Sky Island Escape

While the construction workers were ripping out the flooring in my house, I took Ozzie and went on a trip up Mt. Lemmon, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, right outside Tucson.  The valley floor was in the low 100's, but on the mountain it was at least 20 degrees cooler, a perfect spot to take a short walk.
The walk had to be short, since 9000 feet above sea level makes for tough breathing if you're not used to it, and it had been over 11 years since I had been to the village of Summerhaven.  11 years ago, a major wildfire devastated the place, and some of the photos I took show how the fire skipped parts of the area and vaporized others.
The first set of photos was taken on the way up, at a halfway point called Windy Point.  You can see the road I drove on far below the lookout, as well as spectacular views.
The second set is the village near the summit, and the last set is the southernmost ski area in the country!  Yes, there is snow up there in the winter, since the elevation gives us a real winter spot just 30 miles up the road from Tucson!