Tucson, Arizona

February 1 - March 1, 2009

Voyager RV Resort, Tucson, Arizona

Here we are in Tucson, Arizona, birthplace of Beverly Ann Luckraft. The atmosphere here is much more to my liking. We've spent a couple of days exploring the city...you know, finding the malls and grocery stores. They say there is only one highrise in Tucson. We haven't found it yet.

These RV resorts in the southwest (and there are a lot of them) are really geared for retired people with activity centers were you can join in on everything from crafts to sports to singing, etc. There are pools and pickleball courts, horseshoe pits, tennis courts and some (including this one) even have golf courses. Upon arrival we received a pamphlet about 12 pages thick of activities and special events occurring during our stay. And, so far we haven't had time to take advantage of anything!

We spent a "tourist" day visiting Bisbee and Tombstone.

Bisbee in located in the Mule Mountains of southeastern Arizona and was a booming mining community with one of the richest mineral deposits in the world. History clings to the hillside as do many houses of Bisbee. The well preserved Victorian architecture now houses stores, art galleries, cafes and restaurants.

We went by and through the Copper Queen Hotel, where Ken spent a night many years ago on a business trip for Digital. Opened in 1902, the Copper Queen is Arizona’s oldest continually running hotel. It is known to be haunted by three ghosts and has been featured on the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters episode "Spirits of the Old West".

You can't leave Bisbee without visiting the Queen Copper Mine. In 100 years of continuous production before the mines closed in 1975, they produced metals valued at $6.1 billion (at 1975 price), one of the largest production valuations of all the mining districts in the world. This staggering amount of wealth came from the estimated production of 8 billion pounds of copper, 2.8 million ounces of gold, 77 million pounds of silver, 30 million pounds of lead, and
371 million pounds of zinc!

We, of course, took the tour into the mine, traveling 1500 feet inside the mountain, which is only the tip of the 2,500 miles of tunnels contained in the mine.

More than 1 million visitors have toured the mine since it opened as a tourist attraction in 1976.
Currently, about 50,000 people, visitors from all 50 states and ore than 30 countries, tour the Queen Mine each year.

Next Stop: Tombstone, the "Town Too Tough To Die":

Truly a (an?) historical American landmark, Tombstone is America's best example of the 1880 western heritage, which is well preserved with original 1880's buildings and artifacts featured in numerous museums.

Tombstone was perhaps the most renowned of Arizona's old mining camps. When Ed Schieffelin (SHEF·e·lin) came to Camp Huachuca (hwah·CHEW·kuh) with a party of soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades told him that he'd find his tombstone rather than silver. Thus, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted this name. Over the course of 7 years the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold before rising underground waters forced suspension of operations.

Days of lawlessness and violence climaxed with the infamous Earp-Clanton battle, fought near the rear entrance of the O.K. Corral, on October 26, 1881.

Of course, we had to see the "gunfight" shows offered at least every hour. Those gunshots were really LOUD!!!

While at the "gunfight show", three Mexicans approached Ken and I and one of them offered Ken two pesos and a three-legged horse for "the yellow-haired lady". First of all, we now know it's time to do my hair again and secondly, I think I'm worth more than that!!! Thank goodness Ken held his ground and wouldn't let me go that cheap!

Walking down Allen Street, it isn't hard to squint your eyes and imagine how the town must have looked back in the glory days of the old west.

Near one end of the street, you will find the famous Bird Cage Theater, standing much as it did over 100 years ago. In the 1880s it was not only a theater, but also served as a saloon, gambling hall and brothel. The New York Times called it, "the wildest, roughest, wickedest honky tonk between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." That statement was well deserved, since the Bird Cage was the scene for twenty-six deaths during its eight years of business.

And, of course, you can't leave Tombstone without a stop at Boothill Graveyard, just north of town.

Boothill, a name given to the frontier cemetery because most of its early occupants died with their boots on. Like the old saying, "There ain't many tears shed at a Boothill burying and it is full of fellers that pulled their triggers before aiming."
We saw the final resting place of Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom McLaury, victims of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (really in the alley behind the corral) on October 26, 1881.

Boothill was also the final resting place for men, women and children not so notorious.

However, we are reminded of our mortality in the words written on the stone of Frank Bowles, who died in 1880 from an infection caused by an accidental gunshot to his knee, "As You Pass By Remember That As You Are So Once Was I And As I Am You Soon Will Be. Remember Me"

And, with that, goodbye to Tombstone and Boothill.

We finally got to play Arizona National Golf Course after missing out the first day as a college tournament went overtime. What a beautiful course set in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains adjacent to Coronado National Forest. Arizona National is a challenging course with A LOT of bunkers.

It's a beautiful course with many holes surrounded only by arroyos and craggy rock outcroppings. On the 10th hole we saw not one but two mountain lions; on the 13th hole a wolf decided to lay out in the sun on the tee box after we had teed off; and there were rabbits everywhere (I think they were multiplying as we were playing!!) We definitely hope to go back to this course before we leave the Tucson area.

We are booked here in Tucson until March 1st as our Phoenix destination contacted us to let us know it could not accommodate our 40' coach. So, plans are up in the air now as to how long we will stay here and if we will stop at all in Phoenix. But, there's still so much we want to do here. And, for that reason, I think I'll break this blog up into a few sections...don't want to put anyone to sleep reading it!! See you next week, again, from Tucson!!