I was about 25 yards ahead of Rob and as I went around a curve in the trail, I came upon three Javelinas just hanging out. I immediately hit the breaks and they immediately took off running. Rob did not get to see them but we could both smell them. We also saw quite a few deer and the butterflies were all over the place.
After we finished our run, we decided to gather the girls and go for a drive.
Our first stop was Coronado National Memorial.
The Coronado National Memorial commemorates the first organized expedition into the Southwest by conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. The memorial is located in a natural setting on the international border on the southeast flank of the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The memorial confirms the ties that bind the United States and Mexico.
The road to the visitor center continues to the top of Montezuma Pass. Once you leave the center, the road becomes unpaved and winding. The drive is slow and a bit unnerving but the views from the top are awesome. You can see well into Mexico from the south side of the parking area and well into the US from the north. There are trails throughout the area but dogs are not allowed. We enjoyed our views and then headed out of the park.
NE VIEW. THE WHITE BIT THAT LOOKS LIKE RIBBON IS THE ROAD. THE FENCE LINE BETWEEN THE US AND MEXICO IS VISIBLE FROM THE TOP
Since dogs were not allowed, we did not spend a lot of time at Coronado. We had not planned on a big hike so no worries.
We left Coronado and made our way to Bisbee, AZ.
Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880. The area continued to thrive as a mining town and in 1917, open pit mining was introduced to meet the copper demands of WWI. In other words, Bisbee has some really big holes in and around the area.
THE LAVENDER PIT
4000FT WIDE, 5000FT LONG AND 850FT DEEP!
A high quality turquoise promoted as Bisbee Blue was a by-product of the copper mining. Many high-quality mineral specimens have come from Bisbee area mines and are to be found in museum collections worldwide. Some of these minerals include: Cuprite, aragonite, wulfenite, malachite, azurite, and galena.
When mining ceased, Bisbee Mayor Chuck Eads, with cooperation of Phelps Dodge, implemented development of a mine tour and historic interpretation of a portion of the world-famous Copper Queen Mine as part of an effort to create heritage tourism as another base for the economy. They worked to compensate for the economic loss due to the end of the mining industry in the area.
Community volunteers cleared tons of fallen rock and re-timbered the old workings. Eventually, this local effort came to the attention of the federal Economic Development Administration. It approved a large grant to the City of Bisbee to help the mine tour project and other improvements in downtown Bisbee; these were designed to meet tourist business needs. The Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to visitors on February 1, 1976. More than a million visitors, from all 50 states and more than 30 countries, have taken the underground mine tour train.
The town of Bisbee and its surrounding "suburbs" is very charming. I admire that they did not give up on their town. The residents found a way to keep it going through tourism.
A RESTORED POLICE AND FILLING STATION. THE TOWN OF LOWELL WAS ONCE CONSIDERED A SUBURB OF BISBEE
If you get the chance, check out Bisbee. Try to allow time for the mine tour, a bit of a walk and even lunch or dinner at one of the local restaurants. There are also a few hotels B&B type places if you wanted to stay the night.
After we'd had a good look at Bisbee, we drove to Tombstone, AZ.
Tombstone is a historic city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879, by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. The town prospered from about 1877 to 1890, during which time the town's mines produced US$40 to $85 million in silver bullion, the largest productive silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than seven years. It is best known as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and now draws most of its revenue from tourism.
The town was established on a mesa above the Tough Nut Mine. Within two years of its founding, although far distant from any other metropolitan area, Tombstone boasted a bowling alley, four churches, an ice house, a school, two banks, three newspapers, and an ice cream parlor, alongside 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, and numerous dance halls and brothels. All of these were situated among and on top of a large number of dirty, hardscrabble mines. The gentlemen and ladies of Tombstone attended operas presented by visiting acting troupes at the Schieffelin Hall opera house, while the miners and cowboys saw shows at the Bird Cage Theatre, "the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast".
When you enter Tombstone, you cannot help but think "cowboy." The main street is dirt and only horses, stagecoaches and pedestrians are allowed. It is a tourist spot but, once again, good on the folks who figured out how to keep the town alive. There are various attractions, shops, saloons and eateries.
Open carry is not an issue here. We saw dozens of men with holstered guns. Some were dressed cowboy style and some were Harley riders. We also stopped and had a chat with three true blue State Marshalls. It is hard to distinguish between who is playing prop to the tourism side of the town and who just wants to carry a pistol in a holster.
As we were walking down Main Street, we saw four men walking towards us. It quickly became clear that they were participants in the redo of the Gunfight At OK Corral.
THE GUNFIGHTERS
Tombstone, AZ has a very colorful history and the town has worked to share that history with visitors.
We had a good walk around the town and then got the girls back into the car. We had made a fairly large loop on our Sunday drive and were headed back to the RV.
As we were driving, we came to a bridge crossing the San Pedro river. We looked down and saw that there was actually water in the river. In most places, you expect to see water in rivers but in the desert southwest, not so much. Many, many rivers are dry for long periods of time. The lack of rain and the very arid climate makes for dry creeks and riverbeds.
We crossed the bridge and pulled over. Penny Lane had never been swimming in the San Pedro so we let her have a bit of a play in the water.
THE RIVER
WATER AND A STICK....DOG HEAVEN
AN OASIS
The river does not run wide or deep but the water is cold and clear. Trees line both sides and it is clear from a distance that you are coming to water because the area away from the river is brown and dry.
After a bit of play time, we headed home. We finished our Easter Sunday with a wonderful meal outside and spent the rest of our evening relaxing with the girls.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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