Seven Day Roadtrip Through Arizona and New Mexico.

They say you experience every trip three times. First when you dream it. Second when you experience it. Third when you remember it. I’ve been wanting to take a road trip through the southern desert of Arizona and New Mexico for several years. It seems like things just got in the way and I kept putting it off. Finally, I decided to set a date and stick with it.

I am a big history buff and love reading about the Old West. This sojourn would focus on seeing Tombstone and the Billy the Kid haunts.

Initially a good friend of mine was on board for the adventure. As the time approached he became less committed. I considered cancelling , but decided that if I let this trip go, I’d likely never plan it again. I decided to go alone!

A few weeks later my brother called me and said that he would like to go. He would have to fly home a bit early, but was on board to see an area that he had never seen before.

Day 1

It seems when I get ready for a vacation there is always something that pops up to make things harder than it should be. A week prior to flying out I was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming hiking when I was hit with kidney stones! I’d never had them before and it was the most painful thing I had ever gone through. They had eased a little after going to Instacare, but the night before I was scheduled to fly from Salt Lake City to Phoenix they returned with a vengeance. I could easily see that the amount of money I was spending on the trip was far from being the most painful part. Luckily I still had some painkillers that the doctor had prescribed to me, so I decided to take them and get on the plane!

It was a beautiful October 8, 2019 morning when I hobbled onto the Delta Airliner with my brother. I was definitely not my best as I tried to sit still in my seat. It was a short hour and twenty minute flight, but felt twice that. I was very relieved when the Pilot announced our descent into Phoenix.

It was closing in on 90 degrees. I’d been to the Phoenix Sky Harbor once before. It is pretty large. I found getting to the rental car was far more of a chore than I would have expected. The rental building was a couple of miles away and we had to take a crowded shuttle bus. Luckily picking up the silver Hyundai was pretty easy and in no time we were on the road, ready for frequent bathroom breaks in hopes of passing a couple of stones.

I was raised LDS, though I am no ,longer active. I still am close to some of its culture, so we decided to take an exit and drive over to the Mesa LDS Temple to see it. It was a bit disappointing. The area of town was more rundown than I expected and the entire grounds were under construction, so all we could see was piles of dirt and construction trucks.

A few minutes later, we were back on the freeway, heading southeast on I-10 towards Tucson. The land was so different, so barren, so beautiful. The tall cacti were peppered throughout the low rolling hills and desert. I deliberately wanted to fly into Phoenix and rent the car there for a few reasons. First is that is was cheaper. I also wanted to see a little bit of Phoenix since I had only visited the airport before. Lastly and more importantly, I was looking forward to the drive.

Tucson

We arrived in Tucson around 1 pm. The temperature sat at 96 degrees. I didn’t make the time to explore much, but there was a place we really wanted to see and that was the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The building that stands today was constructed between 1783 and 1797, but the mission actually dates back to 1692. It has become a pilgrimage for many people and boasts about 200,000 annual visitors.

It is a stunning example of early U.S. Spanish Colonial architecture, both inside and outside. Ten miles south of downtown Tucson, the area still feels quiet and isolated,much like it probably was 300 years ago. Next to the parking lot there are a few food concession stands run by the local native-american tribe. I bought some water to soften the heat and help move through my kidney stones.

Inside it was surprisingly cool in comparison to the outside. The walls are nearly six feet thick with rock and lime. There is still an undeniably holy ambiance throughout. Outside the temps continued to hover around 100 as we took a quick hike up the hill next to it to see a tomb and to look down on the Mission to the west and the city to the north.

The air conditioning in the car was welcomed as we headed back to I-10 for the remaining 72 miles to Tombstone. The terrain changed only slightly on the drive. We climbed in elevation, but the temperature stayed in the upper 90’s. We left the freeway and took State Highway 80 with about 23 miles to go.

It was interesting to observe life the closer you get to the border of Mexico. Tombstone lies about 30 miles north. About a mile north of Tombstone we passed a border patrol stopping point for those heading northbound. Their were officers and dogs waiting for every vehicle to be inspected. In Utah I am used to hearing about immigration and border issues, but it was different to actually see the operations. It was a strange feeling knowing that this is everyday life down here.

Tombstone

The first thing I noticed driving into the town of Tombstone was the Boothill Cemetery on the left. It was a stern reminder that many people lost their lives in the “town too tough to die.” My first priority was to find my hotel. The town is so small it wasn’t very hard to locate Wyatt’s Hotel. It sets less than a block from historic Allen Street and was decorated in old west furnishings. The second floor room looked like we had stepped right back in time, except of course for the television mounted on the wall. Despite my discomfort from the stones, we were ready to start exploring the town where I would spend the next three nights.

It doesn’t take long to walk through downtown, but it is well worth it to take your time. Each place offers some sort of interesting little tidbit. Most of the building date back to the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. Sadly fire has destroyed Tombstone on more than one occasion. They rebuild fast, however.

We were pretty hungry as it was getting later in the afternoon, so we picked a restaurant that would be representative of the area. We had hope for some good Mexican food, but we were informed that there weren’t any good ones in town. Right on the corner of Allen Street and Fifth sets the Crystal Palace Saloon.

Originally built as the Golden Eagle Brewery in 1879, it then burned in the great fire of 1882. It was rebuilt as the Crystal Palace Saloon that same year. It looks much the same today as it did then. Inside is a giant, beautiful bar that runs nearly the entire side of the room. It’s easy to imagine a bunch of cowboys siding up to it asking for some whiskey.

My brother had some homemade chili, which he loved and I had a burger (not the best choice with kidney stones). It was definitely very tasty.

There really isn’t much to do after 5:00 on Allen Street. With the exception of a few bars and eateries, the town closes up. Ironically that is the exact opposite of what the town would have been like one hundred and forty years ago. When the sun goes down, however, the feeling of walking the streets takes on a more sinister feel. The fighting couples and lone wandering drunks don’t seem quite as inviting.

Luckily, the historic Birdcage Theatre was sponsoring some late night ghost investigations. This is right up my alley, as I love the paranormal. This old theatre has been standing since 1881 and is known as one of the most haunted places in the American West.

There was already a feeling of foreboding as we waited in the front room of the Birdcage for the tour to begin. Surrounding by old vintage items and relics from Tombstone’s heyday there was an uneasiness in the air. About 15 people were present as the tour guide gave some history and tour of each room. She relayed stories of Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo confronting each other at a Faro Table, which was still in its same corner. The rooms for prostitution were creepily aligned next to the Poker Room, which featured a game that ran continuously for about nine straight years!

With all the crazy events that occurred here, it’s no wonder the spirits have chosen to stay. The last half of the tour featured a session where we tried to communicate with the ghosts. Equipped with my own K2 Meter, I was ready for some dialogue.

I won’t say there was a flurry of activity, but we did have some experiences. the lady across from me had an entity pull at her ponytail. There were also a few knocks close to the old horse drawn hearse in the back of the room. My K2 Meter went off a few times with correlated with the moments the lady had her hair pulled. Overall it was a fun and slightly creepy evening…just the way I like it. My brother felt it seemed a bit too much like a seance.

After the session at the Birdcage, it was getting late and I could feel that we had really piled quite a lot into the first day. We returned to the our hotel and fell asleep pretty quickly. Tomorrow we planned to visit the OK Corral and to really see more of the history that lurks throughout the dusty desert town.