Tucson to Tombstone to Gila Bend

Well the next morning there was no sign of the rain from the previous evening and I headed out for Tombstone. I had a great breakfast at the saloon..Bone in ham and eggs...I won't need to eat for a week.

After breakfast I kind of walked up and down and took in the sights. I was rather disappointed though, in that everything you wanted to do required money. There were cowboys on every corner and they all wanted you to take their ride and go to their gun show or their museum or their mine tour or their theatre. I think I chose wisely and took the trolley ride and the gunfight in Helldorado town but was disappointed again as not only did I pay 10.00 for each but then they requested tips. And the gunfight was not at all about the gunfight in the OK corral..that was another show. This is one of the stagecoaches you could ride.

This is another saloon that some movies were shot in and the courthouse but you had to pay to go in it also.

 

I wandered up and down and took a few more pictures and then I took the trolley ride which gave me an idea of what I was looking at as we had a great running commentary by Lee Tremelkin who has been in quite a few of the western movies such as Young riders and Young Guns and in the new Lone Ranger movie coming out with Johnny Dep as Tonto. Looking foward to that one.

 

 

 

 

 

The corvette car club had come for the day and there were a lot of pretty nice cars in the row. A little out of place in this quaint western town though.

 

The next is the Buford house

And the trolley took us to Boothill Graveyard which was free to get in behind the Ocotillo cactus fence but they did request a donation.

After the trolly ride I again headed over to Helldorado town to take in their gunfight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also saw the Crystal Palace, Big Nose Kate's Saloon, Birdman Patches but they were closed,and the Birdseye Theatre.

 

 

 

 

I had seen just about everything and wanted to get on the road so headed out but did stop at Wyatt Earp house and art gallery.

 

 

 

I left and headed west on 82 taking a different route back to the interstate I 10. I stopped in a little place called Sonoita for lunch. Only 30 miles to Nogales. Happy to head north as I felt that was as close to Mexico as I needed to go.

 

Once back on I 10 I stopped at a rest area to see where I was at and where I was going..One has to do that once in awhile.

 

 

 

Once I figured that out I went through Tucson on the Interstate and then turned on to I 8 towards Yuma to avoid the Phoenix area as my friends were still up here in Canada. Finally after battling a rather fierce wind I decided to stay in Gila Bend. I went to the Best Western and found out it was $101.00 for the night. I hemmed and hawed but finally took it as I did not think I would make it another 35 miles and did not know what lay ahead. Well I got $10.00 for breakfast the next day and had a wonderful evening swim in their warm and delightful pool with the birds singing in the palms. One of the better evenings on my journey.

 

POOL

Tomorrow I hope to finish my trip so will move on to Joshua Tree Monument and Palm Springs for my next episode.