Bisbee and Boothill, 1/27/2020

Bisbee, AZ, is a copper mining town about 25 miles south of Tombstone. Between 1877 and 1975, 8 billion pounds of copper were mined here. While mining for copper, caches of crystals, gems, and high quality turquoise were also discovered. Today, it is a haven for artists featuring many unique shops and galleries. 

We visited the Bisbee Mining Historical Museum that features exhibits of the mining industry and history of the town with our friends, Liz and Mike. 

Here is a link to a post about the museum from 2015 (the first time we visited). 

www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5856734521345068341/3001611629152949709

 

After a lovely lunch in Bisbee, we returned to Tombstone and visited the Boothill Cemetery.  It was used from 1878 to 1884 and all types of individuals are buried here…many died a violent death or succumbed to disease. A separate part of the cemetery was used for Jewish pioneers.

Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, killed at the OK Corral, are buried here, as are Native Americans, Chinese, and many others. The cemetery fell in disrepair over the years and was restored to its original appearance in the 1920s.  

Lester Moore’s headstone says, “Four slugs, From a 44, No Les, No More.” And the second one is the grave of Stinging Lizard, Native American. 

A small fee ($3) is required to enter the graveyard. After all, tourism is the primary business today in Tombstone. A map of the graves is provided. 

A Major Roost for Sand Hill Cranes, 1/27/2020

More than 20,000 sand hill cranes winter at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area. It is located about 20 minutes from Tombstone, AZ. If you are in the area between October and March, don’t miss the opportunity to see these large birds in large numbers! We have seen many sandhill cranes in FL, but the species there is non-migratory and do not gather in such large flocks.

Interpretive signs and benches are positioned along the pathways that run through the wetlands. You will hear the sand hill cranes long before you see them. 

And then we began to see them in the distance. The mountains in the background were gorgeous. 

The cranes stand in shallow water overnight to avoid predators and then leave in the morning to forage and socialize. They return to Whitewater Draw in the afternoon. It is awesome to see them in flight!

Sandhill cranes have been around for more than 2M years. They mate for life and breed in the northern US, Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Migrating to warmer areas in the winter, they usually return to the same nest year after year. Both parents share incubation duties in nests about 40” across and 6” deep. With a wingspan of 7’, they can fly 200 miles a day. Both the Lesser (up to 4’ tall) and the Greater (up to 5’ tall) sand hill crane species winter here. 

Multiple duck species and other waterfowl also spend winter here.

Overlooks provide opportunities to view the birds up close. 

If you are in the area between October and March, don’t miss the opportunity to see these prehistoric birds in large numbers!  For additional information, go to www.azgfd.com/wildlife/viewing/wheretogo/whitewater/

 

Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die, 1/26-27/2020

Everyone who loves the Old West, should visit Tombstone, AZ!  Our last visit was in 2015 and when we were in Tucson, we knew we wanted to take a detour to travel the 80 miles south to Tombstone. Staying at Wells Fargo RV Park (again) enabled us to walk just a couple of blocks into the historic town. And our friends, Liz and Mike, joined us for a few days of our one-week stay. 

Even though we have been here before, I always find it really helpful to stop by local visitor centers. The folks that work in them are always knowledgeable and provide great info about local things to see and do. 

 

Liz (with pink shirt) and I stopped in for a wine tasting offered by Silver Strike Winery.  Nice!

And we perused some of the stores that feature southwestern decor. The guys bought a couple of cowboy hats; and, John enjoyed meeting the hard-working stagecoach horses.   

Lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon is a must when you are in Tombstone as well as cocktails at Doc Holiday’s, The Oriental Saloon and other historic bars.

The Shootout at OK Corral is re-enacted three times a day with many exhibits in the area where the actual shoot out took place. The performers do a great job and it is always fun to experience. 

The showdown was a result of several months of threats, romantic rivalries, robberies, pistol whippings and arrests between the "cowboys" and the "law" in Tombstone. The Police Chief was Virgil Earp. He deputized his brothers Wyatt and Morgan Earp as well as Wyatt's good friend, Doc Holliday, to help him deal with the cowboys who were waiting for a confrontation. Within 30 seconds 30 shots were fired and three cowboys, Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and 19-year-old Billy Clanton, were killed. Virgil and Morgan Earp were badly wounded. Doc Holliday suffered a minor hip wound. Wyatt Earp was unscathed.

 

The position of each individual involved in the actual shootout are shown in this exhibit. I was surprised to see just how close they were to each other when the shooting began. 

Our last stop was the infamous Bird Cage Theater (reportedly haunted). Initially the owner presented family-friendly shows but had to turn to more rowdy entertainment to fill the house with the locals (mostly miners). A poker game was played continuously in the basement and several prostitutes used rooms downstairs for business. Bullet holes can still be seen on the stage! 

For additional information about Tombstone, go to tombstoneweb.com. We always have fun when we visit!

Justin's Diamond J RV Park, 9/26/2019 to 1/26/2020

Rating: 3.5 on a scale of 5

Location:  We had stayed at an RV park near this one several years ago. We decided to stay here for most of the winter because miles of desert hiking trails are accessible directly from the park. Also. it is a great home base for visiting places like:

• 07 miles      Old Tucson Studios
• 09 miles      Gates Pass
• 10 miles.     Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• 15 miles      Central Tucson
• 18 miles      Saguaro Natl Park (West)
• 44 miles      Kitt Peak Natl Observatory    44 mi

 Lot:  We rented a premium lot that backed up to the desert (MV 12). It was along the rear perimeter of the park with plenty of room. We could walk right onto a trail from our site. And a huge saguaro was visible from our bedroom windows. Woodpeckers and other birds were frequently seen from here. And one night, we even had a herd of javelinas on our site!

Amenities:   The office here is only open a few hours a day (which is fine for us). Group meals and other functions are held at the clubhouse.

The lending library of books and DVDs has a great selection! 

A small, but nice, coin-operated laundry is in the same building but open more hours. 

There is also a miniature golf course that was near our lot. However, there is no grass (real or fake) and so it is a little rough going! Nonetheless, we had fun playing a couple of times.  

We were able to receive mail, packages, and Amazon deliveries here, but everything is left in the open. Having said that, we no issues with getting our mail. 

Cost:   Our premium lot was $709/month (which included electricity).

Management:   The owners here are nice enough. When we arrived, no one was at the office and there was no information left for us. I tried to reach the office but without any luck. We ended up just selecting a site and then meeting up with the manager the next day, It was not the site they had selected for us, but they did not make us move (which was great). I had made the reservations well in advance. 

General Comments:  We loved our lot here and enjoyed the “remote” location of the park. But, I do wish it had some more amenities. We would stay here again as many of the RV parks are closer to suburban and urban areas. 

Website:  www.diamondjrvparks.com

Exporing Oracle State Park, 1/08/2020

Located in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains is Oracle State Park (about 50 miles from Tucson). Once a 4,000 acres ranch, the Kannally family willed the property to the Defenders of Wildlife with the stipulation that it be used as a wildlife refuge. The property was later deeded to the Arizona State Parks Board. 

 

In 1903, brothers Neil and Lee Kannally purchased a 160-acre ranch. Three more family members (2 sisters and a brother) joined them and the ranch grew to 50,000 acres. The Kannally Ranch House is a Mediterranean Revival style building that was completed in 1932. Today it is used for environmental educational programs for the public and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Holiday decorations could be seen in some of the rooms inside. 

The ranch house featured a large kitchen and pantry. A live-in cook had rooms on the lower level. 

There are no bedrooms in the house as the Kannally siblings had their own separate cottages where they slept. The ranch house was used by all and was where they gathered for daily for meals and leisure time.

 

Beautiful wood ceilings were featured in the main living area. Also, Oracle State Park is an International Dark Sky park. A telescope is available for visitors during educational programs

There are 15 miles of hiking trails here (also mountain biking and equestrian ones). Dogs are not permitted on some trails, so we decided to check out the Nature Loop Trail (NT on map below).

We began the nature trail hike with our doggie, Sadie. Interpretive signs provide information about the flora and fauna found here. 

The trail winds through oak-grasslands where grey fox, whitetail deer, Harris hawk, western diamondback rattlesnakes, gila monsters, and more. Alas, we did not see ANY of these during our hike although we did spend some time at the wildlife viewing area enjoying the solitude and natural beauty. 

Yucca plants dominated the landscape along portions of the trail.

The bedrock in the park and surrounding foothills is known as Oracle Granite and is one of the oldest exposed bedrock in the southwest. Piles of granite boulders are prominent features here. Wanting to see more of them, we hiked the Granite Overlook Trail Loop (GO on the map above).

And, yes, there were granite boulders everywhere!

This is an entire field of more boulders.

Sadie had a blast on this trail as we did not encounter any other people on the day we visited. 

We enjoyed learning the history of the area and exploring the countryside. The trails are well marked, but not all are dog friendly. For additional information about Oracle State Park, go to www.azstateparks.com/oracle/.