On
Sunday we didn’t do much of anything but relax around the coach but we do have a temperature problem in the coach. While I was comfortable in my shorts and T-shirt, Bev looked like this.
On Monday
with clear blue skies, we decided to make the drive up Mt. Lemmon. At 9159’, it is the highest peak in the Santa
Catalina Mtns and there is a paved road that goes nearly to the top. The round trip with photo stops took us about
four hours and the ascent began with the usual Sonoran Desert views and as we
began climbing we saw several very nice homes.
This
is the road from the Tucson area to the base of the mountains.
Then
about half way up, we began seeing some small trees and shrubs that weren’t
necessarily desert plants and some pines along with a waterfall and interesting rock formations..
When
we got to the end of the road at 8000’ we were in a typical mountain forest but
with smaller trees than further north in the USA. We also found a little snow and ice as the temps went from 54F on the desert floor and 33F at 8000 ft.
.
I
was not surprised to see the yellow haze hanging above the Tucson area with over a million people driving around and setting at what must be the longest traffic lights on the planet.
And
it was a little hazy in the San Pedro Valley on the other side of the
mountains.
The San
Pedro river is the last major, free-flowing undammed river in the American
Southwest, it is of major ecological importance as it hosts two-thirds of the
avian diversity in the United States, including 100 species of breeding birds
and 300 species of migrating birds.
At
the end of the road we came to the slopes of Mt Lemmon Ski Valley which also contains a small resort village of vacation homes (Mt Lemmon/Summerhaven) and the Iron Door Restaurant. The chair lift was running
but we saw no skiers.
It
was a beautiful drive and a great way to spend a pretty day.
Tuesday
was predicted to be the last pretty day for awhile so the girls went to a
downtown gem show and I went to visit some folks in the campground from West Virginia that I had
met.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
2/10-2/12/19
event dates
Nice that you got to see Mt Lemon, we were never interested in taking the drive, no desire to see the cold weather and snow.
ReplyDeleteI adore that drive up Mt. Lemmon. And it's good bird watching.
ReplyDeleteLarry, Got to fix that heat problem. It gets cold in the desert at night! Bev looks like she's chilling during an Alaskan snowstorm!
ReplyDeleteNice drive up the mountain. We missed that one but I've always been fascinated by the forests and water at the top of mountains in the high desert areas. We've been up to the top of a couple in New Mexico and Nevada. Mini climate zones... Forgot about the San Pedro River. We've been to a couple of the Nature Conservancy's preserves along the river but from what I've read in the magazine, several more have been added. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Finding a waterfall in the middle of the desert is a lovely surprise! Get that heat fixed; you don't want the girls freezing!
ReplyDeleteHey Larry it’s Evan Jenna’s boyfriend
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you Evan and we enjoyed meeting you.
DeleteOh my, Bev looks cold. Dogs make great lap warmers! I've never been to that part of Arizona, but it always amazes me how you can go from devil hot to snow just by driving up a few miles.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling I would be dressed like Bev too! It looks like you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteJust a few years late with a comment but I loved seeing your pictures. But I was glad we made the trip in warmer weather.
ReplyDelete