Life in the Sonoran Desert

 These were taken this past Monday up at Gates Pass in Tucson, Arizona. This is looking Northeast from the parking lot of the Pass.

 This is the same day looking north west towards the Pass itself.

 This is outcrop is known as BeeHive Peak and is located in the Drexel Heights/Bilby Road area of the neighborhood.

 

This is the Scientific description: Summary:Abandoned in Tucson Mountains, Pima Co, AZ, Basin-and-Range province. Replaced by informal tuff of Beehive Peak. [Author uses original spelling "Beehive rhyolite" of Brown (1939).] Unit also previously called "biotite rhyolite" by Bikerman, Damon (1966, GSA Bull., v. 77, p. 1225-1234). Tuff of Beehive Peak is light-gray to tan massive welded dacite ash-flow tuff; characterized by abundant small angular fragments of Cretaceous sandstone and intermediate-composition volcanic rocks. Previously interpreted as an intrusive rock by Brown and Bikerman, Damon. Informal name "tuff of Beehive Peak" is proposed because these rocks are of local occurrence (a few square km), have been referred to by various names, and are dacite rather than rhyolite. Age relations of tuff of Beehive Peak are uncertain with nearby postcaldera lavas due to lack of exposed contacts. Thickness of tuff is locally 250 m. K-Ar biotite age of tuff of Beehive Peak is 60.2 +/-1.8 Ma though may be only minimum age, therefore, assigned Late Cretaceous or early Tertiary age.

However for those of us that grew up in the area it's just plain old BeeHive peak. Climbing it was always a gamble but reaching the top was well worth the effort.

 

This was Jake's day up at Gates Pass with me and this was his new Birthday present to himself which was an Fender American Strat in Fiesta Red. This was right out of the box. We had intercepted the UPS man at a circle K on our way into town and ask if by chance he had the package. He did and well the rest is history. It's a great addition to his fine collection of instruments that he uses on  weekly basis during the shows he plays in weekly in Tucson.

 

 

Have a great Weekend!!!