Here we are hooked up and ready to roll.
We arrived in Tombstone that evening, probably around 5:30 or so. After setting up camp, we headed into town and up Allen street to the Longhorn Restaurant. The Longhorn is situated in an historic building and features some of the best grub in town. The have anything from burgers to steaks - and pretty much anything in between. After a good meal, we headed back to our camp and settled in for the night.Before leaving for Arizona, we looked for a church where we might be able to worship while on the road. The First Baptist Church in Tombstone has a new pastor - and a new website. We had overlooked them before, but after having found their website and explored their veracity, we decided to go to attend there Sunday morning. Now, unless you have been to Tombstone, you won't understand the culture there. Pretty much everyone in town dresses up as 'reinactors', complete with 1880's style clothing, etc. Upon arriving at the church building, we say several folks coming to church in their old time garb! It was different, but very very cool. The folks there made us feel very much at home and the message was very good. Being Father's day, the pastor gave a bit of a different twist for the message theme. The text was from Luke - the prodigal son. Rather than focusing on the misbehaven child, the pastor focused on the actions of the father. All in all, a very good message. After services, we stuck around and chatted with a couple from the church. G.T. and Regina were very friendly. We talked to them about what we had seen on their website, how we were glad to see a church of like faith and order in Tombstone. Otherwise, we would not have attended. Anyhow, here's a picture of the church.
On Monday the 22nd, we headed down to Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee is about 25 miles south of Tombstone and is the home of the Copper Queen hotel and mine. This town was built as a result of the discovery of copper. It is a very historical town, with many buildings dating back to the 1800's. We spent most of the day in Bisbee, exploring the museums and sucking up on some good Mexican food at a place named Santiago's. Here's a picture of one of the main streets through old town Bisbee.
On Tuesday, we took a trip to the town of Fairbank. Fairbank is a true ghost town, with it's only resident being a caretaker, who's responsibility it is to make sure nobody defaces or destroys any of the property. Fairbank was established as a railroad town, the town being built on either side of the tracks. Although the tracks are no longer present, part of the roadbed is, along with several structures that have survived. Here's a picture of the roadbed.
The structure below is an old house. There was a sign that advised us to stay back because of a rattlesnake infestation. Sandy wouldn't get close to it. I on the other hand, am not nearly as bright as my lovely wife. Therefore, I strode directly up the walk and onto the porch, thus proving two things - #1 - I'm a bit stupid and #2 - there were no rattlesnakes in evidence. So much for signs.
Here is a picture of the lovely Sandy, standing in front of what used to be the hotel/railway station. She is standing on the old roadbed.
And here I am coming out of another supposedly rattlesnake infested building. This particular building was an old stable.
Addendum - 07-16-2009. I found this little piece of information concerning Fairbank. From ghosttowns.com, "At the time of the Earp/Clanton/McLaury gunfight near the OK Corral Fairbank, Arizona was the railroad rail-head nearest to Tombstone. Following Virgil's ambushing and Morgan Earp's murder in early 1882, it was at Fairbank's train depot that the Earp clan boarded the train with Morgan's body for the trip to California via Tucson". So, if you have ever seen the movie 'Tombstone' and remember when Wyatt Earp kills Stillwell and tells Ike Clanton to "run you cur", this would have historically taken place at the depot in Fairbank.
After leaving Fairbank, we headed over to another town, Gleeson. Gleeson is known as a 'semi-ghost' town. There are a number of residents in this community, many of them occupying buildings that should have collapsed years ago. Most of the town is privately owned, so exploration is out of the question. However, they can't put me in jail for taking pictures, right? So, here's a picture of me in jail.
Of course, they nabbed Sandy too. Poor thing . . . she looks like she just lost her best friend. As for me, I picked up a few friends while in the slammer.
Okay, all kidding aside, here are a couple of pictures of Gleeson.
On Wednesday, we decided to take a trip to see Cochise' stronghold. What's that? It's basically a rocky, mountainous area where the Apache Cochise held off the pale faces. As long as he stayed in this very rugged area, it was impossible for the Cavalry to root him out. He was able to thumb his nose at authority for a number of years. They never did 'capture' him. He came of his own volition. You have to admire that kind of grit and determination. Anyway, we spoke to someone familiar with the area and asked for directions (yes, I can take direction when it is truly in my best interest :-). There are a couple of trails that can be taken. One is a bit shorter and is suitable for grandma's sedan. The other is longer - about 11 miles - and requires four wheel drive for part of the trip. Hey, guess which one we took? Good guess!! Here's a pic or two of the rock formations. Can you imagine going in there after a wild savage? Suicide! As a side note, Sandy is part Apache. Hmmm . . . good thing I have no hair . . .
Before departing on this trip, while conversing with the before mentioned advisor, we were cautioned to not take the more desolate route unless we carried plenty of water - and firearms. We were up to the task on both counts, beings as we rarely travel unarmed. In this case, the comfort of being armed was particularly welcome. Remember, the route we have chosen to take is very remote. We would not have expected to see another soul after leaving the main dirt road. About 5 miles into our trip, we came upon a van sitting about 50 yards off of the road. Although I was a bit surprised, I wasn't particularly alarmed. About 1/4 mile farther on, we came upon a pickup truck, again about 50 yards off of the trail. The doors were open but nobody was there. Another 1/4 mile down the road, we found another van. This one was only 25 yards off of the road and had shotgun and bullet holes in it. The doors were open and it was evident that it had not been there long. So what do we do? I drove past this vehicle with a bit of fear in the pit of my stomach, but my conscience was more than I could bear. I pulled about 100 yards down the road, left the truck idling with Sandy inside, grabbed a revolver and went to investigate. Of course, Sandy thought I was nuts and maybe I was, but I could not have slept that night, wondering if I had left behind someone who needed assistance. There was no way of knowing if there was a wounded body laying in a pool of blood in the van. Only one way to find out. So off down the road I went, pistol in my hand and heart in my throat. After a cursory investigation, I found the van devoid of humans, although the evidence of recent habitation was abundant. I also found a police evidence sticker. Hmmm . . . cops already been here? Okay then. That's my que. Back to the truck and on down the road!! The whole episode kind of frightened Sandy and I think partially ruined the trip for her. That's really regrettable, because the scenery was spectacular!
On Friday it was off to Prescott. We are currently in Prescott, sitting in Boldlygo, enjoying each other's company as well as the smell of an artichoke steaming on the stove. It will be a part of our dinner, along with ribeye steak and mushrooms. Our next blog will probably come after we arrive home. We are currently planning to head home on Tuesday. We'll see where the wind blows us . . .
Every year in Bishop, California, there is a week long festival which surrounds the Memorial Day weekend. This festival is world famous and is called Mule Days. Having lived in a very small town for a few years, I fully understand how cheesy small town doings like this can be. Regardless, the residents of Bishop and the surrounding area are very proud of Mule Days - and rightly so. What 'big city' folks think of as cheesy is really just good, old fashioned, clean fun. We try to make the Mule Days parade every year. Now, this year's Mule Days parade was extra special. Why? Because BUCK WAS THERE!! Yes ladies and gentlemen, Buck got to enjoy his very first Mule Days parade! To tell the truth, he wasn't at all interested in the mules and horses. No, he was MUCH more interested in the little kids sitting around us and all of those people walking down the street. I think he thought it should be him out there. After all, it's all about Buck, right?
It was hotter than blue blazes out there on the parade route, sitting on the ground in the sun. Of course, we were able to grab bottles of water to keep ourselves hydrated and a little bit cool. Not so for Buck. He hasn't mastered drinking out of a water bottle yet. Besides, I didn't want to carry around a bunch of water for him anyhow. Solution? Make him carry his own water - and his own bowl!! Here he is with his backpack on, water bowl strapped to one side and a couple of bottles of water in the pouches. He was so self important!!
As mentioned earlier, Chris and Florica joined us on this trip. Here is a picture of them enjoying the parade.
