Arizona: Tucson And Beyond
Hello everyone…it’s good to be back posting adventures for you! It’s been a few months of busy work and changes. I did have a spot carved out to take a trip to Arizona and I would love to share everything I encountered! Let’s hit it!!
If Arizona hasn’t been on your radar as a place to visit, then check your compass and recompute! Arizona has beautiful scenery and really great history that you can delve into. My wife and I got purposefully lost in this rather, “Well-0ff,” neighborhood and not only were the homes impressive, but the photo on the left was part of their backdrop. This was just outside of Tucson city limits.
Speaking of history, ever seen the movie Tombstone? Well, some of those portrayed in that movie are buried in the Boot Hill Cemetary in Tombstone, Arizona. There is a modest fee to get in and you get some, “Theater,” from the person receiving your payment, as to who and what you might see on these hallowed grounds. There is some humor to be had with some of the epitaphs written on the grave markers. Some may not be politically correct but, for their time, that’s how things were expressed. There are quite a few graves in this cemetary and it might take you about an hour to go through it. Of course, at the end of your self-guided tour, you will have to go through a rather large gift shop to get back to the parking lot. In all the years I’ve traveled, I have honed my purchases to one thing, maybe two. For sure I get a magnate for our refrigerator to commensurate where we’ve been or, some sort of apparel, be it hat or shirt. That’s it. But if it’s your first time to Arizona, drop some cash in the Boot Hill gift shop and pick-up a nice remembrance of this stop!
There is the old part of Tombstone that is approximately 3 square blocks that are blocked off so no auto traffic can pass through. Most of the buildings are from the late 1800s and have been taken care of throughout the years. Most of them house more modern businesses with words that are not from that time, in that place. Words like, Latte, Corn Dogs and Pizza. We were there early and not allot of people were out and about then which made it great to sort of take our time and explore. They will have gun fights in the street and will reenact the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral. They have mine tours as well. You can immerse yourself as much as you can stand in a place like this and get a feel for how things were done back in the late 1800s.
Even back in the late 1800s, the good folks in Tombstone had their view of politicians and what they spewed when they came to town. Make your way to Tombstone, delight in its history and lore. There are a couple of places to stay if’n you really wanted to fully immerse yourselves in all that is Tombstone.
If the adventure in you drove you to strike it rich by owning a mine, then a Mine Tour would be an excellent way to learn about the intricacies of that world and, on a separate note, is a nice way to beat the Tombstone heat for about an hour, should your travels bring you there in the Summer. We were there in mid-May and we got up passed the century mark, I can imagine what true Summer temps would be. I absolutely recommend booking your travel plans for the Winter months. Do some research and you’ll agree. You will definitely leave Tombstone richer, in knowledge of its history, than you were before.
Well, I think that will do for this entry. I hope you enjoyed a little bit of Tombstone! When we will meet next, I will share a couple more places that were apart of a loop we went on, starting in Tombstone. There are so many remarkable places to visit in Arizona that, well, the list is way too big to post here. Arizona will continue to be on my radar to return once again and adventure in all its awesomeness! I will also bring you some examples of some of the wildlife I photographed while exploring, mostly birds but a few other species as well. In the mean time, take care of yourselves and each other. Be kind, be thoughtful and…be curious. Travel well!
