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Published: April 26th 2010
Distance Traveled: 410 miles
Arizona: Gila Bend, Buckeye, Phoenix, Mesa, Florence, Tucson, Benson, Tombstone, Bisbee, Douglas
New Mexico: Rodeo, Lordsburg
We elected not to eat breakfast at the Space Age Restaurant (imagine that) and decided instead to take a couple of pictures in front of the plate metal dinosaur sculpture at the local gas station. Then, we headed off to Phoenix. In keeping with our vow of not eating at a chain restaurant, we ended up at Linda's which was good old fashioned breakfast food in a tiny building. There were about 7 tables and the bathroom had one of those old fashioned towel dispensers where the used towel rolls back up into the dispenser. All in all, though, the food was great, and they had FREE mimosas - can't beat that!!
As we rode along, we went through several different climates and land features. Lots of different types of cactus, mountains in the background, and flowers. We probably rode through 50 miles worth of Saguaro cacti on our way to Tuscon. Did you know it takes 75 years for one of those things to grow until it even starts to grow one of its branches/arms?
Thanks to
Dinasaur
Awesome!smart phones, we prepped for Tombstone by reading Wikipedia all about the town history, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt Earp. This was probably a mistake, because we learned that the Arizona Historical Society (or some related organization) cited the town for a number of deviations from the requirements for historical preservation. So, when we finally pulled into Tombstone, we discovered to our disappointment that this was true: there isn't much left that is authentic. The Bird Cage Theater and Boot Hill Cemetary are mainly the only spots left with authenticity. We did get to see the largest and oldest rose bush according to the Guinness Book of World Records - brought over in 1880 from Scotland, this rose bush is in the courtyard of what was an inn in Tombstone. The rose bush was in bloom while we were there, and it spans 8000 square feet flush with the roof of the hotel.
We had planned to stay the night in Tombstone, but decided we had to leave - too much tourism for us to handle. The next town was Bisbee, an old copper mine town, with beautiful buildings built into the mountain. There was a huge copper quarry past
the town.
Moving on, we rode through different landscapes, more sparse greenery, and after about another hour ended up in New Mexico. We landed about 150 miles into NM in a town called Lordsburg. Thank goodness for Hilton hotels. We found a brand spanking new Hampton Inn and are just beside ourselves at how much better this is than the cheap ass motel we would have had to stay at in Tombstone! We don't think this room has even ever been used before - we can still smell the construction.
Border Patrol is still everywhere. I can't see how illegal aliens could get in because they are watching big time!!
Off to bed. Tomorrow is a big day - it initially was going to be about 9 hours. By our calculations, after today's change in plans, we think we have shaved off 2 hours of driving tomorrow. Getting close to the long Texas stretches, and then to see Jake and Lauren!
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Carol
non-member comment
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! I am so glad you found a good hotel to stay in. I hope today is fun for Nick's Birthday. Mom/Carol