4/22: Mt. Lemmon, Main Gate square

​We started the day with the 27-mile drive up Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway, which climbs about 6,000 feet from the valley floor to the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains.  The drive traverses several climates from Saguaro forests to hoodoos to 9,100-foot alpine. These mountains are called "sky islands" because discrete peaks were thrust up from the flat valley floor when the Pacific Plate collided with the North American plate.
The road was built by prisoners at Catalina Federal Honor Camp, which operated between 1939 and 1973. The ruins of the camp are named after Gordon Hirabayashi, who was interred there after being arrested for violating a curfew for Japanese Americans. Gordon was born in Seattle, graduated from Auburn High School and the University of Washington. He challenged the legality of his internment and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where he lost in a unanimous vote in 1943. The case was overturned in 1987, after Peter Irons, a political science professor at UC San Diego, uncovered evidence that the government knew that there was no military reason for the internment, but withheld that information from the Supreme Court.
"We had the constitution to protect us in 1942. It didn't because the will of the people weren't behind it," Hirabayashi said. It takes "constant vigilance" to assure that the Constitution works as intended, he said. 
We passed many cyclists climbing the moutain and got some amazing views. We stopped for a hike around Rose Canyon Lake at 7,000 feet. There were lots of fisherman angling for rainbow and brown trout. Charlie enjoyed a cooling soak near the shore. The name of the lake had a special significance for us, because Hank's sister-in-law, Rose, just passed away on April 12. At the top the mountain we found a ski resort and observatory. 
After our drive, we had a delicious lunch at a Mexican restaurant named "Guadalajara". They made salsa and guacamole to order at tableside. After lunch, we drove to the Main Gate Square neighborhood outside the campus of the University of Arizona. There were great restaurants, shops and pubs, but it was relatively quiet on a weekday afternoon. We had some coffee, then headed back to the campground, vowing to return again sometime.