Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Dad and I are headed out to some ghost towns tomorrow so yep, more pictures.

Drive Thru Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona

Dad and I left Green Valley and drove over to a dirt road called Box Canyon Road.  As we drove around we and found this rock waterfall. No water, but you can see the water path on the rocks. I will put some of these pictures on here again as individual so you can see them better. So as you drive on around you come to Patagonia Lake. It is the small line in the east of the Route going back to the middle. Getting back on our Route lead us to Nogales, Arizona just a few miles northof Mexico then up 19 North back to Green Valley. It was about a 100 mile loop.

remains of a waterfall

Arizona Sunset

Green Valley, AZ

Whipple Observatory, Arizona

Whipple Observatory

Dad and I decided to check out the Whipple Observatory. If anyone is interested in checking it out, make sure and schedule a reservation. They bus you up and only take so many people. It takes most of the day. You start off with some videos at the base station. While at the Base station you will see 4 Telescopes called the Veritas, built to observe gamma rays and then take a slow bus ride up. While on your way up you make a couple stops at other stations. I am not going to try and even remember everything so you will have to just go check it out. Around noon we stopped for lunch and we meet a couple folks from Alaska and Wisconsin, Mike and Mari. After lunch you get in a suburban and drive the rest of the way up to Whipple.

View from Whipple Observatory

Elephant Head

Up at Whipple you will see the snow plows on the 4 corners of the Observatory. The building actually rotates so when it snows they have to rotate to keep the snow from building up.

You can see the massive doors on the left that open side to side.

This is a picture from the 4th floor. The scope wasn't covered so we had a rare chance to see it. The telescope is called the MMT6 and is about 6.5 meters

 The rails you see rotate the scope and have brakes similiar to a car.

 The 10-meter reflector for gamma-ray astronomy

Drive up

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Hiking in Tucson

I was out hiking with dad today on a nature trail just off Proctor Road in the Madera Canyon. Some nice colors out. Not everything is a cactus here. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Descend Mt. Lemmon

Inspiration Rock

Once I arrived at the top I found a paved road leading down. It was already about 430pm so with 25 miles down and a windy road, it was no question which way I was going. As I drove down there were great rock formations and sunsets. Anyone in the Tucson area needs to atleast drive up the paved side and see it all. Well worth every park of the drive.

Sun was beginning to Set

You would think I was in a Ferrari

Tucson

Ascend to Mt. Lemmon , Arizona

I drove to a control road at the bottom of Mount Lemmon. Quickly the paved road turned into dirt. It was a long slow drive, but great views. You can come up the other side on a paved road, but having a Jeep makes it fun to go places a car just shouldn't. I only averaged about 7 MPH on the drive up. By the time I got to the top I was at 8000 feet of the 9157 feet above Sea level.