Two months recovering from surgery. Mid-February in Yuma, AZ was in the 90's with high sustained winds. I hung out there a couple of weeks while I got my medications in Algodones, Mexico and then started north.
Lake Havasu City, AZ wasn't much better and a week later I moved up to Lake Mead National Recreational Area outside Las Vegas, NV. That proved a little cooler but there was a sustained wind of 30mph or more. That gets old pretty quickly
From there, I decided to follow my old haunts so I'd know what I was getting into. That seemed a better idea than looking for new stuff I didn't know about.
Zion National Park in Utah at 3000 feet provided some relief from the heat. I did a couple of easier hikes and then tried a couple much more ambitious hikes; Hidden Canyon and the first set of switchbacks to Observation Point, both listed as strenuous. I got the Hidden Canyon Trail with some effort but gave up on the Observation Point Trail 3/4 of the way up the first set of switchbacks.
Bryce Canyon National Park had pretty nice weather. The only problem was they were having a warm spell. It got colder later. At 8500 feet I had some trouble breathing the first day but that eased off the next day. I just hiked the Rim Trail. I didn't want to go down into the canyon because they're pretty steep.
At the Grand Staircase National Monument the cold caught up with me. I didn't stay too long there. Rains started threatening and Cottonwood Canyon Road is all clay and no place to be caught when its wet.
Winds were howling at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell). I hung out for a couple of days and then found the Wahweep Creek hike. 9 miles round trip to some pure white hoodoos.
I drove about to 250 miles to Bisti Wilderness 30 miles south of Farmington, NM. Spent a couple of days hiking amongst the small hoodoos there. Then went on down to Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. Wow! Big time Puebloian ruins there. Stayed 3 days hiking the short trails to more ruins.
Back to Utah and Hovensweep National Monument and more ruins. Canyon of the Ancients National Monument sounded like a pretty cool place. Wrong! One set of ruins and they were covered by a roof of steel girders.
It got hot in Canyonlands National Park. I hiked a couple of my favorite hikes. I thought this would prove what kind of shape I was in. I completed the 11 mile round trip Druid Arch Trail in 7.5 hours. It normally takes me 5-6 hours. In addition to the rest of the hike, Chessler Park provides 1 mile of moderate climbing with no letup. I didn't do too badly. All in all I think I'm at about 80% strength. They only way I'm gonna get that other 20% is by doing.
Arches National Park and the Moab area proved to be too hot also. The sun felt as though it was shining through a magnifying glass on my skin. So I ran to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area on the Utah/Wyoming border. What a difference 5000 feet makes. Temperatures in to 40's-50's but with monster winds blowing. No place to dunk the kayak in the water.