End of Summer

We think summer has ended here in Tucson as its been almost two weeks since we last saw 100 degrees and almost a whole week with temps below the 90's. The nights are cooler and with that we're able to open the house up and listen to the coyotes sing at night.


We decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and take a drive south towards Sahuarita as we wanted to explore the area for a possible return trip spending more time there. Sahuarita is located in the historic Santa Cruz Valley, surrounded by early Spanish missions, frontier outposts and old mines and is home to the Titan II Missile Museum the only one of its kind in the world and well worth a visit. We got a late start from our home however we saw enough of the area that we know we'll be returning.



Things got just a little crazy after we decided to leave the area and return home as Don wanted to see if he could get us home without having to take either I-19 or the I-10. The only problem was that Tucson and Mt Lemmon were right in our way. So off we went.




Driving through the outskirts of Tucson we watched as the outside temperature climbed above 80 then dropped to 55 as we got closer to the 8000' mark of Mt Lemmon.

Anyone visiting the Tucson area should take the time and visit Mt Lemmon. Here we sit in the mist of the Sonora Desert which is one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America and right in our back yard sits a 8000' mountain that offers skiing in the winter and at least 30 degree cooler weather in the summer.


There are two separate roads leading to Mt Lemmon; one is a well maintained paved 27 mile road while the other is a dirt road that will require a high clearance vehicle all the time and 4x4 sometimes; either road will bring you past beautiful scenery. We'll be doing more on this area in the coming months.

There's more of a difference between the two roads than just their condition. The front way which is paved will provide a vast vista of Tucson and the surrounding area as well as plenty of people. You'll see signs warning of wildlife however we rarely see any. The back way is slower and can be dangerous simply because it's off the beaten path; however you'll see way less people and more wildlife as well as chance encounters with cattle and horses.

We wanted to close this entry by sharing some of the sunsets that we've been blessed with the past couple days.

We'll be on the road again shortly visiting Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks as well as a brief stay in Death Valley so stay tuned.

Sandy & Don

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