Featured Rideout First Ride Up Mt. Lemmon Since January + First Time Up Since The Bighorn Fire

Hippo-Drones · Sep 24, 2020

What a stunning place to ride

Vulpes · Sep 25, 2020

Lovely write-up and great pictures as always! Cheers, Sandi!

Sandi T · Sep 25, 2020

Hippo-Drones said: ↑

What a stunning place to ride
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It truly is a stunning place to ride, @Hippo-Drones! I never forget that nor do I ever fail to appreciate it, either. Mt. Lemmon's base elevation is 2,500' and at the top it's just over 9,000'. As you go up the mountain you pass through five biological life zones. At some of the higher elevations there are small lakes stocked with trout as well as some beautiful campgrounds. Some spots in particular are world renowned among rock climbers. And the Catalina Highway, the rode up the mountain, is a favorite of motorcyclists and cyclists. And drivers, too! Over the years we've seen streams of car clubs making the drive up. I've never counted how many curves there are along the 25-mile beautifully paved road to the top because, well, I think because there are so many that I've lost count when I've tried!

Sandi T · Sep 25, 2020

Vulpes said: ↑

Lovely write-up and great pictures as always! Cheers, Sandi!
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Thanks, Vulpes, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I loved your recent Alps trip write-up and pictures, too!

Hippo-Drones · Sep 25, 2020

Sandi T. said: ↑

It truly is a stunning place to ride, @Hippo-Drones! I never forget that nor do I ever fail to appreciate it, either. Mt. Lemmon's base evolution is 2,500' and at the top it's just over 9,000'. As you go up the mountain you pass through five biological life zones. At some of the higher elevations there are small lakes stocked with trout as well as some beautiful campgrounds. Some spots in particular are world renowned among rock climbers. And the Catalina Highway, the rode up the mountain, is a favorite of motorcyclists and cyclists. And drivers, too! Over the years we've seen streams of car clubs making the drive up. I've never counted how many curves there are along the 25-mile beautifully paved road to the top because, well, I think because there are so many that I've lost count when I've tried!
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I was watching a friend riding in southern France/northern Italy on a video yesterday, it looked similar in places to what you describe, with corners for days... beautiful.
One day I hope to do some exploring on a motorbike in further away places, in the meantime I shall have to content myself with enjoying the lovely photos people like yourself share with us!

Vulpes · Sep 25, 2020

Hippo-Drones said: ↑

I was watching a friend riding in southern France/northern Italy on a video yesterday, it looked similar in places to what you describe, with corners for days... beautiful.
One day I hope to do some exploring on a motorbike in further away places, in the meantime I shall have to content myself with enjoying the lovely photos people like yourself share with us!
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Try the high Alps if you get a chance, mate. I'm just back from a weeks touring there. Magical. Look up my thread on it.

UpNDown · Sep 28, 2020

Sandi T. said: ↑

This past Sunday a small group of us rode to breakfast then up Mt. Lemmon. It was my first ride up Mt. Lemmon since my January bicycle crash. I had driven my Mustang up Lemmon last spring before the Bighorn Fire devastated 120,000 acres of the mountain in June but hadn't been back up since then. Honestly, I was not that eager to see the fire damage on our beloved mountain. But we decided to take a ride to the top to see how things looked.

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First things first. We decided to eat first then ride so we sat on the lovely outdoor patio at Poco & Mom's, a great place for New Mexico Mexican food which is somewhat different than Mexico Mexican food. Blue corn, lots of green chili, delicious!
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This is my breakfast. Three tamales--two were red chili & pork, the other green chili and chicken. The tamales were accompanied by scrambled eggs and calabacitas, a traditional Mexican mixed vegetable dish. Not pictured but (for me) an integral part of any New Mexican meal were blue corn tortillas.
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This is the little group that made the trek all the way Ski Valley at the top of Mt. Lemmon. One guy turned around at Milepost 5 because he was tired of the traffic on the road on a Sunday. Mr. Sandi went home after breakfast to be with our boxer, Annie, who we are spending more time with due to her health problems. I love that man. This particular photo was taken at a campground a rest stop area called "Middle Bear" that is part of a larger area known as "Bear Canyon". It's a typical stopping point to layer up with warmer gear as the temperatures reliably start to drop. This is between Mileposts 11 and 12 and the altitude is nearing 7,000 feet.
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We arrived at Ski Valley at the top of Mt. Lemmon to find that many other folks had also decided to make the drive or ride up the mountain on this day also. The parking lot in which we usually park was totally full but on the other side of the road there were still spaces left.
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In the summer the chairlifts are open on the weekend for people to ride up and down the mountainside. We've rarely seen lines for this but today there were a lot of people taking advantage of this mountaintop activity.
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A sign of the COVID times.....

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Sandi T. and Speedy enjoying the nice cool temperatures up here. View attachment 107776

More pics to follow in my next post.....
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I’ve always loved that ride to and from Mt. Lemon when I would visit my brother Harb in Tucson . Made the run back when I was riding a Valkyrie in the 2000’s . My brother was a fixture at the Tucson BMW dealership . I’d step out of his little condo , look to my left , and there were the mountains beckoning me to ride up . Loved it .

Sandi T · Oct 5, 2020

UpNDown said: ↑

I’ve always loved that ride to and from Mt. Lemon when I would visit my brother Harb in Tucson . Made the run back when I was riding a Valkyrie in the 2000’s . My brother was a fixture at the Tucson BMW dealership . I’d step out of his little condo , look to my left , and there were the mountains beckoning me to ride up . Loved it .
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Glad to bring back some fond memories, @UpNDown!

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Featured Rideout First Ride Up Mt. Lemmon Since January + First Time Up Since The Bighorn Fire

Hippo-Drones Noble Member

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Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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Featured Rideout First Ride Up Mt. Lemmon Since January + First Time Up Since The Bighorn Fire

Hippo-Drones Noble Member

Vulpes Confused Member

Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere! Subscriber

Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere! Subscriber

Hippo-Drones Noble Member

Vulpes Confused Member

UpNDown New Member

Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere! Subscriber

Time For Some New Strides

Looking For A Rack For My Trident.

Trident 750 To 900 Swap.

Tarted Up My Trident, A Work In Progress.

2025 Trident 660 Setting Riding Mode.

Share This Page

Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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