Tombstone & Kartchner Caverns

Today we went to Tombstone - site of the fight at OK Coral. I think the thing that surprised me the most, is that despite it being set up for tourists and the main historical street being still compacted dirt (still better than many roads in our area) - Tombstone is still a community and people still actually live there. (How cool would that be)?

It was a really interesting town and I spent waaay too much money - but I picked up some stuff for myself and some for people back home. Another day like to today and I am done for picking up bits and pieces for other people! Though, to be honest, I am only picking stuff up when I see something I know they'll like - I'm really not going out and hunting for this person or that.

The first stop was Boothill Cemetery - the original Tombstone Graveyard. The Clantons are burried here - the brothers shot by Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. I'm sure Mary thinks I'm just saying it (she's never been that impressed by it) - but standing where such memorable history was made is really cool. Even so - it's not a place to spend hours and hours in - and the afternoon held more plans.

On to Kartchner Caverns. We kinda missed our turn-off since we did the right thing and stopped at a border patrol - but they were right at where we needed to turn and we were paying attention to them, and not the other side of the road. We got looked at and waved on - and went about 5 miles up the road before we knew we'd gone too far - so we doubled back and there was the turn off - right opposite the border patrol stop (too busy sussing out the boys in uniform, no doubt). We turned up there (no doubt looking like people avoiding them) - but they were smarter - about 4 miles up the road from the turn off, was another patrol. They waved us right on through too. I guess our violent whiteness didn't interest them too much! (We were only spitting distance from the border).

These caves are very similar to the Janolan caves in the Blue Mountains (earlier blog went into my visit there). But the thing that's really cool here, of course - is that the caves need the water to be alive and growing (which these are) - and we're in the middle of the desert. So they're growing very slowly at this point in their lives - but growing they are. Photography wasn't allowed, so I had to make do with postcards which I will scan and add to this when I can.

I'm really glad that tomorrow I get to sloth around the house - poor Mary - full weekend and then back to work. I really feel for her - it's what I did while Marketa and Roman were here and while you wouldn't change it for all the world - it doesn't make it any less exhausting!