm sleeping or not...Fresh coffee, quiet house. My Studebaker setting in place for evening cruises into town for groceries...I miss S.CA. Been stationed all over the state...driven it way to many times...Gun laws, EPA regulations for vehicles...big stop signs for me...

[jonesie619]

So glad I moved here from Pittsburgh, PA. Best of both worlds; good clean living, plenty of open spaces/back roads, and snow two or three times a year.

[Hiker]

Is it just me??? or are there others that get depressed at ZX-2R stories about how bad the land of Toto is. All kiddin aside.... Dude...you need to move....

[ZX-2R]

Just like the Land of OZ...AZ seems more COLORful than here, on this side of the rainbow.

[bikeaholic]

jonesie - you can't go wrong in carolina

[Curt]

. . . LA, It's a great place.

. . . San Diego. Absolutely beautiful city . . .

From what I hear, California is kind of like granola cereal. Once you take out the fruits and the nuts, all you're left with is the flakes.
Curt

[ZX-2R]

Even the Fruits, Nuts, and Flakes ride Motorcycles there, year round. Some of the shops and mechanics are just like granola, but talk about dedication to bikes...I've seen more Pink Motorcycles in San Diego than in any other city (including San Francisco). Some of the shops are AWESOME!

[woodchucks800]

zx You`ve got all these folks think`en it snows alot in ks I think your`re just tired of
all the people in johnson co. ? I grew up in shawnee and used to hunt in southern jo. co. Lived out by desoto ( linwood) until 96` then we moved up to west yellowstone to play in the snow normal year (12 feet) . best times were snowmobiling . From your front door to anywhere in town ( legal on the street`s ) . Then you had the entire forest at your back door. Because of better schools and job`s we moved down to Bozeman in 02` got back in to biking . Don`t miss shoveling snow at all ( down side of before and after playing in snow ) Don`t miss the heat and humidy of kansas at all. But I do want to get down to AZ. in the early spring ( april) ? If this is a good time of the year , someone let me know, thanks Dwaine

[ZX-2R]

woodchucks800, Yeah, IF I told you that Gardner now had over 26 Full time Public Safety Department Officers (cops) and that the little town is now over 14,000 people and land prices vary from 3K-over 15K/acre you'd have a hard time believing me unless you came back for a weekend...They shut down the Sunflower Ammunition Plant and DeSoto is growing...and the plant may become something commercial and maybe some park to it. Johnson County has the greatest number of 3-18 year olds in the state...IT's crazy! Gardner city Limits on the south side go to nearly 199th street, so it's only 2 1/4 miles away from the Miami County Line. Spring Hill is in both Johnson and Miami County and it is exploding like Gardner is. Just as soon as Karen, my wife, is cleared to move after the kidney is put in...we're having an estate sale and we're in AZ, before the checks clear the bank. I WILL be in MT, specifically Red Lodge to buy a Kawasaki just as soon as I get enough cash, from somewhere to buy one. I don't care if it's January 2005. Ads long as the planes are flying and I can get a ride to the shop, I'm buying and riding. I don't care if I look like a pumpkin with all of my layers of clothes on...and only make 100 miles on my first day...it's a 1,000 mile trek...and I'm going to do it. You're not missing much here in JO County. stay in touch...