Tombstone Road Trip ~ Tombstone to Home ~ Nov 11-13, 2012

Nov 11th ~ Breakfast with our same mates at the Bordello and then we're off on the journey home. We continue to make it up as we go: northwest on I10 then west on I8 towards Quartzite. When it's time for fuel (for the Honda and us) we picked a random off ramp and arrive in Tonapah, AZ (population 60). There was a little Mexican restaurant at the gas station so we decided to take a chance. Seems like the hole in the wall places have the best food. 

We're sitting across from two women, Sandy and Phyllis, who are on their way from the El Dorado to southern AZ for the winter. Sandy asked where we were from. When I said Sebastopol she got this big smile on her face and said "I grew up in Santa Rosa, my family owns Teevax Appliances". "Oh" I said "That's where we purchased our washer, dryer and dishwasher". She laughed and said "That was probably my brother who installed them". I no longer question these chance connections, they are a part of the fabric of my life and always entertaining.

Off again towards Quartzite and then north on Hwy 95 along the Colorado River and back to Laughlin for the night. We arrived in the afternoon and took a walk along the river. We had wanted to see Las Vegas, but we're going to save it for another trip so we can explore the area. Tomorrow we head for the California coast, one trip through the Central Valley is enough.

Nov 12th ~ The numbers game today ~ Hwy 95 to 40 to 58 to 101. The traffic is light and the weather clear. It's a long drive but not a boring one, We pick up Hwy 58 near Barstow, once past Bakersfield we find the proverbial long and winding road with a little bit of everything: oil, cotton, long horns, solar farms, rivers, large ranches and small towns: desert to golden oak covered hills.

Late afternoon just east of Paso Robles on Hwy 58

We're toast by the time we reach Paso Robles so we opt for an overnight at the Best Western and dinner at Bad Bubba's BBQ next door. A good call on all accounts.

Nov 13th ~ After breakfast we head west on Hwy 46 to Cambria and north on Hwy 1. The weather is clear and it's warm on the coast. Though I love exploring the desert and mountains it's a delight to again see the Pacific.

Elephant Seals ~ Another Roadside Attraction

A Constant Roadside Attraction

 Lunch View in Monterey and 70 degrees

Once we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge it was only an hour to home. We left everything in car, had a bowl of cereal for dinner and relished the thought of being in our own beds.

This was a great adventure. We travelled blue highways to new places and back in time. Tombstone's Archivist, Nancy Sosa, got me totally hooked on what she calls the "love of the chase". My next adventure is looking further into family history. It seems "characters were indeed welcome" in my family tree.

Tombstone Road Trip ~ Tombstone Day Two ~ Nov 10, 2012

We're off to explore today. We headed up Hwy 80 to catch Hwy 82 West but missed the turn off. An oops of good fortune, as we got to chase some morning rainbows and discovered A Gallery of Dreams in St. David, just south of Benson (http://www.agalleryofdreams.com). 

There was a small art show out front and we met two gentlemen educating visitors about the Buffalo Soldiers. The gallery is home base to Tim Trask, an incredible sculptor, who is working on a clay model of what will be two life size bronze statues to commemorate the history and service of Buffalo Soldiers. We donated $20 to the project and were able to add two chunks of clay onto the forms he would use to cast the sculptures.

Next stop was the Fort Huachuca Museum to find out more about the Buffalo Soldiers (http://huachucamuseum.com/). It's a great little museum, very informative, but totally off the beaten track. It was hard to find tucked in the back corner of an active military base. Looking into their storied history was an amazing journey.

Mr. Trask's sculptures will reside in Tombstone instead of Fort Huachuca where the soldiers were stationed. Three blocks of Tombstone's Allen Street are permanently blocked off to traffic and over a million people visit there each year. Having the statues in Tombstone will provide an incredible teaching and learning opportunity. From the Civil War through modern times the Buffalo Soldiers served with honor on many fronts.

Next stop is Kartchner Caverns just southwest of Benson. The caverns were unknown until 1974, when cavers Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found a narrow crack in the bottom of a sinkhole. They followed a source of warm, moist air toward what ended up being more than 2.5 miles of pristine cave passages. Hoping to protect the cave they kept the location a secret for fourteen years.

Working with the Kartchner family they decided that the best way to achieve the goal of protection was through development as a tour cave and they approached Arizona State Parks. In 1985, then-Governor Bruce Babbitt secretly left the state capitol with two bodyguards and spent three hours crawling through the cave's tight passages to reach the cave's showcase chambers.  The discovery of the cave was finally made public in 1988 when the landowners sold the area to the state for development as a park. The state spent $28 million on a high-tech system of air-lock doors, misting machines and other gadgetry designed to preserve the cave. Put this stop on your bucket list. For more information go to http://www.explorethecaverns.com

We emerged from the caves in late afternoon for the short return trip to Tombstone. Time for a walk about before sunset and a light dinner before heading back to the Bordello.

Dinner View

The Heart of the Matter ~ to be continued

Tombstone Road Trip ~ Tombstone Day One ~ Nov 9, 2012

  

Guests gather in the dining room about 7:30 for coffee, conversation and a delicious homemade breakfast. Each morning we meet a different group of travellers: from a bike tour groups to travelers like us exploring the region.

First thing we decided to check out was Boot Hill, a graveyard rich with the town's storied characters. Most of the graves are from the early 1880's. It's a great place to wander about with a camera and look into history. We found out later in the day, however, that all who are purported to be buried there are not. It seems that history sometimes takes a back seat to a good story. Boot Hill Cemetery was closed in 1884 when the new City Cemetery was opened on Allen Street to provide a last resting place for the "proper" residents of town. 



FYI: Lester Moore was a Wells Fargo agent from Naco, AZ. In the movie Tombstone, when the Earps arrive in Tombstone 1881, they ride past Boot Hill Cemetery. Plainly visible is this tombstone, one most famous epitaphs ever written. The problem is that Lester Moore wasn't killed until 1884 ~ Think they call that a continuity error.

George Johnson made the mistake of purchasing a stolen horse and was hanged by mistake: an "oops" moment if I ever heard of one.

 One thing for sure though, the view of the Dragoon Mountains from Boot Hill is spectacular.

We came back up to town in the late morning to find town archivist Nancy Sosa and do research on my great grandfather Stanley Chipman Bagg. She and her assistant Jessica spent three hours with us going through old books and ledgers, city council minutes and photographs, making copies for us along the way. We knew he had started the Tombstone Prospector and bought out the Tombstone Epitaph, but had no idea he had owned a retail business, Bagg and Barrow, or that he had been so deeply involved in town politics.  She did some further microfiche sleuthing after we left and sent us more information including the masthead from the Prospector with his name on it. More on his colorful story later.

Nancy is the one who told us not believe everything you read. She is this field for the love of the chase and finding the truth. She does a lot of research for writers and historians, but there are two subjects she won't touch: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Too many people have their own versions of history on these two and once in the bully pulpit they won't back down. She said she'd been to research conferences and wondered if presenters should be checked for side arms at the door. We had so much fun we took Nancy to lunch.

Off to Bisbee, another historic mining town, about 25 miles south on Hwy 80, to meet up with Auntie Betty. We did a little exploring, some window shopping and stopped for ice cream before parting ways. 

The drive back from Bisbee was gorgeous: storm clouds, sun, wind, red dirt, and mesquite. We had dinner with my aunt and uncle at the Crystal Palace and then dropped them off for the evening. They head home tomorrow and had to be up at o'dark thirty. We're here another night and have a map of places to explore tomorrow.

Tombstone Road Trip ~ Jerome to Tombstone ~ Nov 7-8, 2012

Nov 7th ~ After breakfast in Jerome we head down the mountain to Cottonwood and pick up Hwy 260 east through Camp Verde to Payson where we stopped for lunch. From there it's southeast on Hwy 188 to Jakes Corner and Lake Roosevelt. We're just picking the roads as we go. There is little traffic, most of the world is in too much of a damn hurry to explore these old highways. A boon for those of us who prefer roads less traveled. It's about 80 degrees, perfect for driving with the windows down. 

 Hwy 188

Roosevelt Lake Bridge

Down near Globe, we turn south onto Hwy 77 and head for the Oro Valley just north of Tucson to spend the night. We got in about sunset and found a Quality Inn with a kitchenette. Rather than cook we headed to Whole Foods for provisions: vegetable samosas, stuffed baked potato, fresh salad (with some of our sun gold tomatoes added in) and green beans for dinner and croissants, yogurt, and juice for breakfast. I can say two things about the Oro Valley. They have beautiful sunsets and the most poorly designed thoroughfares ever. We decided not to leave until the morning commute was well over.

Nov 8th ~ Destination Tombstone today. We pick up Interstate 10 in Tucson and head east to Hwy 80 south. First stop is the Singing Winds Bookstore, about 4 miles north of Benson. Our friend Heather said it's a must.

The bookstore is on a 600 acre ranch, down a dirt road past an encampment of old trailers and broken cars. Owner Winn Bundy opened the shop in 1974 to fulfill a long time dream. It was still a working cattle ranch at the time. She told us she spent $600, that was supposed to pay a vet bill, on her first books and never looked back. She is in her 90's but is as vibrant a woman as I've ever met. Word of mouth has kept this wondrous outpost in business for over 30 years. Folks come from all over the country and return often. There no road signs but for the one on the driveway.

The shop is a floor to ceiling maze of new books with the haphazard character of a used bookshop. Half the fun is the (absolutely essential) tour of the eccentric bibliographic arrangement. Winn or her assistant reel off a litany of subjects pointing to the unlabeled shelves with collections on ghost towns, guidebooks, mining, geology, westerns, Indians of the Southwest, Indians outside the Southwest, Indian rock art, sculpture and archaeology to name only a few. They don't accept credit cards so bring cash. Her tiny desk is topped with a calculator and carbon paper for hand written receipts. Change is kept in small containers in a drawer. Rod found a book called "Indian Herbalogy of North America" to add to our collection.

It was hard to leave, but it was time to have lunch and head for Tombstone. We found the Horseshoe Cafe on the way through Benson. We liked the mural on the side of the building and the parking lot was full, reason enough for us to stop and we weren't disappointed.

We got into Tombstone around 4pm under crystal clear skies and gathering clouds. Our home away from home the next four days is the Tombstone Bordello. Considering we were married at the Gold Hill Hotel, the oldest "working" hotel in Nevada (near Virginia City), it's reasonable for us to be drawn to a former bordello. This is the sunset view from our upstairs window.

We unpacked and decided on a walk into downtown.  We wandered down to the end of a side street that had mine tours and a little outside bar at the back of an old industrial building. We chatted with Cary Grainger, who runs the mine tours. When his family moved from Vermont to Utah he fell in love with rocks. His parents retired here in an RV and he soon followed. We told him we were here to find out about my great grandfather and he told us we had to talk to Nancy Sosa at the Tombstone Archives at 6th and Fremont. Best advice ever!

The other reason we're in Tombstone is to meet up with my 93 year old aunt Betty. She and her husband Bob are on a Historical Wild West bus tour. She is my link to my grandfather John Sherman Bagg and my great grandfather Stanley Chipman Bagg. We weren't expecting them until evening, but when we drove uptown for dinner we saw the bus at their hotel. We helped them get settled in and had dinner together at the Longhorn. Long day for all of us so early to bed. Tomorrow we explore Tombstone and visit the town archivist.

Tombstone Road Trip ~ Laughlin to Jerome ~ Nov 6, 2012

Election Day ~ We voted by absentee ballot before we left home so all we can do is wait and see. We didn't need to be in Tombstone until the 8th and had no desire to drive through the Phoenix area so we continue to scout blue highways and head east on Hwy 40 towards Kingman and Flagstaff before heading south.

When it was time for lunch we took a random turn onto old Hwy 66. The first thing we see in Seligman is the Road Kill Cafe. No way we can pass this up so we pulled in. The interior decor and signage is a feast for the eyes and the food delicious. Check out the menu at http://www.road-kill-cafe.com/roadkill.html

Imagine our surprise to see one of our Sonoma County wines on the sideboard.

We turned south just west of Flagstaff onto Hwy 89 through Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona. It's an incredibly beautiful drive.

We pulled into Slide Rock Park just north of Sedona for short break. The sandstone has been etched by eons of water passing down the canyon, which made for easy walking and inviting pools.

Mom and Dad lived in Sedona in the early 70's when it was still an undiscovered artists colony. We thought about spending the night until we got there. It was like was like a mile long, high class strip mall with gridlock. I took one look at Rod and said "keep going, we'll head for Jerome".

Jerome is a little copper mining town that resides on a steep hillside at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The roads are all like Lombard Street in San Francisco. It went from boom town, to ghost town, to biker haven, to hippie heaven to a thriving arts community. A delightful place to explore.

On a whim we decided to stay at the historic Connor Hotel. No elevator and two flights of stairs. No way we're going to haul our suitcases in so our solution is pack one grocery bag of clothes, and one with the ditty, camera, and a few other necessities. Delightful room with a king bed and period decor.

The owner suggested dinner at the 15 Quince Grill and Cantina. We shared plates of chicken tacos and salsas/chips. Five stars in our book. We ended the day with an evening of acoustic music at the Spirit Bar next door to the hotel.

After packing up we walked down to Bobby D's BBQ Pit at the English Kitchen for a most excellent breakfast, outdoors on the deck. Their potato hash is worth a drive to Jerome! After breakfast we stretched our legs a bit with a walk about town and then headed out, making up our game plan as we went. 

Tombstone Road Trip ~ Off with a Bang ~ Nov 3, 2012

The first stop on our road trip to Tombstone, AZ was the annual BABE (Bay Area Bead Extravaganza) show in Oakland. I wasn't going to go this year, but decided to at the last minute since we had to drive right by there on Hwy 580 to get to Interstate 5 (read Justification Shuffle). We had reservations at a hotel in Bakersfield for our first night out, so we had plenty of time to get there before dark ~ or so we thought.

Just north of Novato, we hear a loud bang that shook car. WTF? There were no objects in sight and it didn't seem to affect drivability so we continued to Oakland for lunch and a little bead therapy. I found this amazing borosilicate glass bead set, by Colorado artist Harold Cooney. I was so drawn to the colors, Rod just pulled out the cash and said do it. He's fun to shop with.

When we left the Marriott with the windows down we started hearing some grinding and rasping. We're about to take off on a 2,200 mile road trip so our friend Common Sense says "Okay it's time to take the Jeep home". Once there Rod grabbed the rear driver side wheel and pushed and pulled, nothing, but on the right side it clanked and had about an inch of play. Considering the axles were just replaced I didn't know what to think except that going to the bead show was a good move ~ justified.

I wasn't going to bother my mechanic until we returned so we just did a Hail Mary and threw everything in the Honda CRV. Because my Jeep is a big loud V-8 our neighbor heard us come home and wondered what was up. Andrea is always amazed that this kind of adversity never seems to phase us. Our take is that "it is what it is and there's no sense in getting upset." My only concern was getting to Bakersfield after dark, she looked at me and smiled "but that's the best way to see it" and sent us on our way.

No way we were to face Oakland again so we took Hwy 37 and went out through Martinez to 680 to 580 to I5. I can see why our friends like I5 when headed south. It's wide open country, with far fewer idiots than most freeways closer to civilization. When we stopped for a late lunch, we found out that Kern County produces 76% of the state's oil and is 3rd in all counties in US in agricultural production. Who knew? We made to Bakersfield in good time: great room, comfy bed and a freshly made to order breakfast at the hotel in the morning. Deep breath, we're on vacation.

Sunday Morning Along Hwy 58

Sunday morning we made a left off of I5 and head east on Hwy 58, to I40 and Laughlin, NV. We'll spend a couple of days there to try and locate my grandfather's gold mine near Lake Mojave.

The Road to Elko

Once again I'm headed to Elko, NV for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Last year was my first experience. I went with my friend Carol and had an absolutely incredible adventure. I had no idea what to expect and got my boots blown off.

The Gathering is a grand celebration of the west. This years focus is the southwest, specifically Arizona and New Mexico. Both states celebrate their centennial year of statehood in 2012. I'm especially interested because I have ties to Arizona history. My great grandfather, Stanley Chipman Bagg was at one time the editor of the Tombstone Epitaph. My grandfather John Sherman Bagg discovered the Catherine Mine near Lake Mojave. Some of the historic information states SC discovered it, but the real story is that JS was under 18 when he filed the claim and had to put it in his father's name!  

Children's book illustration from 

The Poet of the Sierras published in 1937

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ankiradesign

Cowboys, ranchers, and denizens of rural and urban environments come together in Elko to enjoy a week of workshops, poetry, music, art and history. I'm introducing my darling husband, a rural Oregon boy, to the Gathering this year. We'll meet up with friends from Idaho, Nevada and California that we rarely get to see. Trisha's Posse rides again and we'll celebrate the friends who could not join us, but who will be there in spirit!

Vince and Trisha Pedroia

Instead of making the drive all in one day like last year, Rod and I decided to take it easy: have dinner with friends and spend the night in Reno. We were planning on getting home by 2/6 but we just found out we have no promises to keep so if the weather holds we may do a little exploring.

I'm taking my camera this time so there will be words and pictures. Do put this one your Bucket List. For more information go to the Western Folklife Center website at http://www.westernfolklife.org/