Yesterday, I drove to the top of Mt. Lemmon. After driving through Saguaro, I thought that place was cool. But Mt. Lemmon was even more incredible. So now I’m expecting each new-to-me Arizona landscape’s awesomeness will surpass the previous.
It was a one-hour drive from my apartment to the top of the mountain (about 30 miles of winding pavement to reach a 9,100-foot elevation). The temperature dropped 20 degrees from the base of the mountain to the top.
The two photos above were taken from the spot marked below.
I didn’t understand the term “sky islands” until I saw views like this:
The top of the mountain didn’t impress me as much as the middle or base. It kinda looked like the U.P. or Canada. But then I could see the desert between the burnt trees, and that was a strange but cool scene.
Summerhaven was nothing great. Reminded me of Muskegon but with fewer amenities. I made a point of getting a “world-famous” cookie at The Cookie Cabin. The giant oatmeal raisin cookie was good but nothing special. Skip it and save your money.
Except for gasoline and a $7 cookie, the trip up and down Mt. Lemmon was free. Even if I hadn’t stopped and gotten out of the car along the way for photos, the views from the windows were worth it.
