Tombstone, AZ

Remember the scene in High Noon when the streets are empty, waiting for the gunfight at twelve o'clock sharp?

Well, we started our trip early on in Tombstone. What an interesting and fun town, which was established in 1877. Billed as "The Town Too Tough to Die," it is truly a Historical American Landmark. Tombstone is America's best example of our early western heritage. It is well preserved in Tombstone's original 1880's buildings (not a stage-prop town) and artifacts featured in numerous museums.

We were there the end of May, before the kids get out of school, so there was hardly a soul on the street, except the usual suspects: stagecoach driver, dance hall girls at the Bird Cage Theatre, roaming the streets, looking for customers, etc. It reminded me of the scene portenting doom.

We took the Tombstone Trolley tour around the city to hear all the interesting facts. In its heyday, this mining town brought in $22 million a day! Home of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson, it was famous for the Gunfight at the OK Corral. At the trolley site, we met a gentleman, in his 80's, who retired here after traveling the country, playing Abe Lincoln in a one-man show. He did resemble the President.

We asked where the locals ate and ended up at the Depot Restaurant, four blocks from the tourist area. We can vouch for the beer on tap, the chili and the patti melt and onion rings. Remember, this is the start of our three-week vacation. So, we ate whatever we wanted. Met another couple who was on the trolley and overheard us asking the driver about a good restaurant. The first question this Florida couple asked us was, "What's the price of gasoline in California." At that time, it was under $4 here, over $4 there. More on gasoline in my next post.