Linn Myrick
Let’s Travel Club members went on a day trip via a 12-passenger van to Tanque Verde Ranch and Mount Lemmon on July 12. After a delicious buffet lunch at Tanque Verde Ranch on 60,000 acres of Tucson’s most breathtaking desert landscapes, we traveled the 27-mile Catalina Highway to Summerhaven at the top of Mount Lemmon. The beautiful, curving road took us to 9,100 feet where temperatures average 20 degrees cooler than the valley below!
Mount Lemmon was named after botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband by horse and foot in 1881. Ski Valley atop Mount Lemmon boasts the title of Southernmost ski resort in the continental United States and has over 20 runs. For summer visits, Ski Valley offers a 15-minute journey each way on the ski lift, providing us with spectacular scenery.
Before descending the mountain for Quail Creek, we had a short shop stop in Summerhaven, a charming mountain village, for a souvenir or, for some, a giant cookie!