To celebrate Dennis' birthday, we decided to check out a little-used trail on the back side of the Catalinas. The trail leaves from the Mount Lemmon Control 2.8 miles below the
junction with Catalina Highway.
BTW the upper Control Road is a mess; sturdy SUVs or better only!It turned out to be quite a nice trail — not too steep with great views to the east and some lovely mountain streams.On this day in Tucson the temperature soared to 106°. Even at 6800 feet, it was uncomfortably warm. We were grateful to find a pool just deep enough for a refreshing dip!The birthday boy in his birthday suit. While we were relaxing at the stream, Dennis fielded several tech support
calls, and I wondered what the callers would think if they knew he was bareass in a stream while he resolved their problems?Are these cicadas? They weren't very large, but they were EVERYWHERE and they were making a strange popping/snapping sound. This area obviously burned in the early 2000s. There's not a single fir tree left standing, but the
piñon and Mexican blue oaks have filled in nicely. Smoke hangs in the air from the first wildfires of the season. June is my worst month, and spending as much time
as possible in the mountains is part of my pre-monsoon mental health preservation plan.On the way down the mountain, my pickup's clutch suddenly went limp. All gears gone, we "dead-sticked" into a pullout near Windy Point.
While I was prepared to call a tow truck, Dennis quickly pryed off the gear box cover and tightened a bolt at the base of a gear shift, and we were on the road again.
My guy:
· Solves tech support issues by phone while sitting bareass in a stream at 7000 feet
· Rips apart my gear box and repairs a broken transmission halfway down Mount Lemmon
· Still gets us back to town in time for his birthday lunch.
