Mount Lemmon

[Dave31]

Did another ride to Mt. Lemmon on the Catalina highway and this time I remembered to take my camera.

The Highway up Mt. Lemmon is 29 miles one way so I did somewhere around 58 miles give or take. I took a few side roads as well so probably did a tad more then that.

The highway begins at 2500ft and tops out somewhere around 8200ft. It has an average grade of 4-5% and maxes out around 14% if I remember correctly.

 

[Dave31]

I wore shorts with a long sleeve shirt but I wished I had worn pants and a sweatshirt. Not sure what the temp is up there but I was cold.

I did a lot of ghost pedaling trying to keep warm but it really did not help. Wasn't bad when I was not riding but once I got moving the wind was cold at least for me.

According to my speedo I averaged 24.84mph but that includes a few stops to enjoy the scenery. I maxed out at 49.52mph.

 

[Dave31]

This time I took more video then photos.

On past rides I have seen deer, Big Horn Sheep, and turkeys. On this ride towards the bottom a Bobcat crossed the rode in front me. I think that is my first Bobcat I have seen in the wild..it was cool!

Sadly my battery had died way before reaching the bottom so did not get a photo of the Bobcat nor did I catch it on video.

Here is the video I shot. The first 20 min or so is going up and the rest is going back down.

Sorry the video is so long, being lazy and did not feel like doing lots of editing to make it fit in a short amount of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTkoiFVEr8

 

[BOYGOFAST]

Got bobcat here in the yard fetch rabbit's,not many here but nothing like the clouds at your feet at Mount Lemmon AZ. Yeah haven't seen the whole of the Mt. got stopped by snow in the late 70's.Plan to see it again someday though..

 

[BOYGOFAST]

Old video, what else you see up there ?

 

[bairdco]

cool video. i almost remember that road from the two years i lived in tucson back in, jeez, 79-80?

i was up there again in the late 80s when we went out for a skateboard contest and decided to go sight-seeing.

without dropping any names, i was with some members of the "bones brigade." when we were driving down, in a rental (ford taurus, i think) we were behind an obvious drunk driver who musta been partying way too much up there.

he was weaving all over the road, taking blind corners halfway in the oncoming lane and narrowly missing other cars. after the third or fourth (very) close call with oncoming traffic, we decide to take action.

being punk rock skateboarders with a company paid rental car, we pulled alongside him and rammed him off the road into a rest stop, pushing him into the side of the mountain. smashed the crap outta the sides of both our cars but probably saved a few lives doing it. and no one got hurt.

a ranger drove up a few minutes later, sherriff came soon after, arested the drunk guy, scolded us, but let us go to drive the battered rental back to town.

the rental car place wasn't as cool. they weren't happy to see their brand new on one side, and mangled on the other car come limping back onto their lot.

but hey, that's what the insurance was for.

 

[2door]

Dave,
I never tire of watching your vids. Even if all mountain roads look alike. Your route looks almost exactly like highway 36 from Boulder to Estes Park Colorado. But I've never done it on a motor bike. Your trip makes me want to try it.

Thanks again for the entertainment.

Tom

 

[Dave31]

Your route looks almost exactly like highway 36 from Boulder to Estes Park Colorado.

Doesn't surprise me Tom. I've always heard that it was like driving from Mexico to Canada. Here is a quote from the USDA.

A drive on this road takes travelers through five “life zones,” beginning in the desert and ending above 9,000 feet in a conifer forest at the top of Mount Lemmon. This single, 29-mile drive passes through as many life zones as a drive from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.

 

[Dave31]

we were behind an obvious drunk driver who musta been partying way too much up there.

You won't find too many drunks now a days. It's patrolled 24/7 by the sheriffs Dept now.