Today was our first vacation day with our son in Tucson. We got up early and drove to Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It was amazing how the landscape changed each 1000 feet we drove up the mountain. Tucson is already at about 2500 feet above sea level and we were headed for the top at 8000 feet.
You start at the base of the mountain with luxury homes on the mountain side along with cacti and succulents everywhere. The Saguaro cactus is the cactus you always picture in cowboy movies, or American movies filmed in the desert. The Saguaro is found only in the Sonoran Desert that runs through the middle of Arizona into Mexico.
 |
| This is a Saguaro in its natural habitat. |
As you travel up the mountain the cacti and succulents are replaced with grasses and shrubs, and then as you get to the top you see pine trees and evergreens. It was the perfect day to travel up the mountain because not only does the landscape change, but the temperature also gets much cooler. This made a day in the 90`s at 2500 feet much more enjoyable in the 70`s at 8000 feet.
 |
| The top of Mt Lemon! |
At the top of the Mountain is the town of Summerhaven. We stopped for lunch at the Sawmill Run restaurant and I had the Smoked Monster, a sandwich with BBQ chicken on a garlic baguette topped with their signature mac & cheese, with a side of... wait for it.....mashed potatoes and gravy. It was awesome and my husband and son could not agree more, after their taste test of my lunch.
 |
| My lunch, Yummy Yummy! |
We were able to stop at many of the pull offs and enjoy the magnificent rock formations. Some of the formations looked like you could just gave it a little push and the whole stack would go tumbling down the mountain. We were also able to climb on the rocks and get the most beautiful pictures. I am not a fan of heights, so this was a big deal for me to walk out on some of these ledges and take pictures. I have included some of our pictures for your enjoyment.
 |
| It looks like someone just decided to stack some rocks up on the side of the mountain. |
 |
| This was right by the side of the road, yikes, I was afraid they were going to fall. |
 |
| More Lego rocks! |
 |
| My Son! Looks like Superman or King of the World. |
I am ready for a return trip to Mt Lemmon.
No comments:
Post a Comment