Arizona

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April 22nd 2010

Published: April 30th 2010

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YaoandJosh

Welcome to Arizona!

April 19-21 Traveling through Arizona

We pretty much drove straight through New Mexico, stopping only for a night in a small town to rest. We made a few stops stops in Arizona, first in Tombstone (yes, the original Tombstone), then Tucson, and then stopped for the night at Picachu state park north of Tucson, and finally we visited Yuma.

Tombstone was a western mining town, and famous for the shootout at OK Corals. We visited the historic Tombstone cemetery, where we viewed how many of the townsmen met their tragic end. People were commonly shot for arguing, even for something as minor as refusing to have a drink with another man. Hangings occurred often as well. We also visited the historic town of Tombstone, lined with western saloons and general stores.

We watched a few nights before on the Travel Channel about a food feud between two restaurants almost across the street from each other in Tucson. El Guero Canello and BK's are owned by two men who came from Sonora Mexico, and are famous for their Sonoran hotdogs. BK's won the blind taste test featured on the TV show, and we were there to see if the

Arizona

the shrubs and dry rocky landscape

Sonoran hotdogs are indeed that delicious. In the end, after sampling both, we agreed with the show, BK's was our favorite as well.

After some yummy food, we headed out towards Picachu state park to stay for the night. As we drove towards the park, the landscape began to change more and more. Trees gradually became shorter and shorter, and eventually shrubs. The land was dry, with lots of rocks and dust was everywhere. Cacti began to emerge as well. Picachu state park was full of giant cacti plants usually 15 feet tall. As we headed into the desert, I also became more and more wary of wild animals, especially snakes and scorpions. Little did I know until the next morning, Josh saw a scorpion when we first set up camp, and then later around the fire, he spotted another one waddling around. I still get goosebumps thinking about that because I was happily walking around camp with just a pair of tennis shoes on...=( We went for a long hike the next morning up the mountain in the park, and it was one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on. We walked into a forest of

Tombstone

At the entrance of the cemetery

giant cacti that just stretches for as far as we can see. As we walked through the trail, it was such a strange experience to be overshadowed by the enormous cacti surrounding us. As we continued to climb, we were able to see how far the cacti extends, and the view was just magnificent. The last half mile of the hike became very steep, with cables helping me to stabilize myself as I climbed straight up through the rocks. I finally made it to the top, my tired legs and arms were refreshed by the view.

Along the trail, we met a woman jogging with her 9 month old golden retreiver puppy named Camper. We stopped to chat for a few minutes and also to let Joy play with Camper. After we finished our hike, cleaned up, and were heading out, we noticed a note on our van windshield. Jenny, the lady, wrote that we are welcome to stay at her house if we needed a place to crash for the night. We were very touched by her hospitality, so we visited her in Arizona City for coffee and and to let Camper and Joy play for a few

Tombstone

Men killed during OK Corral gunfight

hours. While Joy and Camper ran around the yard and splashed in the water tub, Jenny entertained us with tales of her lifetime adventures of sailing around the world, sky diving for years, and hiking around the country.

After the relaxing visit, we headed out to the border of Arizona and spent the night in Yuma. While there, we visited the Arizona Territorial Prison in Yuma, yes, the destination for Ben Wade in the movie 3:10 to Yuma. It served as a prison for 33 years for men and women, closing in early 1900s. The prison actually had running water and its own generator for electricity, very modern for the times.

Now, heading on to California!

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