From Kartchner Caverns to Tombstone

After our relaxing week in Yuma, we moved to the campus of the Arizona School of Health Sciences, where Roger teaches PA students each year. We stayed two days, but this time it was so Roger could go "back to school" himself. Every two years most physicians must recertify their training in acute cardiac life support, or ACLS. Roger's friend and fellow faculty member, Bob McMullen, graciously offered to bring him up-to-date on the procedures and drugs. So, with the help of several student friends, Roger spent the day in class and lab, repeatedly saving the life of "SimMan", to the relief of everyone involved.

Speaking of "cardiac support", Roger's "valentine" to Meg: a heart-shaped cherimoya. Mark Twain described the cherimoya as "deliciousness itself!" Try one sometime.

I did follow up with a marvelous meal at the Outside Inn, a small family-owned restaurant in Sierra Vista which specializes in a small, but extremely flavorful menu. Highly recommended!

We moved the next morning to Kartchner Caverns State Park, home of one of the country's newest and best cave experiences. We took two different tours of the caverns and spent more time hiking the surrounding mountains and, of course, geocaching. This state park is within 10 miles south of I-10 and west of Benson, so it's within easy range of most travelers on this route. Check out the virtual tour on the link above if you like.

Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista, Arizona were our home for the next week, and we used the time to explore them and the neighboring towns of Tombstone and Bisbee. One of the distinctive "treats" of our lifestyle is the enjoyment of local color and flavors. We had a great steak dinner at the Sierra Vista VFW, and attended a high school band performance of a wonderful patriotic concert in conjunction with the Army Band from Fort Huachuca.

We hiked the hills and valleys of Fort Huachuca, noting the unusual birds of the area, and visiting the site of Indian pictographs in Garden Canyon.

These decorate the ceiling of a small cave in the wall behind where Meg is standing. They are assumed to be several hundred years old.

Within thirty miles of Fort Huachuca are the old towns of Tombstone and Bisbee. Tombstone has been popularized in many movies and the town majors on replaying "the gunfight" for all who will watch. The most popular reenactment is at the actual site of the O.K. Corral, and is theatrically quite well done. We had a great time exploring, reading the signs, watching Wyatt Earp with brothers Morgan and Virgil, along with Doc Holliday, fight Ike and Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, and then visiting the graves of three of them at Boothill Cemetery. and finding a few geocaches in the area, as well.

Another day we spent exploring the old mining town of Bisbee. It has beautiful old period houses built on the sides of the hills, where, as one old-timer so well put it: "you can spit off your porch down your neighbor's chimney!"

Bisbee was a center of copper-mining, as well as gold and silver, and at one time was one of the wealthiest towns in the country. The mining of copper left Bisbee with one of its most distinctive features: the Lavender Pit. It's over 900 feet deep and pictures do not do it justice. Awesome!

After a full week of exploring, we were ready to move on toward Texas.