From 102 to 72 Mt Lemmon & Summerhaven

Gerry and I are working on our bucket list before leaving Tucson next Saturday.  We decided that a drive up to Mt. Lemmon and Summerhaven would make sense today.  The temperature was 102 degrees and no wind, so that helped in the decision making process.  Summerhaven is 8,000 + feet up and a lot cooler.  It was 72 degrees when we got to the top around 3pm.  In addition, there were still patches of snow on the hillside at the ski run on the top of the mountain.  


The ride up is beautiful and takes you from the desert to mountain forests of pine trees.  They say you go through the equivalent of driving from Tucson to Canada with the climate and topography changes in about 40 miles.  We are at 3200 ft and exceeded 8,000 ft at the top.  This is a view from the beginning of the trip.

Looking back toward East Tucson

We managed to pick up one geocache today, but it was so hot that we picked an easy one and made quick work of it.  No, that isn't me on top of that rock formation.  There were 3-4 climbers in the area on the other side of the rock.

Rock Climbers

Unusual rock formation

Hodoos

 Summerhaven is on top of Mt. Lemmon and is a popular summer residence for Tucsonians.  A few years ago a huge fire went through the area and burned the forest around the town and some homes as well.  It looks terrible up there with all the burnt trees still standing and no new growth evident. The town is still active with restaurants and new homes.

Summerhaven, AZ

Gerry decided to run across a busy road and stand on a 1ft wide shoulder of the road next to a guard rail to get this nice shot of an arch.  You don't see many arches along this road, but she felt the risk was worth it.  What a wild and crazy girl she is.  Love it.

Roadside Arch

We took over 100 photos today and it was difficult cutting it down to a manageable size to put on the blog.  The rock formations there are great with huge boulders perched on top of each other.  I wonder how many years they have been standing like that?

Check the size of this formation with car below.

You didn't think I could make a posting without a beautiful staghorn cactus in full bloom.  This one had multiple colors and stood about 7 ft tall.  

Staghorn Cactus

Gerry and I were discussing the Pima County Fair that is going on this week and decided we would like to have the water concession.  A nice mister would be valuable to go with the water.  With temps over 100 and humidity around 9%, we figured the water would sell itself.  This evening the TV news reporter stated that indeed the water concession was going great guns and the misting machine was very popular.  They interviewed a number of people and the universal answer was:  " this IS Tucson; it get's hot here ".  Well said.


It is still around 85 degrees outside at 11pm and cooling down slowly.  The weather forecasters say it will be cooler on Monday with temps only 99 degrees.  ONLY!  Ye Gads.