#phoenixsunset

[ansdjqkf]

Phoenix, Arizona

Experience the perfect blend of modern city life and stunning natural beauty in Phoenix, Arizona. Discover your own desert oasis today.

[cactuswrenvintage]

Phoenix sunset never gets old! #phoenixsunset #phoenix #phoenixarizonasunset #nofilter #beon12 #southmountain #highlinecanyon #sonorandesert https://www.instagram.com/p/CAjdgQBg8ys/?igshid=1pka657lucii0

[misscatd]

Good evening, Arizona. I won't deny, we do get lovely sunsets, here. . #Arizona #ArizonaSunsets #CitySunsets #MesaArizona #TempeArizona #CloudySunsets #UrbanScenery #EveningSkies #OrangeSkies #PhoenixArizona #PhoenixSunset #PhoenixSunsets #Sunset #ArizonaSunset #OnMyWayHome #WaitingForTheBus (at Mesa, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuvF5QjA1HX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10pvifout6fjs

[ciego64]

No filter needed. Sunset tonight taken on iPhone XR. . . . . . #sunset #arizona #phoenix #arizonasunset #arizonasunsets #phoenixarizona #phoenixsunset #cloudscapes #cloudscapephotography #shotoniphone #shotoniphonexr (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmanY8YrzBE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sincerlymnb]

About last night...#phoenixsunset #phoenix #NightSwim (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/Btgs_4yhcSm3-WfL5myug87QX_gArGPcxgw0Jg0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lc5ce0w3ztdt

[jojuliaphotography]

My brother is marrying a hottie. . . . #jojuliaphotography #arizonasunset #coloradophotographer #arizonaphotographer #arizonaweddingphotographer #arizonaengagementphotographer #bohoengagement #boholove #coloradoweddingphotographer #desertengagement #phoenixphotographer #coloradoengagementphotographer #phoenixsunset (at McDowell Mountain Regional Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cep1mYZOviC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lovethisfat]

I forgot to post last night's sunset. As Sir said, it makes the desert heat almost worth it. Almost. 🌇🌆 #sunset #phoenixsunset #pink #pinksky #strangethingsareafootatthecirclek (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvznTLJKpz/?igshid=gsgj6u3ockx6

[brandenflasch]

The sunsets are beautiful here, especially when shot from a drone. #mavicmini #drone #djimavicmini #dronephoto #dronephotography #phoenix #camelback #arizona #sunset #citylights #nightlife #mountainsunset #phoenixsunset #explorearizona #mavic #mini (at Camelback, Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_X3SzvDd_n/?igshid=1j1piy48diiho

[jujubchick]

Beautiful sunset last night. #sunset #arizonasunset #arizonabeauty #nofilter #sunsets #phoenixsunset (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtYbuCZlGYZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=3n8yy9vbtl6g

[stuffandthingsphotography]

Citation Jet at sunset. #sunset #businessjet #businessjets #corporatejets #cessna #citation #cj1 #cessnacj1 #cessnacitation #phoenix #az #arizonasunset #phoenixsunset #ramplife #avgeeks #avgeek #aviationphotography #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #airplane #instaaviation #internationalsocietyforaviationphotography #bizjet #jetset #wanderlust #luxurylife #luxurytravel #luxurylifestyle (at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport)

[eduarfdzb]

Gorgeous views of the sunset and all those colors during my trail/road run this cool evening #arizona #phoenix #myphx #az365 #az365 #tempe #tempebeachpark #azculture #optoutside #tempetownlake #phoenixsunsets #phoenixliving #thesimplelife #thesimplethings #papagopark #sunset (at Tempe Town Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9A_PJfnCPQ/?igshid=7f79df59j7zx

[crysinlove]

The soul is invisible. An angel is invisible. The wind is invisible. Thoughts are invisible. And yet, with sensitivity you can see the soul, you can guess the angel, you can feel the wind and you can change the world with only a few thoughts. 🧠 El alma es invisible. Un ángel es invisible. El viento es invisible. Los pensamientos son invisibles. Y sin embargo, con sensibilidad puedes ver el alma, puedes adivinar el ángel, puedes sentir el viento y puedes cambiar el mundo con solo unos pocos pensamientos. ~ Paulo Coelho ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ #sunshine #ParkViews #sunset #masterpiece #NatureTherapy #sun #BlueSky #PauloCoelho #invisible #ChangeYourThoughtsChangeYourWorld #ItAllBeginsWithAThought #GrassIsGreenerWhereYouWaterIt #BelieveInYourself #SelfLoveIsTheHighestLove #WhatDoesntKillYouMakesYouStronger #MentalHealth #CheckYourInnerWorld #PhoenixSunsets #trees #am4l #photography #BeautyAllAroundUs (at Mesa, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vXy9In5ms/?igshid=tgl7jh975z9q

[cactuswrenvintage]

Monsoon storm over #Phoenix. #nofilter #phoenixsunset #letitrain #phoenixmonsoon #monsoon2022 #theowlsnestphx #phxaz #desertlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CfK_6O5LTDU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wildflower8281]

Bike Life Deep Dive

Recap

I’ve been living the bike life now for almost a year and a half here in downtown Phoenix. After a small fender that busted up my beloved Max (Ford Taurus, very old, no AC, leaking roof, but helpful!) I decided to let him go, and with him, all the trappings of car ownership. For a trial run. I said I would try out the #bikelife for 3-6 months and see how I like it, see how or if I could adjust my lifestyle to it, and whether or not the bike life was overall something of true value for me, both internally and financially.

In my initial #bikelife post last year (Adventures in Not Owning A Car,) I enumerate the various financial benefits and reasons why the bike life was, for me personally, economically savvy. It has still most definitely proven so and I’ve adjusted even more to the lifestyle, having since made further changes and routines that create an easier flow for me. I continue to confess that I know that living this lifestyle is a privilege! I deliberately chose a home close to where I work and I have zero dependents, and my Aunt Barb has lent me her bike indefinitely as long as I live in Arizona (Thanks, Aunt Barb!) Also, for what it’s worth, I am very much an introverted homebody, so I’m not someone who is or constantly needs to be out and about. Thus, relying on Lyft for occasional trips is very within my budget. Also, since most of my social plans are with family or friends and happen relatively close to me, I gratefully take up their offers on rides and happily return the favor with coffee or drinks or gas money. Thus, this entire situation it’s not a life circumstance that most people are in and I know that. I am grateful for this season in my life when I can live this way and in this post, I want to explore and reflect beyond just the financial benefits, because the #bikelife has in many ways enriched my entire experience of the world.

The Nature Connect

The bike life connects me to the natural world. I used to think that Phoenix had pleasant weather pretty much year ‘round….until I began biking in it!!! While Phoenix may not “have weather” frequently, when it does, this place doesn’t mess around! If it’s not pleasant and sunny (which, honestly, it is like 80% of the year,) then it’s either extremely hot and dry reaching temps over 100 for weeks at a time, pouring monsoon-like storms or we are having the coldest winter since 2013! Phoenix doesn’t mess and when it actually allows weather into the Valley, it is always something extreme. But this is actually a positive point here! I have grown to love biking in the all the weathers! I am actually really proud to say that I bike to work in all the seasons here! I bike to work in the Arizona summers, and I bike on the mornings when it’s under 40! If you would have told me two years ago, that I would be biking to my job in under 40 degree weather, and enjoying it, I would not have believed you. But, I actually do enjoy it. Even for this girl who despises being cold generally, the Aliveness I feel each day I get to go outside, feel the weather and experience the Elements on my skin far outweighs any uncomfortable moments of cold hands in January or radiating heat on my neck during July. Biking brings me into the natural world each day, kind of whether I like it or not, and that daily dose of weather, even when it is extreme, is good medicine for my entire being! Its my few minutes of feeling the sun on my face or the rush of the cold. Many times it is the only 30 minutes I am outside on any given day. On some days when I’m just tired of packing my bag, putting on my helmet and going thru the routine, ultimately it’s the connect with nature in Her seasons that pull me through and never really let me down. I arrive to work refreshed and in a better mood, pretty much never fail! (Yes, I have my limits too: for monsoons and over 115 degrees, I use Lyft or call a neighbor, but that is literally under 10x a year!)

(Photo: Me in my usual bike get-up on a cold day, going home. Cred: Mirinda, also seen in reflection, encouraging as always!)

Less Stress

Biking also kind of just simplifies the commute. I have 2 choices each day: bike or walk. Both are relatively simple and low maintenance transportation styles. This season, I *may have* chuckled as I rode by various folks standing by their cars, waiting for them to heat up and melt the frost on their windshield.... 

In the summer, I ride by parked cars that are humming, as they build up their AC inside, so the owner doesn’t suffocate at 125 degrees upon entrance. In the 10 minutes it takes them to cool down their car, then sit in traffic, I’m having a peaceful bike ride, enjoying nature and arriving at the same time! It’s pretty fantastic most days! I ride by folks with flat tires, fenders, and cars that seem like they probably shouldn’t be cars anymore! I also know the awesome feeling of driving a car without AC here in the desert summer, as well as one that has an ironically leaking roof. In the desert, where one would not think much about rain problems or that a leaky roof would be an issue, it totally sucks during monsoon season! I feel the human with car troubles, believe me! I’ve had them too! However, these are all situations I have left behind and can very simply pedal by and be grateful that I don’t have to deal with or worry about them. Not owning a car just makes the daily commute a lot simpler!

(Photo: Unsplash)

Moving Meditation

I’ve learned I prefer the slower pace of biking and walking to work much more than driving. When I bike or walk to work, once I’m out of my neighborhood, I’m on some major streets where cars are whizzing by in their AC or heated seats, with radio blasting, trying to make it thru the ‘orange’ light! That was me for most of my former driving life, so no judgement here. I was a car owner from age 17-35, so I love a good car dance and I will never turn down heated seats! However, biking and walking are organically a much slower pace. They cause me to notice the plants, the trees, the flowers I pass by daily, and watch them transform through the seasons. Biking and walking allows me to enjoy the songs of the birds and say hello to all the neighborhood pups and kittens. I’m not being sappy here, these are things that truly make me happy. I’ve even noticed how the sun rises and sets at different angles in the sky, as the seasons change, which in some deep way makes me feel more connected to All That Is. On the way home, I get to revel in some of the best views of our Arizona sunsets, as I can linger wherever I want, stop and gaze at the sky and allow myself to be mesmerized by the palette of magenta pinks and fiery oranges. Not to mention inhale the yummy wafts of dinner that swirl through the evening air in Coronado (my eclectic neighborhood!) - Italian garlic and Indian curries are the usual fare! YUM! It’s delightful! These little nuances are imperceptible to the whizzing car with blasting music. The slower pace allows me to tune into the subtler moments, cycles and patterns of life, as well as engage my senses much more, all which for me, enhance my entire experience of the day, and consequently of the seasons in my own life. It is quite literally a moving meditation.

Gratitude

So, how is the bike life going, do I still like it, is it worth it?! Yes, for many reasons! Financially, it definitely is an amazing option that I have in my present situation. But, of even more value, are the daily, small ways that this lifestyle pulls me into the present, allows me to feel Nature into my bones and tunes me into the frequency of the Elements. For me, these consequences are gifts that I did not intend and for which I am daily grateful.

(Photo: Sunset taken on a ride home from work.)

[ciego64]

Gotta love Arizona sunsets! . . . . . #sunset #sunsetphotography #sunsets #sillouette #arizona #arizonasunset #phoenix #phoenixsunset #shotonnikon #shotonnikond3500 #nikorlens #nikor70to300mm #nikor70to300zoom (at Kismet Oasis) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbm8e-5Lxm-/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sincerlymnb]

Can't get enough. Absolutely beautiful. #NoFilter #PhoenixSunsets #NeverLeaving #Literally (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtPblWMhaGtFQ5vQanskmBBfzFscl_G1QmWPuY0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=y0yw81ngvvoj