drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  528,557

Odometer (ILX):  65,397

Welcome back!  It was an Acurrific Saturday with our caravan of three Acuras around the hills of Tucson, Arizona.  This is a continuation of our adventure from that day full o’ fun.  After having visited the Kitt Peak National Observatory, the next destination on our radar was a small canyon located about 25 miles south of Tucson called Madera Canyon.

From the Kitt visitor center parking lot, we stood about 4,000 feet above the elevation at the valley floor below.  We eagerly climbed into our sport sedans and set out to experience an exhilarating drive.  Paul led the way in Sport mode with his pearl white TL SH-AWD, while I followed closely behind in the ILX and Jason brought up the rear in his black TL SH-AWD.  The Kitt Peak access road is a driving enthusiast’s dream:  a 12-mile narrow two-laner with plenty of blind/sharp corners and some seriously panoramic views of the valley floor below.   All drivers’ eyes, however, were glued to the road ahead rather than the peripheral views because the highway begged to be experienced at speed.

Thankfully, the ILX 2.4 is a high-revving machine and I was able to go easy on the brakes as I slid the gearbox between 3rd & 4th gears and listened to the growl at 4,000 RPM and higher.  At over 65,000 miles I’ve yet to do any work to the brakes and I’ve only had the manual transmission fluid changed once.  It’s still as smooth as the day I got the car with 16 miles on it in June 2012.  And even without AWD, it held its own against the TLs in the corners!

After the refreshing (and remarkably traffic-free) descent to the valley floor, our Acuras then made their way across Highway 86 toward Interstate 19 and the town of Green Valley.  As I’ve blogged before, I-19 is the only interstate in the country that is signed with metric distances.  At Exit 63 (63 kilometers from the Mexican border) we exited for lunch at The Olives Bistro. From there, we were just moments away from our final destination for the day.

Madera Canyon (madera, by the way, is Spanish for “wood”) winds some 25 miles through the Santa Rita Mountains as it gains elevation.  The canyon is one of the southwest’s most popular places for birdwatching.  There are over 250 species that call this area home, including 15 different species of hummingbirds.  The two-lane road that winds its way through the canyon is a dead end.  There is a visitor parking lot at the end that also doubles as a trailhead for a half-dozen different hikes.  Jason, Paul, and I hiked about 30 minutes toward Josephine Saddle before deciding to double back.

The few times when we stopped to catch our breath on the steep incline, we noted how silent it was.  No rustling of leaves, no sounds of traffic.  It was just us and nature.  On the note of “sounds,” we did have one funny realization over the course of Saturday’s trip.  Each time we’d all pull our cars over to get a group picture, as soon as we exited our vehicles with our key fobs in our pockets, our Acuras would beep due to the key proximity sensors alerting us that the keys were not detected.  It was a symphony of Acura beeps and we had a good laugh about it.

On the way out of the canyon, we made a pit stop at a gift shop full of bird feeders, postcards, and walking sticks.  Here are the photos and a video from the rest of our Saturday trip!

Metric units of measure abound in the regions surrounding Interstate 19 south of Tucson

Only in Arizona do you have to watch out for prickly cacti when exiting your vehicle.

Lunch at The Olives Bistro was excellent.  I recommend the hummus!

From there, we were only about 10 miles from the southern end of the Madera Canyon road.  State Route 83 is accessed via a separate (dirt) road that branches off the main highway.  I’ll save that drive for another day!

It was a perfect afternoon to explore a new destination.

Can’t complain about the scenery in the rearview mirror, either.

We drove over a total of five one-lane bridges to get to the trailhead at the end of the canyon.

Jason rolled down his window and all I heard was Journey blasting at full volume.

Map in hand, we paid our $5 for day use and headed to the Mount Baldy hike trailhead.

I definitely didn’t have the energy to attempt Mt. Wrightson at 10 (steep) miles round-trip.

Taking a quick breather.

Back at the cars!  There was a family the came walking past.  “Look at all the Acuras,” one boy said as he pointed to our trio of backed-in cars.  We all just laughed.

There’s a warning sign you don’t see every day!

This gift shop was full of knick-knacks, but I decided against making a purchase.

Alright, classic car gurus.  Tell me what we’re looking at here.  I’m guessing 1952 Chevy station wagon.  The body was remarkably rust-free!  This was sitting hidden off the main road, tucked away.

Fun restoration candidate for someone!  Jason’s first comment as we were walking up to it:  “Hey, is that a first generation HHR?”  Haha.

Thanks, Paul and Jason, for a great day on the road!

Heading back toward civilization.

Jason’s TL was my GoPro stand for a few miles.

Great driving music.  Give it a listen.

What Arizona road trip would be complete without a stunning sunset?

The end.  Until next time, at least.

Odometer (Legend):  528,547

Odometer (ILX):  65,353

Nerd alert!  I’ve had a soft spot for science ever since childhood, and I met one of my heroes – Bill Nye the Science Guy – when I was in college.  But I’ve lived in Arizona for over 8 years ago and only recently learned that it’s home to an observatory with the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world.  Arizona is chock-full of hidden gems.

I first heard the name “Kitt Peak” when I drove past the turnoff last July while on a roadtrip to Why, Arizona.  Since then, I’d been wanting to make it back for a formal visit.  There are 3 tours offered daily.  Along with my friends Jason and Paul, I made it to the 10:00 a.m. program yesterday, which would focus on the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope.  It is the world’s largest solar telescope.

This was a family outing.  And by that, I mean all three vehicles in our caravan were Acuras:

• Black 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT (Jason)
• White 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD AT (Paul)
• Silver 2013 Acura ILX 6MT (Tyson)

The boys and I broke this trip into a two-dayer, with a Friday night rendezvous in Tucson before the big day.  After a hotel buffet breakfast, we fired up our cars and headed westward through the Sonoran Desert on a beautiful morning.  As soon as we exited Highway 86, the Tucson-Ajo Highway, I knew we were in for a treat.  The next 12 miles were filled with great curves and some of the best scenery in the southwest.  I took the lead in the ILX and we climbed to an elevation of 6,880 feet at the summit.  Jason and I rowed our manual gearboxes, while Paul manipulated his paddle shifters to command action from his 6-speed automatic transmission. The temperatures were notably cooler as we made our way toward the top.

Kitt Peak’s construction dates back to 1958 when the National Science Foundation supplied funding under President John F. Kennedy.  Extensive site evaluations had designated Kitt as the best place for a national observatory:  It had more “good seeing days” (273 per year, to be exact) than any other potential site.  However, because the land was owned at the time by the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation (and considered very sacred), the U.S. had to negotiate with the tribe before it could lease 2,000 acres.  Among the contract terms:  The observatory must buy electricity that’s supplied by the reservation.  Those stipulations are still in full force today.

By 1962, the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope had been completed and astronomers were coming from all around the world to try it out.  The telescope stands a massive 100 feet in the air, 200 feet into the ground, and has a 500-foot-long angled section that is exactly parallel to the earth’s axis.  A telescope uses a series of mirrors and discs that reflect light and focus it to create an image.  Even though McMath-Pierce is now over 50 years old, the technology that it employs is still relevant.  Infrastructure has been updated with fiber optic communication equipment.  Little known fact:  The telescope also acts as a gigantic sundial.  I guess that makes two massive sundials I’ve visited in recent months.  Our tour guide, Larry, took us inside the telescope for a closer look.

Some 2,500 visitors travel to Kitt Peak each year to see McMath-Pierce as well as some of the 17 or so other telescopes on-site.  I’d love to go back to Kitt and stargaze sometime during one of the nightly observing programs.  For now, enjoy some of the many photos below from this part of our trip!  Tomorrow, I’ll share the adventures of the rest of our Saturday Acura drive:  A trip to Madera Canyon.

Thanks for coming along!

TL & ILX gearing up for departure on Friday evening

Eastbound on Interstate 10 – it’s about a 90-minute drive to Tucson.

The Shell station located in Picacho Peak, Arizona has a good sense of humor.

… Not to mention some great souvenirs.  Coonskin cap, anyone?

Upon arrival in Tucson, I happened to hit 65,065 miles with an exterior temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  The stars would have been in greater alignment if I had been going 65 miles per hour at the time.

Saturday morning:  Mini waffles to fuel us for a long day of adventure behind the wheel.

Let’s load ’em up!

Couldn’t have asked for better weather for a Saturday drive.

Which would you pick?

Westward on the Ajo Highway, we knew we were getting close.

Paul snagged a great picture of the ILX from the rear.  Kitt Peak was in the distance, awaiting our visit.

And, here we are at the turnoff.

From there, it was 12 miles to the summit at just under 6,900 feet in elevation.

This type of sign gets me excited.

As expected, views were exceptional from all around as we climbed the mountain.

At these elevations, snow is possible and even likely this time of year.

Getting close!

In 1957, our Acuras would have never made this trip.  Here’s what the Kitt Peak access road looked like then.

We soon rounded a bend and saw some of Kitt Peak’s telescopes in the distance.

Made it!

The visitor center & gift shop dates back to 1962 and is staffed by members of the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation.

Inside, there are many informative displays.  This one gave a comparison between the various sizes of reflective mirrors that are used in telescopes today.

Our tour group was led outside to the massive white structure which was the McMath-Pierce Telescope.

Yikes!

The telescope is actually made of copper, but it was painted white so that it can be as reflective of light as possible.

Inside, we stared down the inner barrel at all the mechanical components that make the telescope work.

This was a neat picture of what the telescope looked like when it was under construction.

Here, Paul and I are standing in front of a 2.1-meter telescope in the background.

Back to the Acuras we went for the next leg of our journey.

Paul took the lead in the white one and we made our descent.

Later that afternoon, we explored one of Arizona’s hidden canyons.  Come back tomorrow & read about it!