Arizona – Tombstone and Tucson

 

Having a plan is a good thing but plans are meant to be changed and sometimes the changes lead you to unexpected discoveries. 

The weathermen had us believing Wednesday the 16^th would be a perfect weather day with low winds…until we got up Tuesday morning and the forecast was changed to windy Wednesday and Thursday downright nasty with gusts forecasted for 50-60 mph. After checking a couple other sources, we decided the breezy forecast for Tuesday was better than waiting until Wednesday. We quickly packed up and headed 254 miles to Tombstone, Arizona. We would have loved to stay at another harvest host, but most of them do not offer electricity and with temperatures hitting low 90’s we needed AC. Our site at the state park where we were scheduled to stay starting Wednesday, was occupied so we ended up staying at Tombstone RV Park and campground. We quickly set up and headed into Tombstone for the afternoon.

If you’re a fan of the old west history, then you know the stories of the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. We were able to view the office where the newspaper, The Tombstone Epitaph, was printed, a 25-minute histogram and of course a reenactment of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. My father-in-law used to tell me when we went somewhere rich in history to try and picture yourself living in that era. That was easy to do as they have a lot of people walking around town dressed like it was the 1880’s and they try to replicate what it looked like in the restaurants and shops. It was a fun experience and of course we had to stop at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and belly up to the bar to wash down the trail dust. Big Nose Kate was a Hungarian born American outlaw, gambler, prostitute and was the longtime companion and common law wife of old west gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday.  She is the only women with whom Holliday is known to have had a relationship with. The saloon did not disappoint with bartenders and waitresses dressed to the late 1800's era.

The mornings seem to offer the least amount of wind, so we headed to Tuscon only 90 miles Wednesday morning. We are staying at the Catalina State Park located in the Oro Valley. Since we were so early we had to wait for our site but while we waited, we were amused by the ground squirrels running around and we got to see our first roadrunner. The views of the Santa Catalina Mountains are beautiful. It's hard to believe that this park was closed from June 7, 2020 through August 2, 2020 due to a fire that was ignited by lightening. It is one of the 10 largest wildfires in Arizona history, burning for 6 weeks and consuming 119,987 acres.

We experienced red flag warnings (conditions are highly conducive to rapid fire spread)

 and dust storm warnings (with directions on what to do in a dust storm).

While on I-10 in New Mexico, the road was closed and everyone had 

to go through a border patrol inspection.

They input our license plate number and then waved us on.

Tombstone, Arizona

The town's population surged following a silver rush in 1877 and by 1881, 

it had become a booming mining town. In 1881, it was estimated

 the population was between 4-5 thousand and some reports 

have it at as much as 13,000 by the mid 1800's. The Idea 

was even tossed around at that time of making it the state capitol.

Actual site of the gun fight. The mannequins are positioned as noted in a diagram that 

Wyatt Earp drew as part of the testimony given in the murder trial that was held after the shootout.

Reenactment 

Lots of displays at the museum - this is the cowboy bathtub.

Prostitute's Crib

Prostitution was legal in 1881. "Soiled Doves" worked in cribs

like this one. They charged $.25 - $1.00 and the more ambitious

doves would entertain up to 80 men a day!

The Bird Cage Theatre operated intermittently from December 1881 to 1894.

When the silver mines closed, the theatre also closed.

Tombstone Courthouse

Cochise County was created by a vote of the citizens in 1881, with

Tombstone being the county seat. It served as the county facility until 1931

when the county seat moved to Bisbee.

Inside Big Nose Kate's Saloon

How she became Big Nose Kate is up for debate. Some say

she had a big nose, others say she stuck her nose into other peoples' business.

Catalina State Park

We enjoyed a little hike on Thursday afternoon, the 

temperatures were in the low 80's, more to our liking.

This cactus was incredible.

The round-tailed ground squirrels are everywhere.

The trails underground must be very extensive as they

would go in one hole and out another and run into another.

We finally saw a roadrunner.

Sunset in the park

We met up with one of my best friends from HS Pixie and 

her husband Joe at Tohono Chul. They are longtime residents

of Tucson. 

Tohono Chul is a botanical garden, gallery and bistro.

Unfortunately, they have had such little rain this winter

 there weren't many flowers blooming yet. 

Tohono Chul had many nature trails and gardens.

There were several plein air painters, I wish I had my paints with me.

Dinner at Bottega Michelangelo.