Feb 22/16 Weather high of 74, a bit windy, sunny. 10 degrees cooler than we have seen in two weeks, apparently this is closer to normal. It's going to be much cooler where we are headed today too!!! We expect to see snow, and we did.
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| View of Tucson below as we climb the mountain |
Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges and the highest is Mount Lemmon, where snow skiing exists. The mountain gets up to 200 inches of snow per year on average.
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| on top of mount lemmon |
It's hard to believe you could be sun bathing by the pool and an hour later be up to the top of the peak which is about 9,100 feet and skiing. Little chalet town of Summerhaven! To get to the slopes you take The Catalina Hwy also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway. The name comes from the analogy of these mountains being like islands of forest in a sea of desert........ Well ok??? I guess.
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| catalina hwy snaking its way through the mountains |
Regardless it is a beautiful 27 mile ride. It takes a winding route through the Santa Catalina Mountains and has some rapid gain in elevation with numerous switchbacks. Oh yes, it is definitely a motorcycle road. What blows you away is how many serious bicyclists you will see on this trek to the top and they are going at times up to 50 mph on the way down!!!
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| hoodoos by the road |
This was a favourite spot for Lance Armstrong to train with the US team for their Tour De France. As we passed several bicyclists we were in awe how fit someone must be to complete this climb and endurance. Amazing athletes!
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| many serious bicyclists use Mount Lemmon for training |
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