Round Robin: The Great Outdoors on a Cloudy Afternoon

The Round Robin Photo Challenge this time out is "The Great Outdoors." Not having a lot of time this week to really explore the topic, I headed for my default bit of the Great Outdoors: the lower reaches of Mount Lemmon Highway in the Santa Catalina Mountains, just north of Tucson.

From Mount Lemmon Highway

As I'd hoped, there was a cyclist on the road as I started up. I almost always see one or more of them, on the way up or on the way down. Mountain biking is an extremely popular way to enjoy the Great Outdoors around here. To me, though, it seems like an awful lot of work, especially in the heat and humidity of late summer in Tucson.



For once I skipped Babad Do'Ag Vista, the site of many past photo shoots for this and other memes. Instead I made my way to Molino Basin Vista. There are a few short nature trails here, one of which led me almost to the water below.



The trail in the other direction leads me toward a lovely cleft in the mountains. Unfortunately, the weather and the time of day meant that I could not take a photo as dramatic as what my eyes saw. If the land was properly lit, then the sky was whited out...



...and setting the aperture to catch the dramatic monsoon clouds meant leaving the land in shadow.



So I created a composite from two different photos!


I always enjoy my trips up Mt. Lemmon, even the abbreviated ones that take me just five or ten miles from the base. This particular trip was marred by the echo of nearby gunfire. I'm pretty sure it was guys from a pickup truck near which I'd parked my Kia, illegally shooting into giant saguaro cacti. Not that I would dare to confront such people. Heck, they might shoot me instead!




You don't have to be on a mountain to enjoy the Great Outdoors, of course. Even the drive back was dramatic because of the clouds and the beginning of sunset.

If you are facing clouds and rain this weekend due to Hurricane Irene (or any other storm), respect the Great Outdoors - and be safe!

Linking List
as of Saturday, August 27th
at 1:22 AM MST

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com

Jama - Posted!
Sweet Memories
http://mummyjam.blogspot.com

Gattina - Posted!
Keyhole Pictures
http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com/

Tina - Posted!
Goodies for a Pleasant Life
http://leckeresfuermenschundkatze.blogspot.com/2011/08/herziges-blau.html

Anybody else this week?
Karen