Biosphere 2

For millennia, Arizona's Sonoran Desert has consisted of trackless miles of scrub, cactus, and bare patches of sand punctuated by the occasional upthrust of rocky crags like the Superstition Mountains and Mount Lemmon and, more recently, little towns with names like Globe and Oracle. However, between 1987 and 1991, a structure arose in the Sonoran so unusual in both appearance and purpose that over 100,000 visitors have come to see it, not to mention the hundreds and hundreds of researchers and students who have flocked to it for more extended study. This structure is known as Biosphere 2.

Gates Pass

When my friend, Barbara, asked me to drive her (in her car) to a conference in Tucson, I was happy to oblige. When she suggested I drive around and sight-see while she was there, I was happy to take her up on the offer by visiting Gates' Pass. When I then drove into the mountains and locked the key in the car, I was less than happy, especially since there was no cell phone signal there. But as I walked the 5 miles to the nearest phone, I was happy to take dozens of photos along the way. And I'm happy to share them with you here.

Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon (called by the indigenous O'odham people Babad Do'ag), with a summit elevation of 9,159 feet is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona.

Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband and a local rancher, by horse and foot, in 1881. It is reported that Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, on the mountain's northeastern side, receives 200 inches of snow annually.

Saddlebrooke

Saddlebrooke, Arizona, is a small community located just north of Tucson, home to internationally-renowned drug and alcohol rehabs and recovery centers. It is an exceptionally peaceful place with beautiful views, as one can see from the photos I took on a drive there.

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park consists of two disconnected sections in Pima County, straddling Tucson. The 92,000-acre park consists of the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about 10 miles west of the city and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about 10 miles east. Here you'll find preserved Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including so many of the giant saguaro cactus, Arizona's state tree, that it qualifies as a forest.

The Thing (Roadside Attraction)

The Thing, as it was called, an apparent mummified mother and child, was displayed in its current location from 1965 on. Originally, it and other dusty curiosities were displayed in three corrugated iron shacks behind the building (which housed a gift shop). The exhibit used to cost one dollar for adults and seventy-five cents for children to enter.

Tombstone

Tombstone is a historic city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last boomtowns in the American frontier. The town grew significantly into the mid-1880s as the local mines produced $40 to $85 million in silver bullion, the largest productive silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than seven years. It is best known as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral; and presently draws most of its revenue from tourism inspired by movies and TV shows portraying the gunfight.