Headed for Tombstone and the OK Corral! About 1.5hrs drive on interstate I-10, with a max speed posted 75mph. Love it!
From Wikipedia:
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a 30-second gunfight between lawmen and members of a loosely organized outlaw group called the Cowboys. It is generally regarded as the most famous shootout in the history of the American Wild West. The gunfight took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona territory. It was the result of a long-simmering feud, with Cowboys Billy Claiborne, Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury on one side and town Marshal Virgil Earp, Special Policeman Morgan Earp, Special Policeman Wyatt Earp and temporary policeman Doc Holliday on the other side. All three Earp brothers had been the target of repeated death threats made by the Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers were killed. Ike Clanton, who had repeated his threats to kill the Earps just the day before, claimed he was unarmed and ran from the fight, along with Billy Claiborne. Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holliday were wounded, but Wyatt Earp was unharmed. The fight has come to represent a period in American Old West when the frontier was virtually an open range for outlaws, largely unopposed by law enforcement officers, who were spread thin over vast territories, leaving some areas unprotected.
We arrived and easily found a park. The town is not very big but there are many attractions to see. Entry is free. We started walking up the street and a touter was calling out about the trolley tour leaving and we thought that was a good idea, so we raced down and climbed aboard. The tour guide knew an encyclopaedia's worth of historical information and I found that especially helpful! People in period costume abound in the streets. We finished the trolley tour and went to watch the Cowboy Gunfight. They 'hammed' it up a bit to make it light entertainment, not to detract from the reason for Tombstone's existence. It was hilarious and we enjoyed it, sitting in the shade with a cold beer (thank goodness, because, yep you guessed it) - it was hot!
We went to 'Big Nosed Kate's Saloon' for lunch. A guy on guitar playing all the old favourites really well, cold beer and some 'entertainment' - 'Kate' approached our table and offered for us to 'dress up' and have photos taken on our own devices for free if we were so inclined.... Then we would have to tip them. One lady, three sheets to the wind, was up on the bar waving around a magnum of champagne, singing and dancing with glee. Hilarious! Another example of the wonderful effects of beer.....
Before long, several hours had passed and it was time to leave. Would recommend a visit to anyone who would be interested in seeing/learning about this era. A fabulous day!
The mountains, being lit up by the sun in the afternoon.
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