We began our trip to Mt Lemmon with the idea that we would do a little bird watching and get some foliage pictures for this blog. As it turned out there was very little bird activity and the foliage was past peak and allot of the leaves had already been shed due to a couple of days of strong winds here in the Tucson area.
That being the case it was a beautiful day in the upper 80's at the base of the mountain where it is classic Sonoran Desert and in the upper 50's at the top of the mountain where mixed conifer forest and high elevation riparian areas are prevalent.
On the way to the top of the mountain you pass through oak woodlands and ponderosa pine forest as well. The 25 mile journey is biologically comparable to the traveling from Mexico to the Canadian border.
Not only is the change in vegetation remarkable but the views are incredible. Everywhere you look there is an amazing vista or an incredible peak.
While the foliage was on the weak side it was still quite enjoyable for this former New England boy to be among deciduous trees with a splash of color.
Most of the color that was still around was on the Quaking Aspens which in full color are very impressive trees..jpg)
At the top of the mountain above 10,000 feet above sea level is the Steward Observatory and the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center that offers unique experiences in astronomy and nature. SkyCenter.arizona.edu I have purchased two tickets to the Total Lunar Eclipse and Winter Solstice Event at the Sky Center on December 21st 2010 as a Christmas present to myself and Nancy.
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