I grew up in the South. I even enjoyed it for the most part. I remember hurricane Kate in the 80’s when it hit Tallahassee. We had about 6 acres out in the boonies, so there was the worry of trees hitting the house, or one falling in the pool. Luckily, nothing like that happened, and we got by with just the power going out. Unfortunately, being on a well, that meant the water was out too. Ever spent a week brushing your teeth and bathing with pool water? Fun times…What brought this up is my move back to the South. I spent 1997-2005 living in either Arizona or California and loved it. Arizona had the sand storms and a couple of earthquakes (yes, Yuma, Arizona is in a seismic 4 zone). California had the fog for four months out of the year (we were in the central valley, not the “postcard” California). When we moved back to Louisiana, I was mostly concerned about the humidity and bugs, two things I never missed. We got here in April 2005, and at the end of August 2005, Katrina hit. Then Rita a little while later. We were lucky and just got a lot of wind and rain. Now, Gustav is projected to head straight for us. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy living here. I have made some friends, have been able to compete in A LOT of races, and have started a business and settled down with my wife and daughter. But three big hurricanes hitting the state in three years is really no welcome. The biggest problem? In 2005 a great triathlon, the Cajunman, was cancelled due to Katrina. It was cool with everyone since all the shirts and food was then donated to relief efforts. Gustav is set to make landfall on Tuesday. Cajunman is set for the following Sunday. If nothing else, I hope the race is able to happen. I’m totally out of shape for it, but still looking forward to it. And it’s a great race, with a great turnout, and GREAT food afterward. Maybe this weekend I can get in some wind training…
Tophie
Tags: arizona, cajunman, california, central valley, great race, gustav, hurricane, kate, lafayette, living in the south, louisiana, sportfriendly, tophie, tri-cajuns, triathlon, yuma
