Canyon Ranch

CR Blog

The greatest gift I can give myself is a week at Canyon Ranch each year.  Actually two weeks would be a greater gift, but I’m thankful to go at least once.  I started going over Memorial Day weekend in 2004 with a group organized by Sue Weinman.  (If you go in a group, it’s a much better rate).  Gloria Ascher had been extolling the virtues of CR for years, but since I was teaching, I was unable to go until I retired. It was love at first sight!  Since then I’ve only missed going twice:  one year when I broke my shoulder just weeks before I was supposed to be there and last year when Debbie and I did our roots tour to Lithuania.

CR is paradise on earth, my happy place.  Dan is always amazed as to how rejuvenated I am when I return home.

It is an oasis in the desert near Sabino Canyon in Tucson. Mountains in muted shades of cerulean blue, browns, golds, greens and lavenders surround the valley which is at 2500 ft.  Throughout trees keep the ranch cool even on the hottest days.  A myriad of cactus plants dot the landscape, and this year they were in bloom:  the famous saguaro, the prickly cholla, and the symmetrical barrel.  Interspersed with the cactus are creosote bushes (which you can smell after a rain,) a desert willow, ubiquitous oleander, and Italian cypress that reach to the sky.

Fountains, a small stream, and ponds home to turtles, fish, and frogs also help to keep the desert cool.  Throughout the ranch almost life size pottery sculpture reflects Southwest Native American tradition.  This year life sized African statues were added:  elephants, zebras, lions, and giraffes.

Every year I go on an early morning bird walk always seeing something new and wonderful:  a tiny hummingbird nest with a mommy and her babies, a mature baby owl sitting in a tree right outside my room, a road runner on top of a roof, the cactus wren feeding their babies who keep secure from predators in the holes made by woodpeckers in the saguaro.  As I work out in the glass walled exercise room, I watch mama and papa quail guiding their babies through the cactus.

In addition to the birds, many small bunnies hop around.  One year a teeny, tiny frog perched on my doorstep.  The area is famous for javalinas, but I only saw them for the first time this year—a group of about 8 around the entry to the clubhouse.  Also this year---my first snake sighting!   You may know me well enough to know I have a snake phobia—it doesn’t matter to me whether they are venomous or not, long or short.  I was walking down from the medical center (where I get my blood pressure checked to prove to my doc tors at home I only have high pressure in their offices) when4 feet away from me was a 5 foot long black snake—later identified as a king snake.   I didn’t scream, I didn’t move. I waited to see which way it would go, but it couldn’t decide undulating toward me and away from me.  Across the street was an area planted with cactus and below that a road.  Along the road was a security truck.

I screamed, “I need your help!”  He hurried up to me in his truck, and I jumped in.  It’s hard to explain snake phobias to someone who doesn’t have the condition so I probably sounded like a babbling idiot.

Each morning at 6:30 staff lead walks around the property.  I go on the easiest one (2 miles in thirty minutes with a few inclines.)   On our route we walk past magnificent southwest homes situated on the CR property.  I would be happy to live in any of them.  Hikes are available off the property.  I’ve done a number of them but not this year.  My favorite is Bear Valley, a 4.5 mile hike that goes through desert, past cactus, across a stream, up a small mountain where we sit and have breakfast.  One year we did this in the warm rain.  Some of the hikers complained, but I loved it.  My first year-- being naïve-- I signed up for one that went to the top of a mountain.  From the minute we left the van, we went straight up.  After a few minutes, I suggested to the guide in the rear that maybe I should wait in the van, but he told me that he would stay with me on the trail.  It was difficult but I had a wonderful time getting to know him.

The staff at CR is amazing!!!!   They are genuinely nice and interested in the guests.  Surprisingly many of them are older: in their 60’s and 70’s.  Returning to CR I feel that they have become friends and we greet each other with big hugs.  Gayla a woman about my age is a receptionist at the front desk.  George from Peru who works in the yoga department is of indeterminate age, but I guess late 50’s, early 60’s.  He is one of the special, very spiritual people I have met in my life.  I never miss his tai chi, chi gong, or meditation classes.  This year he told me I had “good chi”.   I shared this with a friend of his—a massage therapist—and he said that was a great compliment from George.  The therapist said I had a good “aura”.  All in all I felt “good.”  Please understand that the staff doesn’t go around complimenting people unless they mean it.  One year I actually cried in an aqua class because the instructor Judy, gave me such a hard time about being unable to keep up with everyone.  She said, “I’ve had pregnant women who can do better than you!”   Actually she is one of my favorite people—again of indeterminate age—with gray hair.  Although she is more chubby than  svelt, she is part of the workout staff and had once been a ballerina.

After the early morning walk, I grab breakfast from the main dining room—often bagel, lox, and trimmings and blueberries and go eat breakfast at the outside dining room, which overlooks one of the 4 pools at the ranch.  At 8:30 I do centering meditation in the yoga dome and then begin my exercise classes.

While there is a fully equipped gym open 24/7, the formal exercise classes go from 9 to 5.  I start with Above and Below the Belt, which consists of 10 stations with varying exercise “toys”:  weights, bars, pulleys, balls, etc.   Following a warm-up, we spend 2 minutes doing each one with a 15 second break in between intervals.  At 10 I either do a woman’s stretch class or Fitness First a low impact aerobic class.   Debbie likes the cardio circuit workout.

At 11, I go to the indoor pool for aqua exercises.  While some classes occur every day, others are only 1-3 times/week.  My very favorite class is Desert Drumming, which uses a large exercise ball and drumsticks.  It is quite a workout as we hit our ball in every possible part, raise our drumsticks in the air and touch the ground, and hit the balls around us.  It’s quite aerobic and I work up a sweat while grinning from ear to ear.  I also love Booming Babies, which is choreographed to music from the Baby Boomers era.  The last 3 days of our stay this year was Dance Week with professional dancers from New York leading classes.  The Disco class was super fun with our teacher in costume including a wig with twinkling lights.  We had to choose disco names, and mine was Sparkling Shirley because of the sequined hats I wear. 

The arts and crafts classes are a favorite part of my stay at CR. The main teacher Terry and her assistant Cindy are like old friends.  The classes vary from year to year.  This time I did Kumihimu, making a braided necklace and keychain; Paper Casting, creating greeting cards, Beading, resulting in a picture holder.  I also made a beaded bracelet, a vision board, and 2 small watercolors.    

Each year CR has a variety of speakers.  This year we had a celebrity, Jane Fonda, who was candid about her life and was quite funny. No one asked her about her Viet Nam years.    She also participated in the ranch activities.  I actually was right next to her a couple of times.  It’s obvious that she’s had face work and her hands look like an old woman’s (she’s almost 76!), but she has a beautiful figure.  I also enjoyed listening to a medical doctor discuss staying healthy mentally and physically as we age.  

One new class this year was Fire Making.   Debbie and I rushed to sign up.  It was the hardest task I’ve ever attempted.  I was a fire- making dropout although Debbie was successful.  The instructor said that the success rate is 30%. Of the 5 of us in the class, 2 were able to make fire and one succeeded only with the instructor’s help.    It takes a great deal of upper body strength in an awkward position to be successful.  Here I thought that they were going to give us matches and kindling!   It was all worth the attempt because in the class was a New York Producer Scott Zellinger who is currently one of the producers of the new Tom Hanks play as well as a new Bette Midler show.  In fact while we were at CR, he was nominated for several Tony’s.  Both Scott and his wife were very down-to-earth and delightful.  He and Debbie bonded.  She wants to go to work for him for free.  He told me that, “your daughter is adorable with a great personality.” (pooh, pooh)

After all the morning activity, I enjoy the very special treatments available at CR.  We pay one price for our room and food and get a $1070 allowance to spend as we choose.  In the past I’ve tried Shamanic Journey, a Psychic Journey, Healing Hands (when my mom was alive, I really needed this!), a consultation with a specialist in physiology. Now I go for the yummy bodywork.   They are as wonderful as they sound.  Vanilla Wrap:  You are loofahed and lotioned wrapped up, and lowered into a warm cocoon-like waterbed.   Abhyanga-Shirodhara:   In this Indian Ayurvedic treatment, you receive a two- person massage  (sounds kinky but it isn’t) followed by oil slowly dripped onto your forehead.  Watsu:   (Debbie’s favorite) in a beautiful, large room with 3 pools, skylights, plants, southwest art, while wearing floats on your legs, the therapist slowly moves you through the water while massaging you from head to toe.  My therapist this year was a 300 lb. woman and I felt that I was in the arms of Earth Mother.  My favorite treatment is called Euphoria and it is euphoric.  The treatment room is beautiful with roses, drapery, and soft music.  This is how it’s described in their brochure, “Enter into a euphoric state of being in this elegant body treatment designed to calm the nervous system and relax the mind.  Your journey begins with a sage compress to your face and an aromatherapy scalp massage.  After a warm botanical body mask is applied and gently buffed, you are immersed in a soaking tub.  Your ritual concludes with a soothing massage using warm herb-infused oil.”    Aaaaaah…

It’s fun to meet celebrities, but it’s the friends I’ve met at CR who come each year from Arizona, Washington, Novato, Florida, etc. that make it special.  We are mixture of 2 generations:  40s and 60s+.  We each do our own thing during the day but often get together for lunch and/or dinner.  We drive the waiters crazy by ordering everything on the menu to share.  CR has healthy food but not necessarily health food.  They do serve hamburgers, steak, lamb chops, pancakes, French toast, etc.  but in small portions.  However, you can have as much as you want, and we often do.  The homemade ice cream and cookies are to die for, and we go home with bags of the cookies.  In addition to the menu items, at breakfast there’s an omelet bar; at lunch, a salad and sandwich bar; and at dinner a salad and pasta bar.  Everything is labeled with the calorie, sodium, carb, etc. count.  Throughout the day and throughout the ranch, we have a choice of fresh fruit and drinks although there’s no soda or alcohol.  The pool restaurant makes lattes, cappuccinos, and lattes.

I’ve traveled all over the world enjoying amazing experiences, but if I had to choose one place to visit over and over again, it would definitely be Canyon Ranch.  Because of the scenery, the staff, the classes, and state of mind, for me it is a place of renewal, both of body and spirit.  Canyon Ranch’s  motto is “The Power of Possibility.”  All I know is that I feel better and can do more at 70 than I could do at 60.  At the same time I look at the world with a calmer, more spiritual perspective.

If you have never been to Canyon Ranch, try it.  I guarantee you’ll love it!