Mt. Lemmon Drive

IF YOU DIDN’T GO, YOU MISSED A GOOD TIME!

STORY AND PHOTOS BY RON COLE

On Sunday, August 8th the Mt. Lemmon run started with an 8 a.m. driver meeting at the Cracker Barrel in Chandler. Pulling into the parking lot was a fun experience as Porsches of all types (24 of them with 45 drivers and navigators) were parked everywhere.

At 8 a.m. sharp, Rook laid out the rules including topics such as excessive speed (not allowed and such behavior invalidates our insurance coverage). Rook asked for new members and first event members to introduce themselves, which resulted in around 5 introductions. Upon check-in a few minutes earlier, each driver was assigned to group 1 or group 2 to depart 15 minutes apart, both with a lead and sweep car. By 8:30 a.m., we were off and running.

The first stop was at Picacho Peak for a quick break. The 15 minute separation of the groups worked perfectly as group 1 departed just as group 2 arrived. After a back roads drive through and around Tucson, we met up with the Mt. Lemmon Highway and started our climb to Summerhaven and the cool pine scented weather at 8,000 feet elevation. My 1999 911-996 zipped around the twisty road in 3rd gear with an occasional downshift to 2nd to keep the RPMs above 2500. A lunch mate mentioned that his late model turbo 911 with PDK did not seem to notice the 8,000 foot climb.

Under the category of “best laid plans” our lunch spot, which had said they should have no problem handling our group, had a full parking lot and 2 handicapped spots, which a few of our members quickly filled and maybe one other spot, also quickly claimed. The rest of us headed a little further up the road and ended up at the base of the ski lift, which had plenty of parking and a restaurant with a 1 hour wait. That is not a problem when the ski lift shop is selling potato chips and delicious fudge appetizers. After a tasty lunch, including some decadent pie with ice cream, our back up restaurant group dispersed with some of us heading back to the Valley and others taking the lift to the top of the mountain.

The members staying overnight came down the mountain and headed to the Westward Look Resort in Tucson. A good source reported that there was a late afternoon gathering at the bar followed by dinner.

Many thanks to Rook Younger for organizing this fun trip to Mt. Lemmon. The cool weather and the camaraderie of fellow Porsche enthusiasts made for an enjoyable few days.