We went to hike Lady Bug Saddle in the middle of the day up on Mt. Graham. The weather started out so nice. It was so good to get away from the heat, even if it was only for a few hours. Then something happened. There were clouds in the sky when we got there, but they just kept building and building and building. By the time we got to the top, I was scared that we would get struck by lightning. We only stayed up there and looked at the lady bugs for a minute. We decided that I would wear Reddic down the mountain, so that Ty could help with carying Grady. About half way down the mountain Luke tripped and fell and skinned his knee. Ty set down Grady and picked up Luke. It was just then that I saw something that I had never seen before. I looked down and to the south and saw clouds literally racing in. I have never seen clouds move so fast in my entire life and it was so weird to be above the clouds and watch them move so incredibly fast below us to about where our car was. That is when I called to Ty, and told him to look at what I was looking at. Ty yelled to me that he would be back for me, and then took off running down the mountain with a screaming Luke in his arms. We were at the point where there were lots of switchbacks down a somewhat steep face of the mountain down to the car. Ty literaly ran down the mountain avoiding the swichbacks. We could just feel the temperature rapidly dropping. Getting scared myself, I scooped up Grady and ran down the mountain too. Ty made it back to the car with Luke before the full force of the storm hit. Grady, Reddic, and I were only in it for a little bit. Once we were all safe in our car. We just sat there taking in the storm for a while. I don't think my words can really do the story justice. It was quite the experience.
These pictures are all from our hike up the mountain. I didn't take any on the way down.
Grady loves to pick flowers for mom.
We made it to the lady bugs.
The view from inside our car once we made it back.
We were seriously only in the storm for a minute, and look how soaked Reddic got.
Part II- The Pioneer Day Parade in Pima with the Allen cousins later that evening
