Originally uploaded by evancparker.

After yesterday’s rattlesnake excitement, we opted for a day of staying in the comfy steel confines of our rental car.

I had heard good (if touristy) things about Sabino Canyon and the sound of a tram car between myself and Mother Nature sounded like a pretty ameniable idea to me. Unfortunately, Sabino Canyon sustained pretty severe flooding the past season and was largely closed.

Thanks to the wonders of the interweb, I tripped on the Sky Islands Parkway which covers 27 miles in one of Coronado National Forest’s northern most pretected spaces. What an unbelievably lucky discovery.

To some extent, it was standard “parkway” setup … not too dissimilar from Skyline Drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, the scenery was just stunning and unlike anything on the East Coast. Easily the best drive of the trip so far … and nary a poisonous snake in sight.

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Coronado National Forest, Arizona