Shootout at the O.K. Corral

This is the famous place where Wyatt Earp, his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, along with Doc Holliday, had it out with the McLaury and Clanton brothers. The McLaurys and Clantons were cowboys who thrived on rustling. They had had several previous conflicts with the lawmen Earps.

Doc Holliday was a tubercular former dentist; ironically he had moved to Arizona for his health. He found gambling and gunslinging more challenging than dentistry. He was one of the most feared fast-draws in the West, and was as deadly with a knife as with a gun. He was never outdrawn. The Earps found him to be a friend of convenience. Doc's paramour, Big Nose Kate, was one of Tombstone's most famous madams. She would outlive Doc by 53 years. Note the photo of the saloon named for her.

After a couple of days of drinking, gambling, threats and counter-threats, the Earp boys and Doc walked down the street determined to end the feud with the McLaurys and Clantons once and for all. The two factions engaged at the O.K. Corral at 3:00 p.m. on October 26, 1881, and the rest is history. The Earps and Doc proved to be the better shots, and the end of that story may be found at Boot Hill Cemetary. Ike Clanton ran from the battle, but his brother, Billy and the McLaurys died at the scene. When the gunbattle ended, Virgil, Doc and Morgan were wounded but lived to enjoy bragging rights. Wyatt Earp was the only one unscathed.

Wyatt Earp was no saint, nor were the women he married. He was handsome, tough and bold. He also had a dark side. He was a drinker and a gambler, who was bitter concerning the death of his first wife and often took it out on others. That bitterness intensified after brother, Morgan, was shot in the back a couple of months after the O.K. Corral incident. Wyatt killed several men whom he believed to be involved in his brother's death. Because of the controversy that surrounded him in Arizona, he headed for Alaska in 1882. Later he would settle into a more peaceful life in California, where he died in 1929 at the age of 80. He was able to sell himself to the movie industry as an advisor, and reportedly coached a young actor named John Wayne. Virgil Earp, a U.S. Marshall with integrity, was much more a model of excellence than was his famous brother. However, since Wyatt lived longer than all of his gunslinging contemporaries, he could provide his version of his life's story to his Hollywood friends. His home in Tombstone still stands.

Tommy & Nellie: Christians in Action

Prior to making our visit to Tombstone, we called Tommy, the Strategic Missions Coordinator who had assigned us to the paint job in Douglas. He and his wife work out their home, which is also a mission center in Tombstone. We learned that he had an avid interest in the town and had even written a book on “the town that was too tough to die.” Tommy offered to serve as our tour guide, and we could not have had a better person. He doesn't tell hokie stories; everything he says is based on thorough research. Tommy really can get into his touring role, complete with marshal’s attire. He does this often for Christian groups. His more important work is to establish home Bible study groups and new churches in Cochise County, a huge piece of real estate.

One of our guide's more interesting stories was about attractive, diminutive Nellie Cashman, the Angel of Tombstone. She was an Irish immigrant, Christian restaurant owner, who never refused to provide a free meal for a man down on his luck. During her 80 plus years, she followed the discovery of precious metals nearly everywhere, even all the way to Alaska. While in the Yukon, she is said to have driven a dog sled for 750 miles when she was 60 years old. Her good works, including the founding of the first Catholic church in Tombstone, were so exemplary that everyone would stand in respect when she entered a room.

When Nellie's sister died, Nellie willingly took over the task of raising her sister's five children. She took them with her wherever adventure took her. She was simply too busy with her good deeds, surrogate mother duties, and entreprenuerial efforts to ever marry. She used to say, "Men are just boys grown up."
Nellie Cashman's reputation is without blemish, and her historic restaurant is still in business in Tombstone. Nellie died penniless at age 82 and is buried in Victoria, BC. She simply gave herself away. Be sure to read about her on the internet.

Tombstone, AZ: Too Tough to Die

We took another day while at Ft. Huachuca to tour nearby Tombstone, AZ. Silver had been discovered in the area in the late 1800s, and that brought a lot of wild, adventurous, “gun- totin” men and women from all over the world. Many of the women found work in the “oldest profession for femaies.” Money, booze and gambling were plentiful, and Wyatt Earp and his brothers were needed to help keep order. The cemetery at Boot Hill was in constant demand. Most of his "residents" were young men who died violently. The town's newspaper, the Epitath, covered the harsh events of those days, and it is still in business.

Silver is still found in Tombstone, but it comes from the pockets of tourists. The mayor of Tomestone rccently decided that the main street should look like it did back in the old days. Dirt and gravel was spread over the blacktop, so as the stagecoach rattles down the street, it looks and sounds authentic. The decision was not without controversy. Some shop owners complain about the added cost of keeping their floors clean, but we thought the mayor had a cool idea.

The Kartchner Tour

Yesterday we packed our hiking boots, camera, lunch, and plenty of water. Our required reservations for the Kartchner Caverns had been confirmed. Once we toured the gift shop, saw the informative video, and took pictures of the lovely gardens, we had lunch in the picnic area. At 12:45 P.M. Jerry suggested that we hike the loop trail prior to visiting the cave. “The trail is 2 and ½ miles.” Gloria reminded him. “It is also warm in the sun, and we just ate a big lunch.” “Oh come on, Gloria, you will be glad you did it. It will be an easy walk!” Off we went, and Jerry was right. The rugged, picturesque Foothills Trail was not that tough; climbing was minimal. However, when one is on a tight schedule, stopping to take pictures can be problematic. About half-way around the loop, we began to ask, “Are we there yet?” We stopped taking pictures and put our legs in gear. We arrived at the Discovery Center for the 90 minute tour with 20 minutes to spare. The tram took us up the hill to the cave. The guide was well-trained and thorough. We entered a 420-foot-long tunnel sealed by airtight doors. As we passed through the final air-lock, we entered the Rotunda Room. The lighting was dim, but using a flashlight, the guide showed the flows of the elaborate butterscotch-colored "drapery." Pieces of the wall shimmered like diamond specks. Each fragile Soda Straw Stalactite (actually hollow calcite) had a tiny drop of water at its tip. One of them is the longest in the world.

Kartchner Caverns Are Alive!

Kartchner Caverns are located about 20 miles north of Sierra Vista (SV). Krtchner was discovered by two amateur cavers, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, students from the University of Arizona, in 1974. They entered through a previously sighted sink hole and wiggled through narrow spaces. After finding several passages with their dim lights, the amateur cavers were awed by the finding of a huge room later called the Big Room.

Amazingly, the discovery was a well-kept secret for 14 years. This is a rare, living, wet cave. Much activity is still happening in 68 degrees and 99 per cent humidity. Randy and Gary knew that unless their secret cave were protected, it would soon die and be subject to vandalism. The Cave was purchased from a farm family, Mr. and Mrs. James Kartchner, in 1988 by the State of Arizona. The Kartchners had helped state park officials keep the huge, mysterious, cavernous secret that was lying beneath their arid farm. Much work and expense was involved in protecting the caverns and making them available to tourists.

The Rotunda Room and Throne Room opened to the public in 1992. The Big Room was not opened until 2003. The latter is only available from October 15 until April 15 to allow the cave’s 1000 female bats to raise their young. Octillo “forests” provide clues to locating a limestone cavern. We will plan our next trip to Kartchner during the time when the Big Room will be available.

Sierra Vista, AZ

Sierra Vista has many small shopping areas but no large mall or well known department stores other than Wal-Mart. The attractive Apache Flats RV Park at Fort Huachuca Army Post is six miles from the main gate. However, the post has all the facilities we consider important for our life style: Chapel, Fitness Center, Commissary, PX, and Officers Club. It is also located near some great tourist attractions and has an awesome mountain view. We registered for one week. Rattlesnake warnings were posted, but we did not see any.

Sunnyside Baptist Church in Douglas

The 10 days we spent in Douglas were a blessing to us and we hope to the people of Sunnyside Baptist Church. Because of our painting mission, we had only one day for touring. We started early and painted late every day for over a week. Two days were spent painting at the 105 year old mission church, Our Father’s House. Then we worked for five days painting Sunnyside. The walls were in horrible condition, so much scraping and caulking were needed. We were assisted on most days by two member volunteers, Connie and Victor. We worshipped with the members Sunday morning and evening, attended Bible study, and participated in two mid-week suppers/prayer meetings.

Sunnyside also has an Hispanic congregation with its own pastor, Jorge. The church may have few members, but they are ready to serve and grow spiritually. We left Douglas feeling close to the members, the Pastor, and his family. Our prayers are with the congregation. We hope to be back in the fall to see a church building transformed from a bland desert tan and brown to a striking white trimmed in blue.

Douglas, AZ

Our first surprise as we entered Douglas was the extra wide streets and the many parks with flowers and healthy green grass. In the early 1900’s James Douglas, the founder, designed the streets wide enough to facilitate turning 20-mule-team wagons. They were bringing copper to the smelter from mines in neighboring Bisbee. The mines and the smelter provided jobs and good incomes until 1982 when the mines closed. Today the town prospers mainly from tourism. Many Mexicans from Agua Prieta shop in Douglas. Except for a few stately mansions of earlier times, the houses are located mostly inside low walls or fence enclosures. They are close together, and grassy lawns are a rarity. That makes the parks even more desirable for family activities.

The pastor of the church where we were to work said we could park in the church parking lot for the duration of our assignment. That convenient site provided water, electric and internet service.

Hey Geronimo! Send Some Smoke Signals

Departure from Deming today was a bit confusing. We belong to Campers on Mission (COM), an arm of the North American Mission Board. As we travel, we check the COM internet bridge for needs of churches along our route. Mostly, we are looking for painting assignments. We had been contacted by Tommy, the Arizona Regional Mission Strategist (ARMS). He had promised to investigate the needs of various churches and get back to us. Having heard nothing, it was time to leave Deming, and were not sure where we were going. Finally noon was approaching, and Jerry announced, "Since we have heard nothing from Tommy, we are heading to Fort Huachuca, AZ.”

Along the way on I-10 West, Gloria, always fascinated with trains, was hanging out the car window taking pictures of a long Union Pacific freight; it was also headed west polluting as it traveled. As it curved behind the mountains, the cell phone rang! It was Tommy saying we were definitely needed in Douglas, AZ, a city of 14,000 people on the Arizona-Mexico Border. We quickly checked the map and took the next exit for Route 80 south. The drive was beautiful but with few businesses or homes; we stopped only once to take pictures at a monument commemorating Geronimo’s last surrender near Apache. We were surprised to see a school bus heading through the stark, dusty, lonesome desert. It disappeared into the hills, delivering its children, we know not where. “What do these children do for fun,” we wondered?

Deming Heritage

After church today we visited the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and the Old Custom House. Mimbres has exhibits of quilts from 1847, antique vehicles, Native American artifacts and a 2500 bell collection. It also has 1200 liquor decanters and rocks galore (many amethysts and agates and geodes). The large two-story building was originally the National Guard Armory and later served as the local USO facility during WW II. Hence, the military exhibits include many personal items from Deming residents dating back before WW I. The infamous Bataan Death March during WW II is well documented.

The Old Custom House, Deming’s oldest structure (1889), is part of the museum. It houses one of the city’s loveliest arrays of antiques and collectables. It even includes a bawdy “lady” in the bathtub. Deming has much to offer in the way of charm and friendliness, and both qualities are epitomized by the museum and its staff. After leaving Mimbres, we celebrated Gloria’s birthday at the Grand Motor Inn. The food is delicious, service is excellent, and it even offers free WiFi. Hey, we even do Wi-Fi during birthday celebrations. It's a necessary way of life for road warriors.

City of Rocks State Park

City of Rocks State Park is simply terrific if you like to hike or camp in a beautiful, remote place with fantastic rock formations. The park covers a one-square-mile area in the scenic Chihuahuan desert region of southwest New Mexico. It is about 20 miles north of Deming and has an elevation of 5200 feet. The amazing rock formations were formed 35 million years ago by an ultra-hot volcano, which was 1000 times hotter than the 1982 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The trails run through and over the rocks; they are inviting and not really that difficult if one is in reasonably good shape. We saw numerous lizards and an assortment of birds which we could not identify, but no snakes crossed our path. More than 60,000 people visit the park each year. The camping is excellent if full hookups are not required. We hiked from the botanical gardens to the northern most section and then took the desert trail back to the visitors center. We then drove back to the northern section for a picnic lunch, enjoying a wonderful view and gentle cool breezes. So impressed were we with this lovely park, that we have volunteered to host there from October to January.

Rock Hound & Spring Canyon State Parks

Today we toured these two co-lated, unique state parks. Here one can freely collect up to 15 pounds of rocks. Rock Hound has excellent hiking trails, nature programs, and other outdoor activities. Spring Canyon Park is actually part of Rock Hound and provides a scenic driving experience with many picnic shelters and photo opportunites. Our big excitment for the day was when we were stopped by both the police and US Border Patrol wanting to know if we had seen a dangerous, armed, illegal immigrant while we were up in the mountains. We couldn't help them.

The Big Dust Storm

The wind was getting worse as we toured Columbus, and the dust and flying trash were all too pervasive. As we headed back to toward Deming, visibility was sometimes almost down to zero. Finally, we were stopped by a big DOT truck blocking the highway. Police officers were there to shut down the road for almost two hours. The huge tan wall of opaque dust in front of us was an awesome reminder of why there are so many mulitiple car crashes during western dust storms. We were certainly glad the police were on the scene. As the storm began to clear, the faint sunlight pressing though the billows of clouds was an eerie but welcome site.

Pancho Villa State Park

Pancho Villa State Park (PVSP) in Columbus, NM is about 30 miles from Deming. It was even better than advertised, thanks to the docent who greeted us at the magnificent new visitors center. The center is actually a first-class museum established to explain Pancho Villa’s 1916 attack on Columbus, General John Pershing’s response, and the building of the first operational military airfield in the US. This was the last attack on our country by a foriegn military force. General George Patton devoted some of his early career days trying to chase down Pancho Villa in Mexico. He would be more successful later during WW II.

After touring the museum and grounds, with their fascinating vehicles, old Army structures and historical accounts, we drove two miles to the border and parked on the US side. We walked through security to the “Pink House,” per the docent's recommendation, for a delicious lunch. Shopping was not great in Mexico, so after lunch we returned to Columbus to tour the town's train station museum. We also did a driving tour of the desolate village searching for original structures of the Villa era. Only a former hotel and the old jail are still standing. The other sites are basically foundations only.

Goat Heads on the Bike Trail

Today was to be a bike-ride day. We had already ridden several miles in downtown Deming when Jerry discovered he had a flat tire. As he pushed his bike along the trail, he noticed not one but TWO flat tires. The lady at the service station said he had encountered a “goat head,” a nasty little prickly burr that is tough enough to puncture a tire. (They really do resemble a goat's head.)

Jerry pushed on with his bike in the hot sunshine to the visitor center. The hosts there recommended the Push and Pedal Bike Shop on the highway toward Columbus, NM and Las Palomas, Mexico. We had planned to visit those two towns anyway. Gloria road her bike a couple of miles to the RV park to get the GMC. Jerry awaited her return while enjoying a magazine and coffee at the visitors center. Gloria brought the G-Flat Trio, and Jerry had his Two-flat bike. Our plans for the day had changed! Off we headed to the bike shop. The owner said that he usually installs heavy duty, thicker tubes and liners in bikes because of the goat heads of Deming. He made the sale! We left the bike for repairs and headed for the Border.

The above photos were taken in Las Palomos, Mexico. The bike is obviously not Jerry's.

Deming, NM

We had stayed at Dream Catcher RV Park in 2003 for only one night. We knew that we had missed a lot, so this time we scheduled a longer stay. Dream Catcher is a members only Escapees (SKP) RV park. All SKP parks are located near main highways in parts of the country where the temperatures are pleasant year round. They have many other advantages. The hookups are excellent, sites are level, and there are the usual club house social hours and potluck dinners, table games, and even hugs at check-in/check-out.

Dream Catcher is conveniently located about 30 miles north of the Mexican Border in the middle of many historic attractions. It is large enough to have decent shopping, good medical clinics, a choice of churches, and good eateries. It is small enough to allow the use of our bikes for transportation downtown.

Note the unique name of the medical clinic on the above photo. Would a real man venture into a clinic called PMS?

Hollomon AFB & the Scenic Triangle

Holloman AFB is a few miles from to the Monument. We were able to worship at the base chapel this morning before going to the White Sands Monument Visitors Center. From Hollomon, after church, we drove north to Tularosa and then experienced the scenic triangle: Ruidosa, Hondo, and Carrizo. On our way back to Alamogordo, we noted the amazing scenery with its striking contrast between green mountains and barren high-desert areas.

Jerry went went into a field with some trepidation for the train-on-trestle photo. The rattlesnake season is here!

The pack horses are unique in our experience. Each animal was carrying a full load of something. Maybe it was ore? After a long day of driving, it was back to Las Cruces for one more night. We hope to return for a longer stay next fall.

White Sands National Monument

Trinity, site of the first atomic bomb explosion, was where the US missile and space programs had their beginnings. It is located near Las Cruces on the White Sands Missile Range. It is open to the public only twice a year, and we missed that opportunity by a day. However, we were satisfied to leave our rig in Las Cruses and drive 50 miles to the White Sands National Monument.

The Monument includes over 275 acres of naturally produced gypsum. We drove through the brilliant white dunes, amazed that plants and animals could survive in that constantly changing environment. The sands (really gypsum) are always moving. The landscape actually looks like snow, but the high temperature quickly reminded us that we were witnessing a mirage.

We enjoyed a late lunch in one of the unique shelters and watched the people, including small children, slide down the dunes on various kinds of “sleds.” We did get make one big mistake; we lost Flat Jack. Gloria nearly fell apart. What a terrible Grandma! An APB was posted for Flat Jack with our home address and cell number listed on their board. We were sad at the loss, but we have faith the he will be located. We called the real Jack in Texas, begging foregiveness and asking for a Flat Jack replacement to be sent pronto.