Saturday, April 9, 2016

Mt. Lemmon and Summerhaven, AZ.

   Taking a break from road trip preparation, I drove 27 miles up the twisting mountain road to the top of Mt. Lemmon. The town of Summerhaven is near the summit. There's a ski resort there also. The elevation changes from 2500 feet in Tucson, to 9,150 feet at the radio towers on top. Saturdays are a little crowded. Everyone wants to get away from the heat in the valley. It only got up to 85 today, but the high on Mt. Lemmon couldn't be over 60 degrees. There were several pockets of snow on the side off the road.
     The drive up yields many views of Tucson. The winding road has a number of pull-off areas and campgrounds. There are hoo-doos along the way, each a grand reflection of the power of wind and rain. There's one called the, "goose-head". At one angle, it resembles the head of a goose, of course. Bicyclists aren't actually reckless on the road, but they certainly are assertive about their space on the roadway. Climbing 5,000 feet in elevation over 27 miles must be a great workout. But hurtling back down the mountain at speeds exceeding the posted speed of 35 mph seems a little dangerous. If a bicyclist is at top speed, then encounters a level grade, he slows considerably. So a bicyclist tail-gating may want to pass, but he always gets passed by the car when he slows.  Speaking to one cyclist at a rest area, I asked if his extended arm was a signal that he was going to pass me.  He replied that he used an extended arm to slow himself a little. Maybe that's safer than hitting the brakes? I don't know.
     I'm noticing that as my trip prep progresses, I'm feeling the ties to Tucson stretched. I'm thinking that I will miss this place quite a bit. It must be something to do with the ties I've created at church and at the Red Cross. Funny, I didn't think I'd feel that way.  Maybe Tucson really is, "the spot."

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